Công văn 676/TCHQ-GSQL

To: Customs Departments of provinces

Following the Official Dispatch No. 571/TCHQ-TVQT dated January 30, 2020 and Official Dispatch No. 587/TCHQ-GSQL dated January 31, 2020 on implementation of Directive No. 01/CT-BTC on COVID-19 prevention and control, the General Department of Vietnam Customs hereby requests Customs Departments of provinces to perform the following tasks:

1. Regarding facemask exports:

Pursuant to regulations in the Government’s Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP dated May 15, 2018, “medical facemask” is not a prohibited, suspended or restricted from export and does not require an export permit from the competent authority. Therefore, Customs Departments of provinces shall direct their customs branches to carry out the customs procedures that concern this product as per by law.

However, when inspecting information from customs declarations, customs officials shall instruct declarants to express the quantity of facemasks as “pcs” as prescribed in Vietnam’s Nomenclature of Exports and Imports enclosed with the Circular No. 65/2017/TT-BTC dated June 27, 2017 by the Ministry of Finance. Units other than “pcs” must be converted into “pcs” to facilitate statistics production.

2. On February 05, 2020, the Office of the Government issued the Official Dispatch No. 808/VPCP-KTTH on the Prime Minister’s guidelines for export, import and cross-border freight transport. According to this document, export, import and cross-border freight transport shall continue as regulated; and Customs Departments of provinces shall direct affiliated Customs Branches to carry out customs procedures as per the law and to cooperate with competent authorities at border checkpoints in closely monitoring operation of freight vehicles and drivers thereof in the customs areas to prevent the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

3. Customs Departments of provinces near the northern border (Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Lao Cai and Dien Bien) shall form working groups to assist with export, import and COVID-19 prevention and to act as points of contact of the General Department of Vietnam Customs when necessary. Each team shall be led by the head of a division affiliated to its Customs Department.

Lists of working group members shall be sent to the General Department of Vietnam Customs (via Customs Control and Supervision Department at the email address [email protected]).

4. The working group of the General Department of Vietnam Customs consists of:

- Mr. Tran Duc Hung - deputy head of Customs Control and Supervision Department - group leader;

- Mr. Dao Duy Tam - head of a division of Customs Control and Supervision Department - member;

- Ms. Pham Thi Phuong Anh - expert of Customs Control and Supervision Department - member.

For your reference and compliance./.