Import clearance issuance rules eased

MANILA, Philippines–To speed up the issuance of the clearances of accredited customs brokers and importers, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has trimmed the number of documents to be submitted by applicants.

Under Revenue Memorandum Order (RMO) No. 1-2015 dated Dec. 19 and signed by Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares, the BIR said it would no longer require from those applying for either a broker’s clearance certificate (BCC) or an importer’s clearance certificate (ICC) to submit the following documents:  certified true copy of the certificate of registration issued by the BIR and a certified true copy of the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission registration as well as articles of incorporation.

Save for the said two documents, the six other necessary certifications to be secured from various BIR units, as specified under RMO 10-2014, must be attached to the application forms, the BIR said.
“Only applications with certifications issued by concerned BIR offices that the applicant is fully compliant with all the prescribed criteria will be accepted by the ARMD (Accounts Receivable Monitoring Division)  of the bureau. Applicants who would be found noncompliant with the prescribed criteria would  be required to comply before the required certification is issued,” RMO 1-2015 read.

For those issued with provisional BCCs and ICCs, the BIR said brokers and importers must submit up to six certifications from various BIR units at least one month before their six-month accreditations expire.

“The six-month validity period of the provisional ICC/BCC will no longer be extended once the (required) documents are not submitted… For those who will be able to submit the documents, ARMD will immediately verify the authenticity of the said documents. If the same are found in order, a regular ICC/BCC shall thereafter be issued and the validity thereof shall be extended to three years, counted from the date of issuance of the provisional ICC/BCC,” the BIR said.

Last November, the Department of Finance (DOF), via Department Order No. 107-2014, ordered the exemption of Philippine Economic Zone Authority or Peza locators from securing the ICC.
The ICCs from the BIR helped the department in mapping the taxes and duties being paid by importing firms.

However, a number of business groups and companies had complained that the processing and release of ICCs had been too slow, delaying their import activities.

Since then, the DOF, which oversees revenue collection through the BIR and the Bureau of Customs, has been moving to make the application process for ICCs easier.