Sri Lanka Customs accelerates paperless document processing

A discussion aimed at accelerating the Paperless Document Processing programme of Sri Lanka Customs took place today at the Presidential Secretariat under the chair of Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, with the participation of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, customs clearing agents' organisations, Sri Lanka Customs officers, and representatives of other parties.

The discussion focused on directing and raising awareness among importers, exporters, and customs clearing agents to submit customs entries and relevant documents electronically without using paper.

The Ceylon Customs completed all necessary technical facilities to accept customs entries and documents online, meaning the business community no longer needs to submit documents to customs using traditional printed papers, Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake said.

The Secretary to the President further emphasised the necessity of submitting all future customs entries and relevant documents exclusively through the electronic system without paper.

Full support will be provided to make this programme a success, and initiatives will be taken in collaboration with the Presidential Secretariat to implement awareness programmes for members, representatives of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce stated.

An unfounded fear of job losses exists among certain members due to this new system, but the actual situation is that this digital transformation enables their services to be elevated to a more professional and efficient level, customs clearing agents noted, while expressing their full support to implement the programme expeditiously.

The use of digital signatures is mandatory when submitting customs entries and documents without paper, and the digital signature is issued by LankaSign.

All importers, exporters, and customs clearing agents must first obtain a Digital Signature, and representatives of LankaSign conducted a special awareness session regarding the details and the implementation process.