In December 2021, The General Authority of Customs (GAC) recorded 294,104 declarations. The GAC’s monthly newsletter disclosed that the Air Cargo department completed 263,323 declarations and the Maritime department 21,780 statements.

The statistics display a notable increase in transactions compared to November with 278,252 declarations.

The GAC maintained its rate of declarations per hour during December, with 97% processed documents released in one hour. Also, other Government agencies processed 25,480 declarations.

The top exporting and importing countries were India and China. The Ministry of Municipality’s Natural Reserves and Wildlife Department kept hold of the Best Government Agency in ‘time of release’ for two months, with an average release time of 0.64 hours.

The GAC managed to register 319 seizure reports preventing smugglers from bringing banned substances into Qatar. The largest catch of the month was a 42kg seizure of guru.

Amna Masood, an inspector at the Hamad International Airport, said: The customs officials are to maintain high ethical and responsible behavior, considering they are the first line of defence in preserving Qatar’s security across ports and borders. Also, cultural differences can cause challenges in dealing with passengers.

“A Customs official directly affects the protection of the homeland,” Masood stated.

“Officials face challenges in maintaining security and reducing attempts to smuggle narcotics and harmful substances. The Customs official should have high ethics in their daily work as they deal with travelers, tourists and a large number of guests visiting the country” she added.

--

Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content. 

Instagram - @qatarliving

Twitter - @qatarliving

Facebook - Qatar Living

YouTube - qatarlivingofficial

Cover image credit & source: Peninsula