The Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) has rolled out new guidelines for importers, transporters, bonded warehouse operators, and clearing agents involved in customs activities.
The guidelines, issued on December 30, 2023 by the Commissioner General of RRA, Bizimana Ruganintwali Pascal, are stringent measures aimed at enhancing efficiency and transparency in the customs domain.
These guidelines are specific directives targeted at various segments of the customs operation, emphasizing compliance and clarity in the handling of goods under customs control.
For example, the directive mandates that transporters handling goods under customs control must possess a license issued by the Commissioner for Customs, as stipulated in Article 244 of the East Africa Community Customs Management Act.
For importers of consolidated cargo, CG Ruganintwali said in the communique, “the clearing agent engaged at the point of entry (Mombasa, Dar-es-Salaam, airport, or any other location) shall remain responsible for clearing all the goods until the whole consignment is released in customs.”
Additionally, information recorded on the invoice, arrival notice and customs for instajce, “declaration must clearly describe the goods (the type, quantity, price, country of origin and other pertinent details) to avoid ambiguity.”
Also, the new directives say, arrival notices must prominently display the HS Code for each item, the weight and quantity of every type of goods.
The Commisioner General said that detailed requirements for obtaining this license will be communicated to all concerned stakeholders.
Meanwhile, Taarifa is investigating a case in which Akagara Business Group managed to secure Yellow Cards (Vehicle Certificates) from RRA for dozens of MVC 240 buses and register them as Mercedes Benz buses.
RRA said the yellow cards were issued as per details provided by Akagera Business Group’s clearing agent.
With the new guidelines, such a scenario might not happened again.
