The Government has temporarily suspended the implementation of a Customs processing fee, approved during the 2021/22 budget exercise to allow for additional training and customer education.
The recent change was made to bring the procedures for air arrivals in line with all other forms of entry, where a small processing fee is changed to support the cost of operations by the Bahamas Customs and Excise Department. The $3.35 fee does not apply to individuals using their Customs exemption or filing nothing to declare. It is only applicable for individuals who declare taxable goods on a C17 or C18 form, associated with accompanied baggage declarations.
“These fees are collected by the Customs Department and deposited directly to the Public Treasury. We are aware that some customers were charged incorrectly and are making arrangements to issue the appropriate refunds. While the fee is being suspended we are reviewing the implementation to ensure adequate training and proper communication,” said Dr. Geannine Moss, Comptroller of Customs.
The Ministry notes that the fees would be applicable to both manual submissions and the submissions though the EXEMPT app now being trialed. Social media reports linking the app to the fee specifically and to the company, Kanoo are wholly erroneous. The app was proposed to and accepted by the Customs Department from the New Providence based company Exempt Technologies Ltd. who had prepared a proof of concept prior to approaching Customs.
