Peru Sees Progress in Trade Facilitation

By Espinosa Bellido Abogados

The Peruvian customs authority -Superintendencia Nacional de Aduanas y de Administración Tributaria (SUNAT)- in collaboration with the World Customs Organization ( WCO ) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), concluded a four year trade facilitation program with positive results.

The SECO reported in a press release that the program achieved all agreed upon outcomes during its Phase I implementation initiated in October of 2019. 

Highlights included the implementation of coordinated border management procedures and the reduction in average import clearance times from 79.2 hours in 2019 to 32 hours as of September 2023, as revealed in the latest Time Release Study, a 59% decrease.

According to the trade facilitation indicators of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for 2022, Peru has shown improvements in various vital areas. These include increased engagement with the business community, simplification and harmonization of documents, optimization of procedures, and enhanced cooperation among national authorities impacting the borders. Peru's overall score has risen, reflecting the country's commitment to continuous trade facilitation.

The SECO's programme overall objective is to contribute to fostering and facilitating international trade of selected beneficiary countries through the implementation and application of international standards and best practices for the importation, exportation and transit of commercial goods. Additionally, the programme supports the strengthening of the organizational and technical capacities of the beneficiaries.