Customs Establishes New Procedure To Preventively Suspend Importers-Exporters

Various media outlets have published a document allegedly containing the signed version of General Instruction No. 7/22, dated November 16, 2022, by means of which the General Director (the Customs’ highest authority) instructs Customs Administrators and the General Underdirectorate of Customs Control to collect information on exporters not complying with the current FX regime in force.

The outlets state that Customs Administrators are to check the entry and settlement of foreign currency related to the exports of their jurisdiction within the first ten days of each month. The General Underdirectorate for Customs Control would compile such information monthly and report it to the Argentine Central Bank and other relevant government entities. The aim of these reports is to validate these non-compliant exports.

If the reported non-compliance is validated, then the Customs Administrator of the relevant jurisdiction will notify the exporter to either comply with or guarantee the entry and settlement of foreign currency of such exports within ten business days.

Should the exporter fail to comply, this Instruction authorizes the Customs Administrator to decide the preventive suspension of the exporter from the Registry, pursuant to section 97 of the Customs Code.

It should be noted that this document has not been published neither in the Official Customs Bulletin nor in the Argentine Official Gazette.