The following recommended measures, to be applied to the import, export and transit of relief consignments and possessions of relief personnel in the event of disasters and emergencies, are included in the Model Customs Facilitation Agreement:

General measures:

• arrangements for clearance outside official working hours and designated places;
• non-imposition of charges for Customs attendance;
• permission for an advance lodgement of documents;
• application of simplified documents and inspection procedures;
• waiving any economic restrictions, duties and taxes;

Specific measures at exportation:

• expeditious examination of goods against a summary declaration;
• placement of relief consignments under Customs seals to avoid delays at later stages of their journey;
• clearance of relief consignments and their placement in a Customs warehouse in advance of the need for actual export;

Specific measures at transit:

• permission to disassemble/reassemble relief consignments for onward carriage without examination;
• facilitation of movement of consignments in Customs transit;

Specific measures at importation:

• temporary admission with conditional relief from import duties and taxes;
• expeditious examination on a sampling or selective basis;
• release upon presentation of a provisional entry document subject to complete fulfilment of Customs and other requirements within a specified time limit.

For more information, please contact:  UN OCHA ESB/Logistics Support Unit
Ms. Virginie Bohl  - Tel. +41 (0) 22 917 17 92 - Fax: + 41 (0) 22 917 00 23 - Email: lsu@un.org