The Customs Department has introduced a new feature to improve transparency around importing goods to the island using its automated processing system.

Going forward, the department said it would e-mail the importer on any Bermuda customs declarations in cases where the party submitting the BCD had a different CAPS identification than the person importing the goods.

It said this would provide the importer with greater transparency throughout the process and give them the BCDs made in their name by third parties such as courier services, freight forwarders, or others.

Importers will have the advantage, customs said, of knowing when a BCD has been made on their behalf, along with the BCD number and the trader reference number, to assist when inquiring about the status of their shipments with the declarant.

Linda Pearman, the Collector of Customs, said: “Some importers are unaware of BCDs filed in their name by third-party agents, which in some instances, has resulted in the department carrying out enforcement action. It’s hoped that this approach will resolve this.

“The new process will automatically e-mail any importer whenever a BCD is submitted on their behalf by a declaring party with a different CAPS ID number from the importer.”

The email will be sent from caps@gov.bm to the importer’s primary e-mail addresses registered with customs.

The department advises the public to check their e-mail settings to ensure that this e-mail address is not flagged as spam. Recipients should not reply to the address.

The department said this feature would also allow the importer to contact customs if they believed the BCD might have been submitted in error or if the importer was unaware of a shipment.

Anyone wishing to contact customs regarding an e-mail they have received through this new process is advised to forward the email alert to customs@gov.bm and state their concern.