Services to Trading & Business Community
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Clearance of Goods and Electronic Processing of Declaration
Customs aims at offering a standard and quality service to its stakeholders (trade and business) through speedy clearance of goods with the least costs and least hassles.
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Electronic Processing of Bills
All Customs declarations (Bills of Entry) are processed electronically through the Mauritius TradeNet System. This Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) network links all commercial operators with the Customs Department. Payment may also be effected electronically.
The Customs House Brokers, Freight Forwarding Agents, and importers registered at the TradeNet System submit their Customs declarations together with scanned documents electronically through TradeNet and after processing, electronic responses of the acceptance or rejection of the declarations are sent to their Front End System.
Clearance formalities are completed within an overall turnaround time of one hour for both seaport and airport sites, and messages for cargo release are sent to clearing warehouses. At the same time declarants are informed to proceed for the removal of their goods.
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The Duty Officer system is a facility provided to assist importers, exporters and freight forwarders at the port and airport with their Customs clearance issues. Under this system, members of the Senior Management of Customs are assigned, on an alternate basis, the role to handle stakeholders’ complaints even outside normal working hours, Sundays and public holidays.
Duty Officers can be contacted on the following numbers:
Port: 5 259 6950
Airport: 5 498 7505
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The MRA-Customs Department is the competent authority for the issuance of certificates of origin as indicated in table below and on the basis of conditions laid down in the respective preferential trade agreements. Applications are submitted electronically to Customs for processing and issuance at the MRA- Customs - Origin Unit Counter. The certificates of origin are remitted in original hardcopy to the Exporter/Exporter’s authorized representative.
AGOA/VISA Certificate of Origin and COMESA Certificates of origin are issued by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection. The AGOA/VISA Certificate of origin pertains to preferential import of textile and apparel products into the USA. The AGOA/VISA Certificate, duly stamped by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection, should be submitted to the MRA Customs- Origin Unit for verification of the AGOA/VISA Certificate, together with supporting documents, prior to shipment.
Issuing Competent Authority Certificate of Origin Trade Agreements MRA Customs Ministry of Industry and Commerce Movement Certificate Eur 1 Interin Economic Partnership Agreement √
Turkey - Mauritius Free Trade Agreement √
Southern African Development Authority (SADC) SADC Protocol on Trade √
Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) Protocol sur les Règles d'Origine CO1 √
Certificate of Origin – Pakistan – Mauritius Preferential Trade Agreement (PMPTA) Pakistan – Mauritius Preferential Trade Agreement √
African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA/VISA Certificate) AGOA Act √
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Protocol on Rules of Origin - COMESA √
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The Mauritius Customs also runs a free Tariff Information Service to provide, on request, information and advice on the proper HS codes, rates of duty, excise duty and taxes applicable on imported goods. This enables importers and stakeholders to know, in advance, the cost of importing goods and helps to avoid time consuming disputes at time of clearance.
Customs also advises industries, trade and other organisations and persons on the duty concessions or duty-free facilities they might take advantage of as provided for under the various enactments administered by MRA Customs.
All requests for tariff information have to be made on the appropriate form which may be downloaded here and addressed to the Customs Tariff Information Unit.