44% Growth in Customs Declarations: Dubai Customs Achieves Remarkable Milestones in Inland Centers Management for 2023
Director General of Dubai Customs Urges Further Trade Facilitation through Visit to Customs Centers
In the course of his ongoing inspections to monitor customs operations and facilitate trade for both merchants and travelers, H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs, CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, emphasized the need to enhance trade facilitations during a visit to the customs centers at Ducamz and the Dry Port.
The aim is to maintain the momentum and boost Dubai's foreign trade, which has reached 2 trillion dirhams in 2023.
Musabih highlighted that the digital services provided by Dubai Customs have become a global benchmark. Additionally, there is an emphasis on attracting foreign investments in the commercial sector. He confirmed that Dubai's customs centers are keeping pace with the strong recovery in non-oil foreign trade, tourism, and travel witnessed by the emirate. He stressed the necessity of exerting more efforts and continuously developing capabilities to meet the evolving needs of both traders and travelers.
Customs declarations processed by the Inland Customs Centers Management showed a substantial increase of 44%, reaching 1.13 million customs declarations in 2023 compared to 790 thousand declarations in 2022. The total number of inspections for goods and travelers amounted to 198,478. The cleared goods' total weight last year was 6 million tons, a 20% increase from 2022's 5 million tons. The Inland Customs Centers also processed 238,149 Vehicle Customs Cards (VCC), and the number of licensed companies operating in Ducamz reached 396. The cleared shipments of cars at Ducamz Customs Center demonstrated robust growth, reaching 20 billion dirhams in 2023.
Ducamz, as the only center of its kind in the Middle East and the region, facilitates importing and re-exporting cars in line with customs procedures related to free zones. Dubai Customs consistently supports companies operating in Ducamz, assisting them in utilizing smart customs services, allowing customers to clear transactions 24/7, ultimately saving time, effort, and reducing business costs.
Accompanying the Director-General of Dubai Customs during the tour were key officials including Dr. Abdullah Busnad, Executive Director of Customs Inspection Division; Rashid Al Sharid, Executive Director of Administration and Finance Division; Juma Al Ghaith, Advisor to the Director-General; Hamid Al Rashid, Director of Inland Customs Centers Management; Younis Othman, Director of Information Technology Management; Khalil Saqer bin Gharib, Director of Corporate Communication Department; Mohammed Al Hashimi, Director of Customs Refund Management; Idris Bihzad, Director of Customer Happiness Management; and Rashid Al Dhabbah Al Suwaidi, the Acting Director of Sea Customs Centers Management. The delegation also included several customs center managers and inspection team leaders.