The aim of border enforcement is to make sure that Solomon Islands borders are kept safe and secure. Customs controls the movement of people and goods in and out of the country with minimum intervention to legitimate trade and travel.
The areas of Border Enforcement are:
Seaport
Airport
Outports
Enforcement
Seaport
Customs and Excise staff based at the Seaport are responsible for:
- The control of incoming and outgoing vessels from international waters including boarding and granting of clearance and undertaking any rummage activity required to clear both incoming and outgoing vessels;
- Granting of clearance to incoming and outgoing pleasure boats/yachts;
- Undertake risk assessment of incoming cargo to determine any interest for Customs and Excise;
- Processing of documentation of imported cargo and arranging for the delivery of import and export goods at the Customs Control Area;
- Overseeing the release of cargo clearance;
- Collection of any revenue shortfall associated with importations.
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Airport
Customs and Excise staff based at the International Airport are responsible for:
- The control of inward and outward International aircraft movements including the processing of inward and outward Aircraft documentation;
- Assessment and clearance of incoming and outgoing passengers, crews and their accompanying luggage;
- Checking of incoming and outgoing cargo against respective cargo manifest;
- Collection of any revenue associated with movement of international travellers and Cargo;
- Control delivery of cargo to Airfreights;
- Managing and controlling the release of cargo at Airfreights.
Traveller Declarations A passenger must declare any of the following items they are bringing into the Solomon Islands: - Goods that may be prohibited or subject to restrictions, such as medicines, firearms, weapons of any kind, illicit drugs or indecent or obscene articles;
- More than 2 litres of alcohol or 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco products (persons over 18 years of age only);
- Goods including food, goods intended as gifts or received as gifts obtained overseas or purchased duty free in Solomon Islands with a combined total price of more than SI$3,000 (SI$1,500 for persons under 18 years of age) for each person;
- Goods/samples for business or commercial use;
- Goods carried on behalf of other persons;
- Gifts the total value of which exceeds SI$1,500;
- Passenger must declare if they are carrying more than SI$50,000 currency or the foreign equivalent. This question must also be answered for travellers departing Solomon Islands.
Failure to declare is an offence and liable to a penalty. |
Traveller Concessions The term traveller refers to:
(a) Any person who temporarily enters the Solomon Islands and who does not reside in the Solomon Islands (non resident);
(b) Any person who returns to Solomon Islands after having been abroad temporarily (returning resident). Duty Free Concessions - 2 litres of alcohol, including wine beer and spirits per traveller over the age of 18 years.
- 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of chewing or smoking tobacco per traveller over the age of 18 years.
Other Concessions - Other articles including food stuffs, goods intended as gifts or received as gifts, duty free purchase goods (but not alcohol and tobacco) and not being goods of a commercial nature that would otherwise be dutiable with an aggregate value that does not exceed SI $3,000 for travellers over the age of 18 years and SI $1,500 for traveller under the age of 18 years.
This concession does not apply to articles of baggage that do not accompany a traveller and duty will be charged unless it can be verified they have been in the bona fide use of the traveller for six months; - Instruments or tools to be used by the traveller for the purpose of their profession or trade if they have been in the traveller’s possession and use for a period of six months;
- Bona fide gifts (occasional gift) bound for a private person in the Solomon Islands and intended for personal use and not resale that arrives via post, airfreight or accompanied luggage where the individual or aggregate value does not exceed SI $1500.
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Outports
Customs and Excise Division currently have staff based in Noro and Gizo, In the near future this will be extended to include Customs Officers based in Kulitano Bay and Lata. Staff perform a wide variety of duties at the outports that include:
- The control and clearance of ships and aircrafts and the processing of passengers, crew and baggage on arrival and departure;
- Import and Export cargo processing which includes control and clearance of cargo;
- Documentation and delivery of goods at the Customs Control areas;
- Assessment and collection of import and export duties and Goods Tax;
- Detection and seizure of prohibited and restricted goods;
- Outport Customs officers will also undertake sea and land surveillance and patrols.
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Enforcement
The Enforcement Business Unit is responsible for the integrity of Solomon Islands border while ensuring minimum intervention to legitimate trade and travel. The team contributes nationally and internationally to the interdiction of drugs and prohibited and restricted goods.
The team performs a variety of enforcement duties including:
- Investigations;
- Intelligence collection;
- Profiling and targeted intervention;
- Border control and the physical examination of goods;
- Prosecution action and fines for offenders committing offences against the Customs Act.
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