CARIMEX files electronic customs declarations on the VNACCS/VCIS system, classifies HS codes, handles yellow- and red-channel entries and prepares C/O files for preferential duty, serving importers and exporters in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria – Vung Tau.
On an import or export shipment, the transport leg usually runs to a clear schedule. What is hard to predict is customs: one inaccurate HS code, one document missing a signature, or one entry landing in the red channel on a Friday — any of these is enough to hold the shipment for days and rack up detention and port storage charges.
CARIMEX takes on all of it: reviewing documents before the goods arrive, filing on VNACCS/VCIS, tracking the channel assignment, then putting someone at the port for the physical inspection and seeing the entry through to clearance. Because CARIMEX also has its own tractor fleet and a container yard in Nhon Trach, a business can use a single point of contact for the declaration, the transport and the storage — rather than coordinating three providers who each blame the other two when things run late.
Locations covered: Cat Lai port and the Ho Chi Minh City area · the Cai Mep – Thi Vai port cluster · Phuoc An port and the Dong Nai industrial parks · ICD Long Binh · air cargo via Tan Son Nhat. Documentation advice: +84 933 968 988.
From HS code classification before the contract is signed, through port inspection to clearance
Filing import and export entries on the VNACCS/VCIS system, tracking the channel assignment and working the entry through to clearance.
Settling the HS code before the order is placed and calculating total duty in advance, so the business knows its real landed cost.
Supplying additional documents when an entry goes yellow, and putting someone at the port for the physical inspection when it goes red.
Certificate of origin files for preferential duty, quarantine registration, quality inspection and import licence applications.
Once an entry is registered, the customs system automatically assigns it to one of three inspection levels
| Channel | Document Check | Physical Inspection | Effect on Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel 1 – Green | No detailed document check | No physical inspection | Fastest — clears as soon as duty is paid |
| Channel 2 – Yellow | Detailed document check, comparing paperwork against the declaration | No physical inspection | Slower if documents are missing or inconsistent and must be supplemented |
| Channel 3 – Red | Detailed document check | Physical inspection of the goods — at 5%, 10% or the entire consignment | Longest — an inspection must be arranged, seals cut and cargo pulled for examination |
A business cannot choose its own channel, but its compliance history and the quality of its files affect how often it lands in the yellow and red channels. Consistent paperwork, declared correctly from the outset, is the most durable way to reduce that risk.
Choosing the wrong declaration type code means the entry has to be cancelled and refiled, delaying everything. These are the codes manufacturers and traders encounter most often:
| Code | Declaration Type | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| A11 | Import for commercial consumption | Goods imported for resale, not fed into production |
| A12 | Import for production | Raw materials and machinery imported for domestic production |
| E31 | Import of materials for export production | Materials imported to make finished goods for export |
| E21 | Import of materials for processing | Processing for a foreign trader under a processing contract |
| B11 | Commercial export | Goods exported for sale under an ordinary sales contract |
| E62 | Export of goods made for export production | Finished goods made from materials imported under E31 |
| E52 | Export of processed goods | Processed finished goods exported to the foreign trader |
The full list of declaration type codes is issued by the General Department of Customs and may be updated. The table above lists only the common ones — CARIMEX determines the right code from the actual nature of each transaction.
Getting the paperwork complete from the start is the cheapest way to avoid clearance delays. The list below is the core set, before any product-specific documents:
These deadlines follow the Customs Law and its current implementing documents and are given for reference. The rules can be amended — CARIMEX checks against the instruments in force at the time each consignment is cleared.
The HS code is not just a string of digits on the entry. It settles three things at once: the import duty rate, the value-added tax rate, and whether the goods fall under specialised control. Getting it wrong brings:
So the moment to settle the HS code is before the contract is signed and the order placed — not once the container is sitting at the port and every day of delay is another day of storage. If that window is missed and the container has already arrived, the way to limit the damage is to move the goods to an off-dock yard, stopping the detention clock while the file is completed.
The HS code also ties back to the delivery term: the Incoterms rule in the contract decides which party is responsible for declaring and paying import duty — under DDP it is the seller, under the other terms it is usually the buyer.
Send the invoice, packing list and a description of the goods — CARIMEX will review the file and report the likely HS code and total duty before you commit to the order. Call +84 933 968 988 or submit a request online.
The questions import-export businesses ask most often
Green channel: the declared information is accepted, with no detailed document check and no physical inspection — the goods clear as soon as duty is paid. Yellow channel: the paper file is checked in detail but the goods are not inspected; the officer compares the documents against the declaration. Red channel: a detailed document check and physical inspection of the goods, at 5%, 10% or the whole consignment. The red channel takes longest because an inspection has to be arranged at the port.
The core set is the electronic customs declaration, commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, sales contract and letter of introduction. Depending on the goods you may also need a C/O to claim preferential duty, an import licence, the results of specialised inspections (quarantine, quality, food safety), and documents substantiating value where customs calls for a value consultation.
For imports: file before the goods reach the border gate, or within 30 days of arrival. For exports: at least 4 hours before the carrying vessel or vehicle departs; for express consignments, 2 hours. A declaration stays valid for clearance for 15 days from registration. These deadlines follow the Customs Law and its current implementing documents.
The HS code determines the import duty rate, the VAT rate and whether the goods fall under specialised control. Declaring it wrongly leads to back-assessed duty with late-payment interest, administrative penalties for false declaration, and delayed clearance from supplementary declarations, consultations or classification analysis. If the correct code requires a licence the business has not obtained, the consignment can be stopped from clearing. Settle the code before signing the contract, not once the goods are already at the port.
A C/O is a certificate of origin. It is not required for every consignment, but it is the condition for claiming special preferential duty rates under free trade agreements: Form E (ACFTA – China), Form D (ATIGA – ASEAN), Forms AK/VK (South Korea), Forms AJ/VJ (Japan), EUR.1 (EVFTA – Europe) and the RCEP form. The duty difference between having a C/O and not having one is usually far greater than the cost of obtaining it, so for imports from a market covered by an agreement, ask the seller for the C/O while the contract is still being negotiated.
CARIMEX clears cargo through the border gates and locations of southern Vietnam: Cat Lai port and the Ho Chi Minh City area, the Cai Mep – Thi Vai port cluster, Phuoc An port and the Dong Nai industrial parks, ICD Long Binh, and air cargo via Tan Son Nhat. Because CARIMEX also has its own tractor fleet and container yard in Nhon Trach, a business can use one point of contact for the declaration, the transport and the storage.
Send the invoice and packing list — CARIMEX reports the likely HS code, the total duty payable and any licence you will need, replying within the working day