URA Tightens Customs Net, Orders Strict Verification of Vehicle and Container Numbers

The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has tightened its Customs data verification procedures, introducing new requirements governing how vehicle registration plates and shipping container numbers are recorded during cargo clearance.

The new measures have been incorporated into the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) under the Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) Upgrade Project, with the authority seeking to strengthen cargo identification and ensure that inspection images are accurately linked to the correct Customs declarations.

Under the revised system, vehicle registration numbers must be entered using a continuous combination of letters and numbers. Customs users are not permitted to include spaces, hyphens, slashes or other special characters when recording the registration details. For instance, a vehicle bearing the plate “UBD 123 A” should be entered as “UBD123A”.

URA has also created separate sections for recording the front and rear registration plates of vehicles at the point of departure. Each plate must be captured exactly as it appears on the vehicle, while maintaining the required continuous alphanumeric format.
The updated validation rules extend to shipping containers, whose identification numbers must be recorded in line with the internationally recognised ISO 6346 system. A standard container identification number contains the owner or operator code, equipment category identifier, serial number and a check digit.

URA requires the complete container number to be entered as a single uninterrupted sequence. A number displayed as “ABCU 123456 7”, for example, should be recorded as “ABCU1234567”. Officials have cautioned users against leaving out, changing, rearranging or incorrectly entering any character.

Clearing agents, freight forwarders, transporters and other stakeholders involved in Customs operations have consequently been urged to double-check vehicle and container identifiers before submitting declarations. Vehicle numbers appearing on declarations, T1s and Exit Notes must correspond with the vehicle physically presented for Customs processing, while container details should be verified against the actual container or accompanying shipping documents.

According to URA, accurate data capture will improve the matching of scanned cargo images with Customs declarations, minimise identification errors and contribute to faster and more efficient cargo clearance. The authority has therefore stressed the importance of strict compliance as the upgraded validation requirements take effect.