Philippine freight forwarders and deconsolidators dealing with balikbayan (personal effects and household goods) boxes have until March 31, 2017 to register with the Account Management Office (AMO) of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), as stipulated in a customs memorandum order (CMO) released last January.
CMO No. 04-2017, signed on January 20, states that deconsolidators, or the local freight forwarders or agents of consolidators, should register with AMO every two years, “in addition to (accomplishing) the requirements imposed by other government agencies.”
CMO No. 04-2017 lays down the guidelines for implementing Customs Administrative Order (CAO) No. 05-2016, which in turn provides the guidelines for handling consolidated shipments of duty and tax-free balikbayan boxes.
READ: BOC, DOF sign IRR on duty, tax-free shipment of ‘balikbayan’ boxes
Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon in a statement said accrediting deconsolidators would ensure balikbayan boxes sent to the Philippines by Filipinos abroad are handled by legitimate deconsolidators.
Documents to be submitted to AMO by the end of the month include an accomplished AMO application form; a list of consolidators with whom the applicant has existing service contracts and a copy of the individual service contracts, with all the annexes, between the deconsolidator and the consolidators; a certified true copy of registration or accreditation certificates from other government agencies; and an affidavit of undertaking.
Meanwhile, BOC said that starting March 31, AMO will have sole access to the Client Profile Registration System (CPRS) in the activation of sea and air freight forwarders’ access to the agency’s electronic-to-mobile (e2m) system. CPRS is the module of the e2m that facilitates the automated registration and renewal of registration of all BOC stakeholders.
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