More than 35,400 businesses have reported using e-customs procedures as of the end of April, accounting for 93.5 percent of all enterprises throughout the country that submit customs declarations, said the General Department of Customs.

Import-export revenue through online declarations reached 74.4 billion USD, equal to 93 percent of the nation’s total import-export value, Nhan Dan online quoted the General Department of Customs as saying.

To date, e-customs have been applied at 126 branches of 34 local Customs Departments, and all sub-departments in 17 local departments are now following e-customs procedures.

To improve the service’s efficiency, the customs sector will continue focusing on implementing various measures in 2013, such as promoting the use of e-signatures, providing training in e-customs declarations and developing mechanisms to support businesses in applying the procedures.

It will also produce a standardised list of goods to enable automated in e-customs declarations.

The e-customs system was officially launched on a national scale at the beginning of 2013 after first being piloted in Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City and 13 centrally-governed cities and provinces in 2005.-VNA