Panama: Customs Moratorium Applied

Until 10 September there will be a suspension of activities for anyone with pending legal or administrative procedures, or owing money to the National Customs Authority.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010


©image: Autoridad Nacional de Aduanas

Panama's National Customs Authority (ANA in Spanish) informs all its users and regional branches, ports, marinas, railways, free trade zones, export processing facilities and storage centers that there will a moratorium will apply until 10 September.

The moratorium seeks to provide a window in which anyone with pending customs transactions can regulate their legal status and comply with their obligations to the state.

The ANA warns that those who do not comply with this order will be prosecuted and fined accordingly, risking the closure of their commercial operations.

More on this topic

Drama of the Customs Act in Guatemala

May 2012

The new requirements that have been imposed and the improvisation in their implementation have caused foreign trade to be slow, inefficient and expensive.

Rather than improve or streamline foreign trade, the new customs law has only reduced the competitiveness of exports, said Jose Raul Gonzalez Merlo on a blog by the National Economic Research Center (CIEN).

Chaos at Customs Border Post

April 2012

The Costa Rican customs office at Penas Blancas, on the border with Nicaragua, is going through social and commercial chaos pending reforms in infrastructure and procedures.

Delays in the passage of trucks carrying goods are causing major losses to exporters, although business chambers have not conducted any specific studies, said Mario Montero, executive vice president of the Costa Rican Chamber of the Food Industry (Cacia).

Improved customs traffic sought in El Salvador

December 2008

The level of customs risk for exporting companies will be evaluated jointly by the private sector and the authorities.

The evaluation will take place in order to speed up the processing of merchandize and to improve global fee trade indicators.

Under the Business Alliance for Secure Trading project, promoted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of El Salvador (CCIES), the private sector is seeking to minimize the risk that exporters face from customs processes, providing them with a certificate which to date is not approved by the government sector.

No Customs Penalties For Three Months

March 2012

By executive decree, the government of Guatemala is exempting businesses and individuals from paying fines for customs offenses between March 19th and June 15th, 2012.

In the stipulated period, the Ministry of Finance will exempt any person or legal entity who commits any of the administrative customs offenses punishable by a fine established by the National Customs Act, under Government Agreement No. 51-2012.

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