SEAPORT OPERATIONS DURING UPCOMING FESTIVE SEASON
To increase efficiency and to further enhance its services during the upcoming peak festive season, effective Monday, 21 November until Friday, 30 December 2022, the Seaport Operations of the Customs Division and other partners at the Commercial Port will be providing services for clearance of cargo throughout the day as per the hours below, and all consignments routed RED will be on an appointment basis only.
All consignments be it routed Green, Red, Yellow and Blue should be fully cleared from the Port without undue delay or if RED during the same day of appointment. The opening hours for the period
are, as per below (subject to the clearance of other border authorities such as NBA):
- Monday 21 November until Thursday 29 December, 2022 – 8am to 3.45pm.
- Saturdays as from 26 November until 17 December, 2022 – 8am to 12pm.
- Friday 23 and 30 December, 2022 – 8am to 12pm (half day operations only).
The cashier service and processing of Bills of Entry at Customs House will also remain open on the days and times as mentioned above.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Given the extended opening hours as per above no services will be provided on the 24, 26, and 31 December, 2022 respectively and subsequent public holidays, all operations will remain closed.
To request for an appointment, importers are advised to contact the Customs Examination Unit by calling 4293789, 2804821, 2823018 or email seaportexamination@src.gov.sc. Appointments will be provided as follows:
- Break bulk or groupage cargo in the shed – every 15 minutes.
- 20ft containers – every 1 to 3 hours.
- 40ft containers – every 1 to 6 hours.
For 1 or 2 line items on the Bill of Entry, the importer will be contacted by Customs for clearance.
To ensure a smooth delivery of all consignments and to facilitate the clearing process, it is crucial that importers and clearing agents:
- Respect the time and date of their appointments;
- Verify and ensure all their documents are in order;
- Hold relevant landing permits and/or import permits so goods are not held back;
- Have adequate transportation on site for faster clearing and delivery of cargo (i.e. all cargo should be removed in one go).
As an increase in shipping movements and cargo is expected during the above mentioned period, all importers and clearing agents are being urged to make use of the pre-lodgment services for Bill of Entry and pre-payment for a faster service to avoid any inconveniences.
Consignees (importers) and clearing agents will be notified via an SMS text message of the date and time of their appointment once confirmed by the Seaport Operations team.
The Seychelles Revenue Commission, Land Marine Limited and the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) counts on the support of all concerned.