Presentation to AFACT
Internetworking Implementation Committee (IIC)
AFACT IIC Customs EDI Project
Rafiq Abdullah Mark Traas
IIC-TWG Technical Advisor
Project Goals
• Ultimate goal of project
– Exchange of Customs EDI data for:
• Trade Facilitation & Expediting Clearance
• Enforcement
• Statistics
• High-level timing goals
– Pilot by end 1999
– Live implementation by early 2000
Project Description
• Exchange of EDI Information between Customs
Administrations
– Exchange of Export Declaration (CUSDEC)
– Selected Information based on need and confidentiality
agreements
– May extend to other documents and information in the
future
FOR MORE INFO...
Refer AFACT IIC Meeting Documents
Legal Framework
• AFACT IIC
– Authority
– Implementation Standards & Guidelines
– Project Management
• Pilot
– Bilateral Memorandum of Understanding
• Live
– Bilateral Agreement with Annexes
Technical Overview
• Standards
– Developed and reviewed by the IIC-TWG (Technical
Working Group)
– EDI Standards using EDIFACT
• D95B with Asia region guidelines (RECES)
• WCO D95B Mapping Guide & APEC Code Harmonization
Guide
– VAN-to-VAN network over X.400
FOR MORE INFO...
Refer to IIC-TWG Meeting Documents & Technical Kit
Network Overview
X.400
VAN
Customs
VAN
Customs
Process Overview
Local standard
export CUSDEC
Local standard
information
Required Steps
Optional Steps
1. Map to regional CUSDEC standard
2. Cross-reference from local codes
to harmonized codes (using tables)
3. Convert character set, if necessary
(using tables where possible)
7. Map to local requirements
6. Cross-reference from harmonized codes
to local codes (using tables)
5. Convert character set, if necessary
(using tables where possible)
Regional standard
export CUSDEC
4. Transmitted
Regional standard
export CUSDEC
Process Overview
• Sending Country
– Decides what information may be released to
other countries
– Maps local CUSDEC into region standard prior
to transmission
• Message Structure and Data Elements (group
locations and qualifier codes)
• Language and Character Sets (translate non-ASCII to
ASCII for descriptive text-type data elements)
• Code Set Normalization (tabled cross-reference)
Process Overview
• Receiving Country
– Receives regional-standard export CUSDEC from
sending country
– Uses message according to local requirements and
bilateral confidentiality agreements
– May re-map message for local standards
• Message Structure and Data Elements (group locations and
qualifier codes)
• Language and Character Sets
• Code Set Normalization (tabled cross-reference)
Unique Referencing
• Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) is required for
identifying consignments
UCN
Unique Consignment Reference Number
Internationally unique number used by Importers / Exporters to identify the consignment
Format = Last digit of calendar year + Country Code + Company Identifier + Unique
Reference
• EDIFACT Representation
RFF
UCN
9MY11800023456789
FOR MORE INFO...
WCO Guidelines for unique consignment reference identifier
Current Activity
– Customs-to-Customs MOU signed between Korea and
Malaysia administrations on 29/12/1999
– Level 3 Pilot message exchange began 19/4/2000
– 3rd JPT meeting held on 10/9/2000 to review progress & issues
– VAN-to-VAN MOU signed between Trade*Van
(Chinese Taipei) and Dagang*Net (Malaysia)
– X.400 testing completed
– Level 1 and Level 2 (VAN-to-VAN) testing to follow
– Customs-to-Customs MOU presently being reviewed by
respective Customs Administrations
– VAN-to-VAN MOU between EDI Indonesia and
Dagang*Net presently under discussion
Korea - Malaysia Pilot Exchange
• Bilateral message exchange between
Customs administrations of
– Korea
– Malaysia
• MOU signed on 29/12/1999
• Three Joint Project Team (JPT) meetings
• Pilot exchange began 19/4/2000
Korea - Malaysia Pilot Exchange
• Weekly exchange of export consignment
declaration information (export CUSDEC,
EDIFACT D97A)
• Selected subset of 3 harmonized tariff codes (6digit) each direction
• Intended for direct shipments only
• Selected subset of declaration data
• Confidentiality (Customs only)
Korea - Malaysia Pilot Exchange
• Selected Data
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Place of Loading/Discharge
Departure Date
Total Weight (in KGM)
Reference information (used to build UCI)
Transport details (call sign, voyage number, vessel name)
Consignor and consignee name and address
Line item information (HS code, goods description,
quantity measurements)
Korea - Malaysia Pilot Exchange
• Analysis of Data Exchange to date
Difficulty of matching import/export declarations due to:
– All or nearly all shipments are transshipments, with impact on
B/L information
– B/L information on Malaysia export declaration available later
– Vessel identification assigned by port operator in Malaysia (int’l
identifiers not provided, except for vessel name)
– Voyage identification assigned by port operator in Malaysia
(international identifier not provided)
– Party identification (e.g. importer name on Korea export
declaration and on Malaysia import declaration are not the same,
often stated “to the order of”)
Korea - Malaysia Pilot Exchange
• Data exchange issues resolved
» UN/EDIFACT version
» Code qualifiers
» Data formats, lengths and decimal usage
• Data exchange issues unresolved
» Common UCR to link up import/export data
» Unavailability of some internationally used
identification information
» Transshipments (change of B/L)
Korea - Malaysia Pilot Exchange
• Conclusions to date
• Successful and reliable exchange of export
consignment declaration data
• No major technical problems encountered
• Problems revolved around non-availability of some
internationally used data elements
• Clear case of a need for internationally adopted use
of a Unique Consignment Reference (UCR)
Thank You!
Any questions and comments?