The Ministry of Finance and Industry will launch today a new e-service that allows online submission of applications for duty exemption, said a senior official yesterday.

From today no application handed in person for duty exemption will be accepted, said Jamal Nassir Lootah, Assistant Undersecretary of the ministry.

"An extension of the ministry's ongoing e-services for industrial licensing issue and renewal system first introduced 18 months ago, the programme now offers online customs exemption for all manufacturing firms registered in the UAE free of charge."

Lootah said the only prerequisite to access the service is the company should be a manufacturing unit registered in the UAE.

"Apart from easier and quicker service while offering savings in effort and expenses by effectively slashing bureaucratic requirements, the advantage in the system lies in the instant duty exemption available, as against the conventional, non-electronic system.

"It takes an applicant only five seconds to receive the approval of the application online. The exemption covers raw materials, semi-manufactured products used in the industry and machinery.

A host of other facilities are also available to online users, including making changes to the raw materials list, and displaying the products for potential buyers.

"Manufacturers can also submit their suggestions to develop the system or facilitate procedures.

Manufacturing firms in the UAE are being offered duty-free import and export services, through a high-speed electronic highway that remains open 24 hours a day, round the year, that offers UAE-based manufacturers single-window services access while affording instant tariffs-free facilities for their raw material supply imports and finished product exports, anywhere in the world.

The services are available to all manufacturers here, irrespective of whether their supplies are physically sourced by air, through water or overland.

The services are offered on the e-government portal at www.uae.gov.ae.

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