Customs Cooperation – Information
Exchange
Geneva, July 2012
Brazil
Division on International Customs Affairs
Regional/Multilateral Customs Cooperation
• A single agreement, with benefits for all
• A useful tool to curb fraud and to improve enforcement
and trade facilitation
Brazil:
Multilateral Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual
Assistance between the National Customs Authorities of
Latin America, Spain and Portugal (COMALEP) -1981
29 member countries in 4 different regions
Agreement on Cooperation, Information Exchange, Data
Consultation and Mutual Assistance between Customs
Authorities of MERCOSUR – 1997  2006
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
BRAZIL
ARGENTINA
VPN
via
Internet
PARAGUAY
URUGUAY
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
Exchanged Data
 Each Member State makes available to the other
Member States data concerning:
 Intra and extra-regional imports;
 Intra-regional exports
 Request for information can be made by
declaration or period
Number of requests for information
2009
2011
Made by Brazil
11.716
9.561
Made to Brazil
47.756 443.799
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
Country providing information
Search by declaration
Importation or Exportation
Number of declaration
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
Data contained in the declaration and
information about its processing
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
Data about the imported good
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
Country providing the
information
Search by period
Exportation
Tariff classification (optional)
Exporter identification (optional)
Destination country
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
Export Declarations within the
searched period
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
Country providing the information (importer/Uruguay)
Search by importation linked to
an exportation
Export Declaration (Brazil)
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
Import declaration (Uruguay)
INDIRA – Exchange of Information from
Customs Registers
• WCO has recognized the system as an international
best practice for customs, providing an adequate
tool for information exchange between customs
authorities
• COMALEP has taken it into account as a basis for
its future works in the area of customs information
exchange
• Argentinean and Mexican customs have
implemented it on a trial basis. Trial operations are
also envisaged with Bolivia and Chile. Ecuador has
also indicated interest in participating.
Modernization and Simplification of
Information Exchange
• Necessary to cope with the increasing number of
operations and irregular practices
• Exchange should be simple, quick and effective
• Request and response should be electronic, if
possible
• Important to provide some details about the
specific case: information being sought, reasons
to doubt the truth or accuracy of a declaration (in
sum, what customs needs to prove/confirm)
• Requesting country should first conduct internal
verifications.
• As a general rule:
- Pieces of information contained in the import or
export declaration
- Documents supporting the import or export
declaration
Thank you!
Marco Antonio Borges de Siqueira
Division on International Customs Affairs
+55 61 3412-3481
[email protected]