KAMPALA, Uganda – The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has introduced new validation requirements for vehicle plate and container numbers in the ASYCUDA customs processing system as part of efforts to improve cargo identification and strengthen customs controls.
The changes have been implemented under the Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) Upgrade Project, which seeks to improve the accuracy of vehicle and container identification and ensure scanned cargo images are correctly matched to the relevant Customs declarations.
Under the new requirements, stakeholders including clearing agents, freight forwarders, transporters and other affected parties must ensure that vehicle plate and container numbers are accurately captured and verified before Customs documents are submitted.
Vehicle plate numbers
URA says vehicle plate numbers must be entered as continuous alphanumeric values, without spaces, hyphens or other special characters.
For example, a plate displayed as UBD123A should be entered as UBD123A.
Entries such as UBD 123 A, UBD-123-A or UBD/123/A will not be accepted.
The authority has also introduced separate capture of front and rear vehicle plate numbers at departure. The registration displayed on the front plate should be entered in the Front Plate Number field, while the rear registration should be entered in the Rear Plate Number field.
New container number requirements
URA has also reminded stakeholders that container numbers must be captured according to the internationally recognised ISO 6346 container identification structure.
A standard freight container identification number consists of three letters identifying the container owner/operator, one letter identifying the equipment category, six digits forming the container serial number, and one check digit.
The complete container number must be entered as one continuous alphanumeric value, without spaces, hyphens or special characters.
For instance, a container displayed as ABCU 123456 7 should be entered as ABCU1234567.
URA says no character forming part of a vehicle plate or container number should be omitted, substituted, shortened or rearranged.
The authority has called on all stakeholders to verify vehicle plate and container numbers against the physical vehicle or container and, where applicable, supporting shipping documents before submitting Customs declarations.
The new validation requirements are expected to improve the accuracy of customs data, enhance cargo monitoring and ensure that images captured through non-intrusive inspection systems are matched to the correct Customs declarations.
URA has urged stakeholders to comply with the requirements to avoid errors during Customs processing.
