The World Customs Organization (WCO) has published the updated version of the Time Release Study (TRS) Guide (Version 3).
This version of the guide with its new features aims to provide comprehensive support to customs administrations, other relevant government agencies and private sector stakeholders in measuring the border release/clearance time and taking policy and operational measures to further improve trade facilitation at the border.
“The WCO Time Release Study is a strategic and internationally recognized tool to measure the actual time required for the release and/or clearance of goods, from the time of arrival until the physical release of cargo,” said the organization in a release.
This tool has been developed to help find bottlenecks in the trade flow process and take measures to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of border procedures, it added.
The updated version of the TRS Guide, known as the “Guide to Measure the Time required for the Release of Goods (Version 3)” incorporates a number of key features and elements. It provides new dynamics and opportunities for customs administrations to collaborate with other government agencies and trade stakeholders in measuring performance.
The WCO TRS is specifically referenced in Article 7.6 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) as a tool for members to measure and publish the average release time of goods. The TRS is being increasingly used by members in strategic planning and the proper sequencing of TFA measures.
In recent years, the tool has been capturing a lot of attention worldwide, said WCO. The international donor community and the WCO development partners are recommending it as a key performance measure to assess, evaluate, and enhance the implementation of the WTO TFA.
The guide can be accessed here.
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