UNBS launches e-portal to streamline import inspections and cut clearance delays

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has launched a new imports electronic portal (e-portal) to streamline the inspection and clearance of imports, aiming to reduce delays, enhance transparency, and lower operational costs for importers.

The move is expected to address longstanding inefficiencies in Uganda’s import processes, which, according to a 2022 World Bank report on African trade logistics, cost importers up to 15 per cent in operational losses due to customs delays.

The web-based system, integrated with the Asycuda World customs platform, automates the issuance of certificates and the management of fees, reducing human intervention and improving efficiency.

The e-portal is accessible through the UNBS website, URA’s Asycuda World platform, or directly at https://eportal.unbs.go.ug.

How the e-portal works

Under the UNBS Inspection and Clearance of Imports Regulation, 2022, all products covered by compulsory standards must undergo inspection before entering Uganda. Following inspection, goods are issued with an Import Clearance Certificate (ICC) before leaving customs-controlled areas.

According to Eng James Kasigwa, UNBS executive director, consignments accompanied by a valid Certificate of Conformity (CoC) and Certificate of Road Worthiness (CRW) will now be released unconditionally and without delays under the new system.

The e-portal offers several key features, including automated Certificate Issuance, enhanced transparency, and importers can track fees, inspection progress, and approvals via a personal dashboard.

Others are requests and approvals for Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) exemptions can now be submitted via a mobile app, streamlined sample testing – Automatic online submission and monitoring of samples for laboratory testing speeds up the process, improved turnaround tracking – where both government agencies and importers can track turnaround time (TAT) to reduce delays and enhanced cybersecurity & auditing.

Kasigwa noted that the improvements will reduce the cost of doing business, benefiting both government agencies and the private sector by making Uganda’s import processes more predictable and efficient.