Dubai Customs completes 16 million transactions in 2020

Dubai Customs recorded 16 million transactions in 2020, marking a rise of 23 per cent from 13 million completed in 2019.

Around 15.9 million (99.3 per cent) of last year’s transactions were completed through the its smart and electronic channels, of which 9.9 million were completed through smart channels, while 6 million transactions were conducted through electronic ones. Physical visits to the customer service centres did not exceed 102,000 transactions.

The number of customs declarations rose 30 per cent in 2020 to 13.8 million from 10.6 million in 2019. Its Smart Workspace Platform ensures that a declaration is completed in less than five minutes, and 97 per cent of transactions receive automatic approval without any human intervention.

Meanwhile, business registration requests grew 37 per cent to 250,000 from 182,000 in 2019. Customs refund requests saw 875,000 applications and certificates, while there were 475,000 report and certificate requests, and 334,000 inspection booking requests.

Sultan bin Sulayem, DP World group chairman and CEO and chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, said: “Dubai Government has implemented strong plans and programmes to ensure quick recovery from the impact of the pandemic. The Dhs7.1bn stimulus package launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has enhanced liquidity, reduced the impact of the global economic situation, and ensured continuous flow of local and foreign investments.

“We are optimistic and confident that this year, Dubai’s economy will grow 4 per cent and external trade will improve, with all businesses now returning to normalcy.

Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, director general of Dubai Customs added that the intensive investments in digital transformation to build a robust infrastructure has ensured an uninterrupted workflow.