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URA issues new passenger rules at Entebbe airport
Travellers arriving at Entebbe International airport in Uganda on March 3, 2020. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Passengers arriving into the country cannot use a clearing agent, but must present their baggage before a customs officer on duty in person. The baggage will be examined in the presence of the owner. URA said passengers with dutiable or restricted goods shall go through the red channel to declare their goods through a simplified declaration form known as PB4.
The taxman has turned the lights on its customs service at Entebbe International Airport as it moves to illuminate the shadowy areas that create loopholes for corruption and also to increase tax compliance.
In the new passenger clearance guidelines, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) re-emphasises procedures at the arrivals section, guides on taxable and nontaxable items, restricted items, as well as illegal items that a traveller may arrive in the country with.
URA said passengers arriving at Entebbe will, upon collection of personal baggage, either be cleared through the green – where one has nothing to declare to customs – or the red channel for onward customs clearances.
“Passengers with nothing to declare to customs or with baggage consisting of only goods within the prescribed passenger allowance shall exit the passenger terminal through the green channel,” URA said in a statement yesterday.
The goods for personal use must not exceed the value of $500 (Shs1.8m). But for this to pass, the passenger must have an authentic receipt confirming the value that corresponds with the items, the taxman adds.
Most travellers are unaware of customs protocols, including basic ones such as carrying cash in excess of $10,000 (about Shs37m) that must be declared at customs on arrival.
Even with the tax regime in place, it is not uncommon to find travellers who assume that they have a right to bring with them any quantity of goods and services for personal use.
It is such grey areas that are often exploited by unscrupulous customs agents, who are service providers under the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) at the airport. “It’s common for URA agents to fleece unsuspecting travellers, claiming taxes on items that are supposed to be tax-free. I think it is part of the ongoing campaign to try and clean up the place,” said aviation expert and regular traveller Michael Wakabi.
Background
In January, Entebbe airport was under a cloud over extortion exposure involving service providers, including immigration, customs, cleaning and ground handling services. Some of the service providers have since streamlined their operations at the airport to combat corruption and ease travellers’ experience.
“We have been encouraging the various agencies operating at the airport to share details of their mandate and processes to make it easier for passengers,” said Mr Vianney Lugya, the CAA communications manager.
Of significance in the guideline is that travellers need to have a Tax Identification Number to facilitate clearing taxes.
Tax compliance
Passengers arriving into the country cannot use a clearing agent, but must present their baggage before a customs officer on duty in person. The baggage will be examined in the presence of the owner.
URA said passengers with dutiable or restricted goods shall go through the red channel to declare their goods through a simplified declaration form known as PB4. The PB4 is only used to declare goods whose value does not exceed $2,000 (Shs7.4m). A passenger would be cleared through the exit terminal after paying the appropriate customs taxes.
“Goods whose value exceeds $2,000 will require the services of a clearing agent and clearance will be done through the cargo terminal,” the revenue agency says.
