The Ministry of Economy of Guatemala announced that as of Wednesday, August 24th, 2022, the use of the DUCA-F Advance Declaration will be allowed for the trade of goods originating between Guatemala and El Salvador. The Single Central American Declaration is derived from the commitments acquired within the framework of Central American Integration, being this a positive step for the customs operations of both countries.
The Single Central American Declaration (DUCA, for its acronym in Spanish) is the document that unites the three main customs declarations that cover the trade of goods in Central America, its implementation is derived from Resolution No. 409-2018 of the Council of Ministers of Economic Integration which was signed by Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
The DUCA-F, in particular, is used to cover the trade of goods originating in the Central American region. It provides important benefits for trade development such as time reduction, uniformity and cost reduction in customs procedures. Among the main advantages of the DUCA-F is the ability to make the declaration in advance, being a trade facilitation measure that further strengthens Central American integration.
The implementation of the DUCA-F will allow users to save time by making such declaration prior to the customs process, attaching the respective documents that support the origin of the merchandise. For this, it is necessary to correctly classify the origin in order to enjoy the benefits of this new implementation and to considerably reduce clearance times.
The Central American Integration process is vital for the economic growth of the region and that is why these measures are vital for it, since the reduction of clearance times contributes to trade facilitation.
gabriela.arias@garciabodan.com
Associate
García & Bodán
Guatemala