Binh Duong Department of Customs has just introduced to enterprise community the new contents of Circular No. 128/2013 of Ministry of Finance, stipulating steps and procedures of customs, importing, and exporting while fixing compulsory time for digital signatures and e-customs under new standards and formats. Comprehensive digital signature regime shall be implemented by enterprises from November 1. In this picture, a representative of an enterprise is doing customs procedures at Binh Duong Customs So what are the new features of Circular No. 128/2013?Basically, Circular No. 128/2013 supercedes Circular No. 194 with 168 articles (adding up 3 articles, removing Article 98 on declaration, classification, and taxing undismantled or not assembled products under rule 2a, removing Article 132 on document submission for liquidation, tax returns, and nonpayment of taxes).In Chapter 3, the Circular No. 128/2013 reduces 5 articles regarding the location establishment. The new articles include Articles 7, 13, 28, 62, 131, 132 of evaluation, declaration registration, site clearance, transportation for importation and exportation, tax deferred payments and down payments, and 3 articles stipulating post-customs check-up.As for the retained articles from Circular No. 194, amendments have been made regarding customs clearance, supplementation of customs declaration documents, sampling and reserving cargo samples, cargo classification, customs declaration revoke, local import goods, etc.Digital signature duration fixedBy November 1, local customs shall implement digital signature for all enterprises doing customs procedures for cargo trading.Mr. Do Thanh Phong, an officer of Data Center of Binh Duong Customs informed the importance and pracability of digital signatures in preventing cheating in declaration and ensuring enterprise confidential information.“Currently, 95% of enterprises doing customs procedures with Binh Duong Customs by e-declaration forms while the remaining enterprises are pending for implementation for the time to come, thus, Binh Duong Customs has to apply digital signatures for all enterprises in trading,” said Mr. Phong.Meantime, from beginning of 2014, the customs sector shall launch e-customs of Japanese standards which are considered as world most modern system. As the matter of fact, the customs sector and enterprise community should be readied. From November 15, General Department of Customs and its grassroots in localities shall coordinate with enterprises to test the system.This requires complete application of digital signatures. “Enterprises having digital signatures should access our website to register for use,” he said.Reported by Thanh Son – Translated by Vi Bao