The number of completed movements from Ukraine under the general transit procedure (NCTS) in the first quarter of this year amounted to 19 thousand, which is 13 times more than in the same period last year, the State Customs Service of Ukraine reported on Monday.
“Despite the hostilities and the difficult situation on the western border of Ukraine, the first quarter of 2024 was the most productive by all accounts compared to previous quarters since the start of the application of the common transit procedure (NCTS) in Ukraine, that is, from October 1, 2022,” the agency said in a statement on its Telegram channel.
It is specified that during January-March 2024, a third of the total number of transit declarations under the NCTS was issued – 23.5 thousand out of more than 65 thousand. In particular, in the countries participating in the NCTS Convention, more than 19 thousand movements initiated by the customs authorities of Ukraine were successfully completed, while in Ukraine – almost 4.5 thousand movements initiated in other countries participating in the Convention.
The customs office emphasized that compared to the same period last year, i.e. the first quarter of 2023, the rate of successfully completed movements started in Ukraine increased 13 times, and movements started in other countries party to the Convention – 9 times.
Also, in January-March 2024, the number of companies that received and use authorizations for the application of transit simplifications in accordance with the Convention almost doubled from 57 to 101.
It is specified that they have been granted 121 authorizations (out of 303 during the period of application of the Convention by Ukraine), 39 of which were granted to use the general guarantee (including an increase in the reference amount), 27 each with the status of authorized shipper and consignee, and 22 to use special type seals.
Regarding the guarantee of the joint transit procedure, the State Customs Service notes a significant increase in the number of registered individual guarantees in the first quarter of 2024.
“In this quarter alone, almost 3 thousand individual guarantees worth more than EUR 95 million were registered. At the same time, since Ukraine joined the Convention on the Common Transit Procedure, at the end of the quarter, almost 5.5 thousand valid (including used) individual guarantees totaling EUR 274 million were available in the NCTS system,” the service added.
In addition, during this period, 21 general guarantees worth EUR 38 million were registered. Since the start of the NCTS system, only 74 general guarantees have been registered, 50 of which are currently valid for EUR 167 million.
Earlier, roundtables were devoted to customs reform, where the event’s organizer and moderator Maksim Urakin stated that the State Customs Service accounts for 35-40% of state budget revenues, and these figures have remained stable in recent years. That is why customs reforms are so important for the country.m
