Faster Cargo Clearance for AEO-Certified Traders: Sri Lanka Customs Study 📈

Sri Lanka’s first fully digital Time Release Study (TRS) 2025 reveals significant efficiency gains for compliant businesses under the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Program. • Overall Figures: AEO-certified traders achieved a median cargo release time of approximately 30 hours, compared to 53 hours for non-AEO traders—a massive 22-hour average facilitation gain per consignment. • Study Scope: Conducted by the Finance Ministry with Asian Development Bank (ADB) technical assistance, the study analyzed over 9,000 import Customs Declarations (CusDecs), comprising 6,700+ sea cargo and 2,300+ air cargo declarations entirely via electronic data from the ASYCUDA system. • Key Findings & Sector Impacts: - Risk-based frameworks significantly accelerated clearance, as non-examined consignments were released much faster than those selected for physical inspection. - A substantial share of delays occurs outside direct Customs processing. For sea cargo, considerable time elapses between Customs release and the cargo actually exiting the port. - Key bottlenecks include delayed CusDec submissions post-arrival, slow duty payments, and inefficient container movement to examination yards. • Digital Interventions: In response to the 2025 findings, Sri Lanka Customs launched _CargoFlow_, a new digital queue management system to optimize container movement to yards and prioritize refrigerated/perishable cargo. _Note: Data based on the official 2025 Time Release Study; preparations for the 2026 TRS are underway to broaden performance metrics._