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MEMORANDUM: To All Members of the
Trading Community
From: The Customs Division –
Ministry of Finance
Subject: Important information in
connection with the Eurochangeover
The Customs Division would like to inform all
members of the trading community that, in view of changes to the
system in connection with the forthcoming adoption of the euro, the
Customs Electronic System (C.E.S.) shall not be accessible for input
of any import declarations, export declarations or manifests as from
7.00 a.m. of Saturday, 29th December 2007 until 7.00 a.m. of the 1st
January 2008.
Therefore traders are urged to settle outstanding
declarations lodged anytime before the 28th December 2007 as early
as possible, but definitely by not than this date. Emergency
declarations ONLY shall be processed manually during the downtime
period of the electronic system.
It would be appreciated if, wherever possible, and
provided no undue inconvenience is caused, payments of the relative
dues, both in the final stages of the year 2007 and from 2008
onwards, were to be effected by means of cheques/ bankdrafts. This
would facilitate matters in the transition period of the changeover
and thereafter. Obviously, such cheques/bankdrafts would have to be
raised in Maltese Lira up to 31st December 2007 and in euro as of
1st January 2008.
It is also important to note that, as of 1st January
2008, operators shall not be able to gain access from the Customs
Electronic System (C.E.S) to their import declarations lodged up to
the end of 2007. It is therefore advisable that operators save the
import or export declarations inputted up to the aforementioned
downtime period of the import system. Should there be the need for
any assistance from Customs regarding access to pre-2008
declarations, queries are to be addressed in respect of each
individual declaration to the Front Office on e-mail address
frontoffice.customs@gov.mt.
Responses to such queries will be forwarded via e-mail in PDF
format. This service shall be available only during January 2008.
Customs, through its Eurochangeover Implementation
Team and the firm commitment of all the staff to achieve a smooth
changeover, has long been working to anticipate problems that may
arise in the wake of the changeover, with a view to achieving
practical solutions to one and all in good time. However, it is not
excluded that certain unforeseen problems could possibly still
arise. Therefore, by way of facilitation, traders who anticipate or
encounter operational problems in relation to the euro changeover,
are invited to contact the Customs Division on the e-mail address
indicated above. We shall endeavour to address such problems at the
very earliest.
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