Members are encouraged to adopt whichever aspect of the nCEN strategy that achieves the goal of getting critical and actionable customs information to customs officials as efficiently as possible so that all members can more effectively operate and protect citizens while supporting the shared goals of international customs enforcement. B.4 PAPERLESS CUSTOMS Objective The Paperless Customs project is being introduced in view of reducing dwell time at Customs through the elimination of submission of hard copy of the Single Goods Declaration form as well as attached documents. This will reinforce the commitment of Customs to facilitate legitimate trade, increase transparency and abide by international conventions. The whole process of submitting a customs declaration will be done online and in a paperless manner. Customs may also mandate, in addition to electronic declarations the relevant supporting documents such as invoices, packing list, bill of lading, etc be submitted online. Current Process All documents (Declarations, Bill of lading, Invoices, Permits) are submitted in hardcopy to the Customs Department. Declarant and importers have to physically come to the Customs Department to bring these documents, queue up and wait for Customs clearance and payment. New Process with paperless Customs With the e-Customs Project, the importers and declarants will send their declarations electronically to Customs. Member states should endeavour to only require supporting documents in the event where a risk assessment requires such. National legislation should require traders to maintain either soft or hardcopy documents for post clearance purposes. All relevant documents will come to Customs Department as softcopy and no need for the importers/declarants to come 22 Draft SADC Customs ICT Strategy 2012 Page 22