PH IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REGISTERED EXPORTERS (REX) SYSTEM
- The Philippines will not be able to implement the REX System by 01 January 2019
- As long as the REX system is not applied by the Philippines, the competent authority – the Bureau of Customs (BOC), will continue to issue Form A certificates while Philippine exporters of low value GSP exports (EUR 6,000 or less) will continue to issue Invoice Declaration.
- BOC is still in the process of completing the two (2) pre-requisites for the application of the REX system. The “effective application date of the REX system” in the Philippines is the date when BOC communicates officially to the European Commission all the necessary information.
- From 1 January 2019 and until such time as BOC is still unable to submit, the global transition period provided by the EU will allow BOC to continue issuing the GSP Form A. Philippine exporters are requested to advise their EU importers regarding the global transition period.
- Once the Philippines implements the REX system, the self-certification on “statements on origin” by the Philippine exporters themselves will progressively, for a maximum of 1.5 years, replace the certificates of origin Form A issued by BOC and invoice declarations made out by economic operators of low value GSP exports and will completely replace the current system of origin certification by 30 June 2020 at the latest.
- In the meantime, PH exporters under the EU GSP Scheme can pre-register with BOC using either (1) the pre-application form at https://customs.ec.europa.eu/rex-pa-ui/#/create-preapplication/ or (2) the paper form. PH exporters are advised to contact the Export Division (Port Area) or Export Coordination Division of BOC for updates and additional information regarding the application.
- Who can register? Any PH exporter, manufacturer or trader of originating goods, established in the Philippines, is entitled to apply at BOC to become a registered exporter, provided that he holds, at any time, appropriate evidence of the origin of the products he intends to export to the EU, for the purpose of checks carried out by the customs authorities.
- How is the registration of exporters? PH exporters can apply to become registered exporters by filling in an application form and by returning it to BOC. In return, BOC, as the PH competent authority for the registration of exporters (REG) and administrative cooperation (ADC), will submit the complete and correct application forms in the REX system.
- What is REX Number? Registered exporters will receive from BOC their registration number (the REX number), consisting of a string of 35 alphanumerical characters, including a reference to the country of issue.
- It is however allowed that unregistered exporters make out statements on origin for consignments of originating goods having a value which is below 6 000 EUR.
- The European Commission provides and maintains the REX system. GSP beneficiary countries don’t have to develop the system themselves. The REX system is supported by an IT system, which is basically a database in which competent authorities, in PH case BOC, will register their exporters who intend to export products under a preferential trade arrangement and keep their data up to date. The data of the REX system are made public at the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/index_en.htm
For questions specific to your situation, please contact any of the following officers from the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Trade and Industry:
Ms. Rechilda T. Oquias, Chief, Export Coordination Division
Contact No.: 5274580
Email address: rechilda.oquias@customs.gov.ph
Ms. Gina C. German, COO III, Export Coordination Division
Contact No.: 5274580/ 09178497150
Email address: gina.german@customs.gov.ph
Assistant Director Agnes Legaspi, Export Marketing Bureau (EMB)
E-mail address: agneslegaspi@dti.gov.ph
Ms. Ma. Regina C. Serafico, Bilateral Relations Division, Bureau of International Trade Relations (BITR)
E-mail address: MaReginaSerafico@dti.gov.ph
Mr. Benedict Uy, Commercial Counsellor, Philippine Trade and Investment Center, Embassy of the Philippines, Brussels, Belgium
E-mail address: brussels@dti.gov.ph