It is a great honour to welcome you to the official website of the Saint Lucia Customs and Excise Department. We are a unique arm of the wider government reform agenda, to be more responsive to the business community and citizens of St. Lucia, thereby improving security and justice. This agenda mandates us as a department to facilitate legitimate trade and travel, effective border management and revenue collection. The use of modern technology has made it possible to digitalize some of our processes. Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) is evidence of this digitalization. This has now been updated to ASYCUDA World 4.2.2 and it provides for a myriad of functions, including e-signature and biometrics, which contribute significantly to the security and trade agendas.
Considering the high service element in the delivery of our duties, the entire team is expected to display accountability, fairness, integrity, objectivity, professionalism and transparency in its various functions. In terms of trade, particularly in goods, the Customs and Excise department plays a pivotal role in adding value to the "supply chain process". Thus, an ethos on trade facilitation must be seen as a core principle in the exigencies of our service delivery. Above all, we endeavour to create a customer-centred approach.
Our activities must be recognised in the context of external partners such as Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC) and World Customs Organisation (WCO). Consequently, interdependent cooperation, global economic challenges in trade negotiations, climate change and changes in consumer needs, put an onus on the department to align itself to various international standards. Thus, this partnership-oriented approach invites us to embrace Risk Management techniques that will assist in improving compliance and supporting our border management initiatives.
We hope that the simplicity of our website and the easy access to relevant information would entreat you to making maximum use of our online service. It is expected that this facility will ensure that delays are minimized; efficiency is increased, thereby offering the potential to be a benchmark in customs processes throughout the Caribbean region. We are confident that this medium will reflect up-to-date information that will make your interactions with the department effortless.
Mr. Sherman Emmanuel
Comptroller of Customs