Importers in Trinidad and Tobago can now directly make online credit card payments for Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) Inspection and Performance Fees without the need to be registered on the TTBizLink platform effective February, 2021. Utilizing the TTBS’s Online Credit Card Payment Facility, Inspection and Performance fees can be paid by importers to process Customs Import e-Declarations.
This TTBS Online Payment Facility was first launched in December 2019 and facilitated online payments for Inspection and Performance Fees which could only be paid by Customs Brokers on behalf of importers. The ability for importers not registered with TTBizLink to now make online payments from anywhere, at any time, will contribute to increased efficiency and further streamlining of the Goods Clearance Process. This digital improvement is also simple to use and will provide significant time and cost savings to the business community.
The impact on the goods clearance transaction process of these reforms has been recognized by the trading community. Ms. Priya Deokie, Director of Swift Shipping & Customs Brokerage Limited who has been using the Online Credit Card Payment Facility since its launch said, “With the introduction of the Online Payment Facility directly to TTBS, this part of my job has become effortless. Payments and subsequently releases are being done on a real time basis. The procedure is seamless and quite user friendly. Your wait time has been significantly reduced and as a result, I am able to enjoy a faster clearance time, which in turn allows for happier and satisfied clients, the ease of doing business in Trinidad just got a whole lot easier”.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago is committed to improving the country’s trade and business environment through the implementation of several business reforms such as these by the MTI and the relevant regulatory agencies. For further information please contact TTBS via telephone at 662-8827 Ext. 2411, 2416, 2417, 2418, 2419, 2422, 2428, 2429; or by email at ttbs@ttbs.org.tt.
