Customs warns brokers on document verification
Customs brokers, importers, exporters and other cargo reporters have been warned that they need be more careful when supplying documents and evidence to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS), in the latest notice from the agency
Concern has been voiced by Customs about acceptable standards of commercial documentation and “evidence of monies price paidâ€.
Details being provided to the service in such documents as pro-forma invoices, which include the value of goods, have been found to be “highly inaccurate†in a “significant number†of cases.
“ACBPS warns people not to rely routinely on the use of such pro-forma documents without further verification work to ensure that they reflect the true sales transaction.â€
Failure to provide adequate supporting evidence on request could result in delay to imports of cargo, the service warns, as it may refuse to grant authority to deal with the good until the details have been verified.
Cargo clearance delays have already occurred on this point, the service adds.
It further points out that there is a statutory obligation to ensure that those people who make their own declarations, or make them on behalf of others, must ensure that the information provided in the statements is not false or misleading.