1. Import and Export
  2. Customs Import Procedure

Customs Import Procedure

CUSTOMS PROCEDURE CODES:

IM 4 – Import for home consumption

IM 5 – Temporary Admission subject to re-exportation

IM 6 – Re-importation

IM 7 – Warehousing

IM 8 – Transit and Transshipment

IMPORT CLEARANCE PROCESS:

Carrier/Shipping Agency:    

Registers manifest in the Customs ASYCUDA System 48 hours prior to arrival of the vessel and distributes Arrival Notice. Ship arrives within 48 hours and discharge consignment.

Importer:      

Hires a clearing and forwarding agent and submits transport and other transaction documents.

Agent:    

Registers, a declaration (SCD) in the Customs ASYCUDA System, generate an assessment notice and attach transport, transaction and other materials provided by the importer.

Commercial Bank:    

Make payment is shown on Assessment Notice to the pre-payment account of the Clearing and Forwarding Agency.

Customs Longroom:     

  • Face vets registered declaration and all attached documents and verify payments.
  • Rejected when inadequate, and a Rejection Notice issued indicating criteria.
  • Risk-based selectivity criteria will route declarations of assessed risk parameters (Green, Blue, Yellow or Red)

Customs Inspection:  

  • Green Lane Declarations – Declaration is error free. No office selected for consignments that will go green. Agent proceeds to Customs Release Office.
  • Blue Lane Declarations - Perishables items found or importer found to be of low risk. Agent proceeds to Release and subjected to Post Clearance Audit
  • Yellow Lane Declarations – A systematic documentary check is conducted on SCD and attachments.
  • Red Lane Declarations – A systematic documentary check carried out on SCD and attachments followed by a physical inspection of the consignment.

Customs Release:    

Generates perforated Customs Release Order.

Sierra Leone Ports Authority (SLPA) Delivery:     

Ends process and generates System Exit Notes notifying consignment release.

Customs Exit Gate:      

Acknowledges exit of the consignment ensuring that what was released by customs is indeed what is being withdrawn.

SEE IMPORT CLEARANCE PROCESS MAP

ASYCUDA and the Clearing process