06 – 12 June 2016

Under the sponsorship of the Japan Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF- Japan), a Time Release Study (TRS) workshop was organized jointly by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the National Customs of Chile, from 6 to 12 June 2016 in Valparaiso, Chile. Approximately 50 participants attended the event which gathered different stakeholders involved in the clearance process of goods in Chile.

During the workshop, amongst others, it was highlighted that TRS is a key instrument for countries to measure relevant aspects of the effectiveness of operational procedures that are carried out by Customs and other regulatory actors in processing imports, exports and transit movements of goods. Participants were informed of TRS objectives, challenges, opportunities and ways forward for Chile to conduct a TRS with the involvement of Customs and other key stakeholders that intervene in the national clearance process of goods.

At the Workshop, participants jointly drafted an Action Plan, subject to be finalized by the Chilean Customs Administration. The Plan would facilitate the implementation of various actions that would need to be in place before a TRS can be conducted in the near future, covering major points where international goods undergo through a clearing process.

The workshop also allowed the WCO Secretariat to provide training on the use the TRS software, a special software used to design TRS survey forms, generate statistical information related to the moment between the arrival of the goods until their release and store data related also to the time taken between the arrival of the goods until their release.