Fast Customs Clearance for Mask Imports... Korea Customs Service Provides Close Support at Customs Offices Nationwide

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The customs clearance process for masks imported into Korea from overseas will be simplified and expedited.

The Korea Customs Service announced on the 11th that, together with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, it will significantly simplify the mask import customs clearance procedures and temporarily establish and operate a 'Mask Import Rapid Clearance Support Team' at customs offices nationwide to help speed up the import process.

Until now, when importing health masks (including surgical masks), it was cumbersome (taking a long time) to obtain import approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and then undergo customs clearance review and product inspection by customs.

However, going forward, health masks imported for relief, donation purposes, or distribution to company employees will be exempt from import requirement verification by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and customs will minimize clearance review to enable rapid import.

For commercial sales, import (item) approval must still be obtained as before, but the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has decided to take measures to allow faster import approval than before, according to the Korea Customs Service.

Additionally, the Korea Customs Service allows immediate customs clearance upon import declaration for general masks that are not health masks, provided there are no special suspicions.

Various inquiries and support requests regarding mask imports can be made through the Mask Import Rapid Clearance Support Team established at the relevant customs office.

In particular, the Korea Customs Service and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will provide detailed guidance and full support for exemption recommendation procedures for import requirement verification and customs clearance procedures when local governments and general companies import health masks for free distribution to local residents and employees.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.