Dubai Customs and DHL, the leading international courier company, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for using the electronic business channel Business To Government (B2G) which is the most recent initiative in the field of electronic transactions introduced by Dubai Customs to its clients.
The signing of the MoU took place on the sidelines of Dubai Customs participation in GITEX Exhibition for information technology which is held at Dubai World Trade Center. On behalf of Dubai Customs, Mr. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Executive Director of Client Management Division signed the MoU whereas Mr. Bachi Spiga, Head of Operations, DHL Express, Middle East represented DHL in the signing of the MoU in the presence of a number of media representatives.
As per the MoU, DHL company can enter customs declarations of their cargos only once into their internal technical system and they will be automatically transferred to Dubai Customs’ Mirsal 2 system in order to accelerate the process of completing transactions and clearing them electronically. This entails entering the declarations only once instead of twice, through DHL internal system as well as Mirsal 2 system.
Mr. Musabih stressed that Dubai Customs launched the new initiative in cooperation with its key clients who have large number of daily customs transactions after conducting a survey to obtain their expectations about the benefits B2G would provide. He pointed out that B2G is an application within the full-fledged customs e-clearance system; Mirsal 2 which was developed for two years and launched officially last March.
He stated as well that B2G is considered an e-business channel enabling the external systems to communicate electronically with Mirsal 2 system which means linking the clients’ systems to Dubai Customs’ Mirsal 2 and eliminating the need of human intervention. Before the introduction of B2G, clients were asked to submit their declarations twice; in their own internal systems and in Mirsal 2. B2G helps accelerate transaction processing since declarations are automatically and electronically transferred into Mirsal 2 once they are punched in through the clients’ internal systems. This leads to reducing costs and simplifying the process.
Mr. Musabih noted that B2G can be accessed over the web through Web Services using valid credentials and digital certificates. The format is XML/SOAP which is standard for communication between two separate systems across the world.
Mr. Musabih added that the new initiative embodies true partnership between the government and business sectors and is inline with Dubai directives towards e-government since clients are able to enter and complete customs declarations and process e-payment of the due duty easily, smoothly and securely.
Mr. Spiga expressed his gratitude to Dubai Customs for introducing such distinguished and quality services and for allowing them to be a part of the decision-making process. “We are pleased to join the list of B2G users which is a part of Mirsal 2 system as we understand that the system’s implementation is aiming to enhance trade facilitation and also improve international supply chain security. Not only will Mirsal 2 enable Customs to maintain the balance of enforcement and facilitation of trade, but also to be able to profile transactions and review risk management” he further noted.
Mr. Spiga added: “The new initiative is expected to have a positive impact on cargo clearance times and at the same time the compliance will enhance the clients’ reputation and will lead to accreditation programs and certification to international standards. Mirsal 2 is expected to elevate Customs to a global standard beyond the guidelines set by the WCO”.