ASEAN and the EU have launched the new online ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS)
Following ASEAN Customs Transit System pilots in Cambodia, Lao, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, the ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS) system has now been formally launched for general use.
In 2017, ASEAN Economic Ministers set the twin goal to double intra-ASEAN trade’s 2017 levels by 2025, while reducing trade transactions costs by 10% by 2020. The ACTS has been developed to facilitate this, through allowing businesses to lodge e-transit declarations with ASEAN Customs Authorities. This will simplify the movement of goods within the region, reducing transit costs. The ACTS, allows the private sector to make a single Customs transit declaration, which fully covers the transport of goods across multiple ASEAN countries. An ACTS customs declaration removes the need for repeated Customs declarations, or vehicle changes at each national border.
The ACTS has been developed by ASEAN, with technical and financial support provided by the EU under the ARISE Plus programme.