The fast pace of modern life frequently makes you forget important details in business processes and activities. People are increasingly relying more on the luck factor in solving problems and leaving many things to be dealt with later. Frequently, it turns out that exactly these small nuances are those which can later be the most costly for a company. An illustrative example for this are freight transport customs documents and their formalities – by leaving the preparation of documents for later, there is a high risk that the company freight will be delayed at customs, which can last up to several weeks and be very costly. Why does this happen and how to avoid it? An explanation for these matters was given by Raivis Upe, the Manager of the Customs Department of JSC Sonora.

As explained by Raivis Upe, in order to avoid such situations, it is necessary to think about the customs clearance in advance, before the purchase and shipment of freight. “Leaving the settlement of documents for later can be an inefficient decision; it can often be a time-consuming and not the simplest and fastest working process. Some of documents required for the preparation of customs declaration are international freight transport accompanying documents, contracts concluded with third countries, product specifications, powers of attorney etc. After receipt of the documents, processing them is necessary, which requires a certain amount of time, and sometimes it can take up to several weeks. This shows how important and efficient it is to prepare documents and settle formalities before the shipment of freight.” R. Upe also mentioned several standard daily situations when people turn to customs brokers for help: “An example – freight is transported from third countries with sea container transport, air freight or road transport express mail. After a certain period of time, the freight arrives at the destination and it has to be cleared by customs. The freight owner wants to receive it immediately, but usually there occurs a problem situation at this point – the freight has to be cleared by customs, documents are not checked, taxes are not paid etc. The client loses time, up to several days or weeks, until finally they receive the ordered freight. At this moment, the freight receiver starts to realize that leaving the preparation of documents for later is an inefficient decision.”

By timely thinking about the freight clearance and preparation of freight documents, you can save a significant amount of time and costs when receiving freight. Therefore, R. Upe recommends to each freight receiver to follow a couple of steps: “First, contact the customs broker before the purchase and shipment of freight. Then, prepare all the required documents according to the customs legislation of each state. Ensure that the prepared documents contain correct information. These mentioned steps will allow you to save money due to avoiding customs taxes, downtime and additional costs, which may arise.”

When asked whether any problem situations can occur while preparing documents to be submitted in various public authorities, R. Upe explains that such situations happen; therefore, it is important to cooperate with professionals in the sector: “By having good knowledge about the relevant public institutions and specifics of their operation, you can save time and financial resources. For example, JSC Sonora ensures a successful customs clearance process by maintaining good relations with the Customs Board of SRS, Food and Veterinary Service, Maritime and Inland Waters Board and other institutions. We are also able to prepare declarations fast and efficiently because we do it ourselves on site.”