1. Japan Customs’ experience in Pre-arrival examination
Customs and Tariff Bureau　
Ministry of Finance

2. Departure Oversea Port
1.Pre-arrival Examination system
Arrival Japanese Port
Store Cargoes or Containers in Customs Area (including container yards)
Departure Oversea Port
Regular Import Declaration
Document examination
Import Permission
Import Declaration
Pre-arrival examination
Customs law requests importers to declare goods to Customs after cargoes arrive from foreign countries and are stored in Customs area.
Pre-arrival examination system allows importers to submit customs declaration before cargo arrival to the port.
More specifically, Importer can submit declaration after obtain B/L or Airway Bill, and foreign exchange rate is announced by Customs.
This scheme allow importer to declare Customs as early as 10 days before the arrival of goods.
Pre-arrival examination system can be applied to all types of goods
関税法は輸入者に対し、外国から貨物が到着し、保税蔵置場に蔵置されたあと、税関への申告することを要求している。
予備審査制度は、貨物の到着前に申告書の提出を認めるものです。
特に、輸入者は、B/Lまたはエアウェイビルを得て、税関により為替レートが公表された後なら申告書の提出が可能となります。
この手順は、輸入者に税関への申告を貨物の到着より10日早く認めることとなります。
予備審査制度はすべての貨物に適用されます。
Import permission
Document examination
Pre-arrival Declaration
* Before import permission, some import declarations may undertake cargo inspection. 2

3. 2.Effects of Customs procedures
1991 : Pre-Arrival Examination
In principle, import declaration may be filed to Customs only after the arrival of goods to the bonded warehouse.
Since 1991, Customs accepts import declaration and relevant documents for preliminary examination.
Benefit to customs
- conduct documentary examination before the arrival of goods
Notified whether documentary examinations and/or physical inspections are required or not before the arrival of goods
Benefit to importers
⇒　Facilitated release of goods for those not requiring examinations/inspections upon arrival
Revised Kyoto Convention (1999)
General Annex Chapter 3 (Clearance and other formalities)
Standard 25
National legislation shall make provision for the lodging and registering or checking of the Goods declaration and supporting documents prior to the arrival of the goods.

4. introduced in 1991(gradually improved)
3.History of pre-arrival examination
　　　Why did we introduce pre-arrival examination?
-needs of effectively coping with the increasing volume of trade with limited human and financial resources
-request from the private sector to further expedite the movement of goods
trial
introduced in 1991(gradually improved)
Usage rate (in 2010)
Sea cargoes
Air cargoes
36%
52%

5. 4.Explanation of pre-arrival examination in Japan Customs
Type of cargo covered
all types of imported cargo
Documents to be submitted
pre-arrival declaration
(same form as general import declaration form )
Timing of submission
any time after
①B/L is issued ②foreign exchange rate is
　 announced
Switch to import declaration
The pre-arrival declaration will be treated as a formal import declaration under certain conditions

6. No requirement of legal nor organizational change
5.Implementation cost of pre-arrival examination
pre-arrival examination =merely change the timing of the import declaration
Only using the existing facilities and resources of each Member with minimum costs for legislation and training of officials
No requirement of legal nor organizational change
IT infrastructure not prerequisite

7. 6. Import Lead Time Reduction by Pre-Arrival Examination (sea cargo)

8. 7. Import Lead Time Reduction by Pre-Arrival Examination (air cargo)

9. Thank you for your attention
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