What is Single Window of Foreign Trade?

What is a Single Window of Foreign Trade?

It is conceptualized as "an integrated system that allows parties involved in trade and international transportation to manage, through electronic means, the procedures required by the competent authorities in accordance with current regulations or requested by these parties, for the transit, entering or leaving the territory of goods."

Why create a Single Window of Foreign Trade?

The expansion of markets and trade integration with other countries has a positive impact on the current rate of growth of foreign trade taking place in our country. Therefore ensure their future sustainability and efficiency require higher quality, transparency, efficiency and speed in the processes related to the controls exercised by public authorities, so that reduces the diversity and dispersion of procedures, allowing integrated controls and fast, equal and transparent response to similar requirements of exporters, importers and even international markets, most of all, provide in terms of lower costs and time the in and out operations of goods into the country. This order, integration and simplification of processes and documents impact the efficiency and operational costs at the state level as the private sector and increase undoubtedly our competitiveness against other countries.

Objectives of Single Window of Foreign Trade

• Integrate and improve processes: simplifying and standardizing procedures, forms and deadlines for paperwork.
• Channeling the required and provided by the competent entities, through electronic means, in order to facilitate foreign trade information.
• Facilitate, coordinate and ensure that information exchange is electronic and free between the competent institutions.
• Provide legal security through the provision of accurate and binding information to the parties involved.

How it works

It has three components:

• Restricted Goods: Enables exporters and importers conduct, via the Internet, the procedures for obtaining permits, certifications, licenses and other authorizations for entry, transit and departure of restricted goods, such as food, medicine, animals, plants, telecommunications equipment, toys, etc.
• Origin: Allows the issuance and management of the qualification and certification of origin and the issue of duplicates, replacements and cancellation of a certificate of origin.
• Port: It will allow the management of administrative procedures related to the reception, stay and clearance of vessels in the ports of the country, and procedures related to port services.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism continue its efforts to implement new components in the VUCE, which enable integration of all services related to international trade operations, in an effective and innovative way.