The World Customs Organization (WCO) is pleased to announce that the Arabic version of the “Guidelines for Post-Clearance Audit (PCA) Volume 1” has been published. The guidelines have been translated into Arabic through an initiative by Qatar Customs.

This contribution by Qatar Customs is expected to lead to further understanding and more effective implementation of the PCA in Arabic speaking countries, thereby facilitating trade, strengthening the Customs-Business Partnership, and increasing the efficiency of Customs Administration.

The post-clearance audit (PCA) process is a structured examination, after Customs has released the cargo, of the relevant commercial data, sales contracts, financial and non-financial records, physical stock and other assets of traders.

The purpose is to measure and improve the traders’ compliance. By application of a post-clearance, risk-based approach, Customs are able to target their resources more effectively and work in partnership with the business community to improve compliance levels and facilitate trade.

Since the WCO Council adopted the PCA Guidelines in 2012, these have served as an essential reference tool for Members as the first crucial stage in the process of implementing an effective PCA process. The Guidelines were updated in 2018 to highlight more clearly that PCA is a means to measure and improve traders’ compliance, structured around the overall strategy of motivating them to work voluntarily towards full compliance.

The guidelines are currently available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic. For more details, please visit Guidelines for Post-Clearance Audit.