As customs brokers, we have cleared over 100,000+ goods from customs in the past years and on average it takes us about 7 days to clear our client's packages from customs.
It is important to note that there are times when we clear goods in 2 days and sometimes in 14 days.
But why is there a disparity in the days spent clearing shipments from the air or sea port?
This is because there are so many factors that affect the rate of clearing packages. We discuss the major factors in this article and provide tips to reduce your custom clearance time.
Do you need the help of an expert to clear your goods? Contact us now and we will get to work.
6 Factors Affecting Customs Clearance Time.
Sometimes it takes shorter than a week to clear goods while other times it takes longer, here are the reasons:
1. Types of Goods (Inspections):
The type of goods being imported or exported significantly influences the customs clearance process. Different categories of goods require varying levels of scrutiny, documentation, and regulatory compliance.
While some goods require less scrutiny and documentation reducing the clearance process to a few days, other types of goods need to be well scrutinised, leading to a number of inspections from different agents which sometimes take days and delay the clearance time; this could also take weeks.
So to estimate the number of days you would need for customs clearance, you need to consider the type of goods you are importing or exporting.
- How long will it take to prepare all the required clearance documents for that parcel?
- How many inspection agencies would need to inspect the package?
- Are specific certifications needed and how long do I need to get them?
Need help answering these questions? Reach out to our expert.
2. Wrongly-filled or incomplete documents:
How well your clearance documents are filled is another factor that determines how long it will take for your packages to clear customs.
Complete and accurate documentation (including invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin, and more) is crucial for swift customs clearance as the customs authorities thoroughly verify all submitted documents to ensure compliance with import/export regulations.
Any error in the documents or any missing document will lead to additional scrutiny and inspections which causes delays and the goods will not be released until all the documents are completed or corrected.
There is also a possibility that your shipment might be sent back to the country it is coming from if all import/export regulations are not met on time.
Mistakes like this can also attract extra fines and penalties and increase your customs clearance cost.
3. Delay In Payment:
Before any package is cleared from customs, there are fees that you must pay. The sooner you settle these bills, the sooner the customs agents get to attend to you, and the sooner your goods will be released if all regulations are complied with.
As customs brokers, we usually help our clients settle these fees even before their goods or parcels get to the port.
You can request a detailed list of all the fees you are to pay for customs clearance so you can plan ahead.
4. Customs Staffing Levels:
The number of customs officers available to handle the volume of shipments coming into the country directly impacts the speed at which goods can be cleared.
With fewer customs officers, inspections, document verifications, and duties assessments will take longer to complete leading to significant delays.
These delays from understaffed ports get worse during high-demand periods when the number of packages coming into the country increases.
There is also an increase in costs for importers and exporters as they will have to pay more for storage fees, demurrage charges, and potential penalties for late delivery to their customers.
5. Congestion in the port during peak periods:
Fully-staffed or understaffed, an increase in the number of shipments coming into a country will affect the speed at which goods are processed and released from the port.
Situations like this occur during celebrations and holiday seasons like Christmas, New Year, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and so on.
During periods like this, the ports are usually crowded and ships have to wait longer to dock and unload their cargo because there is often limited space for storing containers.
All these impacts from the port congestion combine to slow down the customs clearance processing rate.
6. Customs Policies and Regulations:
Every country has its policies and regulations designed to protect its economy, security, and public health by controlling the flow of goods across its borders. While some countries' policies are strict on some things, others aren’t; hence the clearance rate differs.
The number of documents, certifications and compliance needed to clear goods in different countries differs and so does the time spent preparing the documents.
In certain instances, countries enter into trade agreements that lower duties on goods exchanged between them and reduce the need for extensive inspections. As a result, goods from these countries are cleared more quickly than those from non-participating countries.
All these factors are responsible for the variability in the number of days that packages spend in customs before they are released.
Tips to Clear Goods Through Customs Faster
Although the majority of the factors that affect how long items stay in customs are beyond our control, we have found our way around most of them due to our experience in the supply chain industry.
Here are the major ways we used to clear our clients' goods quickly:
1. Get an Expert:
An expert in customs clearance has spent a huge number of years clearing different types of goods from the port. They know what to do to speed up the process and can tell when there is a possibility of a delay occurring.
At SARA we have a team of expert customs brokers with 20+ years of experience and a good understanding of the local customs regulations. We can help you navigate complex customs procedures efficiently and quickly.
We are your best chance at clearing your goods as fast as possible.
2. Advance Planning:
Planning for anything makes it easier to handle. The customs clearance process can be complex but with a good plan, you can get through it quickly.
You need to start preparation for clearance as soon as your goods begin transit. Get a list of the customs clearance documents needed for your goods and start getting them ready with the correct Harmonized System (HS) codes and other information.
You can also check out how much the customs duties and other necessary fees are and budget for them.
We advise our clients to strategically plan their supply chain to avoid shipping goods during peak periods when ports are typically congested and delays are almost inevitable. It's best to avoid having urgent demands during these times.
Working with customs brokers during this planning process can save you time and cost during the clearance process.
3. Ensure Proper Packaging and Labelling:
After getting every other thing right you don’t want the way your goods are packed to attract additional inspections.
Ensure that your goods are packaged and labelled according to the requirements of the destination country.
You can check out our guide on shipping labels and packing in the shipping industry or reach out to us for advice on proper labelling and packaging for your specific goods.
4. Choose Ports With Known Efficiency:
There are always several ports in every country and each of them would have different efficiency depending on the customs staffing.
You want to pick a well-staffed port over any other port in the country to increase the chance of your goods being cleared faster.
Let us know which country you are shipping your goods to and we will advise you on the best port to ship it to based on our experience with them.
What to Expect After Customs Clearance
After your goods are successfully cleared from the customs, here is what you should typically expect:
1. Release of Goods:
After customs clearance, your goods will be released from the customs authority’s control and made available for onward transportation.
This process usually begins when the Exit Note is issued by the customs agent which is a document that serves as an official confirmation that the goods have been correctly transported out of the customs territory.
2. Transport to Final Destination:
What happens after your goods leave the port depends on you. They are either transported to your customers, your location, or a warehouse.
We don't leave this step to our clients. We arrange the logistics of the cleared package to their desired destination within 1-3 days depending on the distance from the port.
You can also choose to use our warehousing service to store your goods in our warehouses in Nigeria, the USA, Dubai, China, and London.
Clear Your Packages Quickly With SARA
Customs clearance can take a day, 2 days, 3 days, 7 days or even weeks. We explained why this variation occurs in this article and how to get your goods out as fast as possible.
But note that your best chance of getting your goods out fast is when you work with a customs broker.
At SARA we have experienced customs brokers who can assist you through every step of the clearance process and get your items delivered to you as quickly as possible.
Contact us today and let's get your goods cleared.
Comments
Please log in to leave a comment.