In December 2023, a groundbreaking initiative named Tez Customs was launched to revolutionize and streamline the customs clearance processes for transit cargo at the border of China and Kazakhstan.
Spearheaded by the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan (SRC), in collaboration with JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) and Global DTC— a member of the PSA Group, a global port operator—the project aimed to introduce a digital platform for the automatic submission and issuance of transit declarations for goods transported by rail along the routes of China to Central Asia and China to Europe.
This innovative solution, designed to enhance transparency and expedite customs procedures, marked a significant stride toward positioning Kazakhstan as a key transit hub in Eurasia. The Tez Customs platform played a pivotal role in automating the paperless customs transit process, encompassing tasks such as preliminary information preparation, automatic registration, and issuance of transit declarations.
Simultaneously, the SRC information system seamlessly received automatic updates on container arrivals and departures, while the railway system was promptly notified electronically about the release of declarations and the successful completion of transit. This digitized approach eliminated the need for paper declarations, facilitating the swift dispatch of cargo.
The pilot phase of Tez Customs commenced on 9 December 2023, on the Altynkol-Saryagash route in the direction of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Within two days, an impressive total of 109 transit declarations were efficiently processed and automatically issued at the Altynkol station, with all declarations completing transit at the Saryagash station.
Subsequently, the pilot program expanded to the Dostyk-Brest Northern route on 27 December 2023. On the same day, a total of 52 transit declarations were issued and electronically transmitted to the Customs of the Republic of Belarus, streamlining the completion of the transit process.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to invest, and the support received in Kazakhstan. It is encouraging to see the new digital platform improving Customs clearance processes, and we look forward to sharing more best practices in trade, logistics and digitalisation with Kazakhstan to help accelerate the development of the Middle Corridor,” stated Wee Tan Yeong, CEO of Global DTC.
The initial outcomes from the pilot phase demonstrate that the Tez Customs platform brings about a quicker and more efficient electronic transit declaration process, allowing Customs to promptly release cargo within 30 minutes. The pilot initiative will persist until the platform transitions into industrial operation, awaiting a collective decision from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries involved in transit.
Tez Customs stands as a pivotal component within the broader framework of the DTC Digital Trade Corridor platform. This comprehensive platform is meticulously crafted to facilitate a seamless digital document flow for multimodal transport and catalyze the growth of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).
By ensuring the digitalization of document processes, the DTC platform aims to benefit all participants in the TITR countries, including China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. The ultimate goal is to create an interconnected and technologically advanced ecosystem that fosters efficient trade and transportation across these nations.
