Dubai Customs, the first 100% Smart Government Department, showcases its latest technological achievements in GITEX 2013. Amongst these achievements is the provision of all customs services via mobile phones, in accordance with the integrated vision of the UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the implementation of the objectives set by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed for the Smart Government, described as: “A successful government is one that is readily accessible to the people and does not burden the user. An advanced government with a futuristic outlook works 24/7 and 365 days a year”.
As it participates in GITEX exhibition 2013, Dubai Customs is keen to incorporate the concept of the Smart Government. In addition to its participation in Dubai Smart Government booth, the Department shall have a special booth in the exhibition based on the latest attractive and interesting display technologies. It shall organize several events about the efforts involved in all of the phases of Dubai Customs’ technical development. A large competition will be organized to win valuable smart prizes of the latest international communication and entertainment technologies.
Throughout the exhibition, the Department will highlight the customs services to participants, visitors, and concerned parties as well as the procedures for customer request submissions and the handling of these requests by the staff in order to complete the transaction in a record time. Customers will be allowed to submit their requests through smart phones to benefit from the 19 main services plus their subsidiary services. This integrated system covers the entire range of the services offered by Dubai Customs, and reduces the expected time of service delivery to the customers.
Not only does this integrated system allow customers to submit their requests via smart phones, but it guarantees that the processing of the requested service begins as soon as the requests are received. Clients are notified directly by e-mail to confirm that their requests being processed, and the duration of time needed for service delivery is also determined. Accordingly, Dubai Customs has been transformed to a 100% Smart Government Department, and delivers most of its customs transactions through the use of the latest IT applications. This provides its clients with an added value in the form of cost-effective business transactions in a shorter time and with less effort. It also eliminated the need for human resources to follow up on the implementation of customs procedures, as its attains all the objectives of the Smart Government to reach the customers 24/7 instead of receiving them in service centres during working hours only. And so, customs services are transformed from client service centres to the clients’ smart phones.