REX System set for July 1 to replace EUR1 certificate |24 June 2023

Ms Cesar (left) and Ms Bristol during the press conference

As from July 1, 2023 Seychelles will officially begin the implementation of Registered Exporter System (REX).

This means that all companies exporting to European countries, and which are using the EUR1 certificate to get a tax reduction in the country of exportation, will no longer have to.

This was announced by the manager of Classification, Valuation and Rules of Origin in the Customs Division, Gerda Cesar, at the Seychelles Revenue Commission headquarters yesterday morning.

She clarified that the EUR1 certificate will still be used for England since the country is not part of the European Union.

All the companies exporting items to countries such as Belgium and France will need to do a statement of origin on their invoice and/or packing list to certify that the product that is exported is from the Seychelles.

“This means that the product is either fished or manufactured in Seychelles,” she stated.

At present, the Customs Division is registering the exporters using the EUR1 certificate at Customs and providing them with an identification number to start using the REX system.

Senior Classification, Valuation and Rules of Origin Customs Officer, Gilberte Bristol, explained that presently, there are five exporters who have already been registered in the system and have been issued with a REX number which they will have to state on their invoice when they do the statement of origin.

“The form itself is very simple. It contains information to do with the exporter and information to do with the product itself and the commodities being shipped,” she noted.

The benefits of the REX system include a more streamlined procedure for exportation. The usual fee charged for the EUR1 certificate is not applicable. It will also help facilitate trade.

“For the future, any exporter who has not been approved by the Customs Division and who would like to be an approved exporter, will need to get in contact with our office to give them better guidance to register and to see whether their products truly originate in Seychelles.”

The division has begun working with around 15 exporters since the beginning of June. “We have been working with them since the beginning of June to finalise all the documentation because it will no longer come to us, so we need to make sure that everything is in order and is at a high standard in the European countries,” stated Ms Bristol. “We expect to register all of them by July 1.”

If an exporter has not registered by July 1, Ms Bristol clarified that the protocol allows the client, after the exportation has arrived in the country, to issue out a statement of origin on an invoice to claim the preferential treatment.

Since the form will require the signatures of both the exporter and the client, it will be online only and the exporter will submit a physical copy at the Divisions Office, they will do what is necessary to retrieve the application to approve them and issue out a REX number.

Text & photo by Sunny Esparon