Belgian customs develop flexible customs licence

Belgian customs, with the support of the Belgian port community, have developed a new customs licence which aims to speed up cargo flow.

The licence, called “extended gateway” means that imported goods can be sent to a warehouse before being cleared by customs.

Bart Van Mol, of the Antwerp Port Authority, said: “Extended gateways reduces the dwell time of goods at the deepsea terminal to a minimum, while shifting the associated customs formalities to a later date and closer to the consignee.”