THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) said it launched the online i-Declare system on Thursday for travelers and ship and aircraft crews.
The BoC said in a statement that the Philippines becomes the first jurisdiction in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to roll out a system addressing declarations on both baggage and currency.
The i-Declare system may be accessed through the eCBCD system online. The website includes Electronic Customs Baggage Declaration Forms (eCBDFs) and Electronic Currency Declaration Forms (eCDFs), which are documents required for travelers and crew members.
“The i-Declare system offers passengers the option to complete their declarations online, in the comfort of their homes before flying or even while en route to the Philippines,” the BoC said.
The Philippines is the third to offer an electronic Customs Baggage Declaration System after Singapore and Indonesia, but the first to bundle the two in one system.
“Automating the decades-old manual filing is another effort to modernize the (BoC), with the intention of integrating it with other government agencies for a more encompassing approach in providing the public with one-stop shop service for all the government’s clearance requirements,” Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero said.
Authorized by Customs Memorandum Order No. 11-2022, the i-Declare system is a joint project of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the BoC Enforcement Group, and the BoC Management Information System and Technology Group. — Diego Gabriel C. Robles
