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Electronic service for import and export declarations
Hong Kong will enter another era of electronic commerce starting from tomorrow (Tuesday) when importers and exporters will be able to lodge their trade declarations with the Customs and Excise Department electronically using the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) service.
"With the availability of the new service, importers and exporters may choose between lodging declarations using paper forms, diskettes or using the EDI service," said a spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department.
"But we are going to phase out the Diskette Submission Scheme by December 1997. Paper declarations will be phased out over the next three years.
"Lodging electronic declarations is more convenient. The service is available 16 hours a day, seven days a week and of course you save travelling time and there is no need to queue," the spokesman added.
He pointed out that the format of electronic declarations was laid down in the Import and Export (Registration) Regulations and the Industrial Training (Clothing Industry) Ordinance which were published in the Government gazette last Thursday (March 27).
The introduction of the EDI service is a major step forward in the Government's efforts to provide an efficient and user friendly infrastructure and environment for business in Hong Kong.
The service has been made possible through Tradelink, a joint venture between the Government and the private sector which was granted the exclusive rights to launch electronic services to handle a range of government-trade-related transactions.
Electronic declarations can be lodged in accordance with requirements specified in the 'Hong Kong EDI Implementation Instructions for Import/Export Declarations Version 2.0' published by Tradelink.
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