Iraq activates electronic verification for trade documents under ASYCUDA

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s General Commission of Customs announced Wednesday it had activated an electronic system to verify certificates of origin and commercial invoices issued by the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce, integrating the checks into the ASYCUDA customs platform.

The commission said clearance agents would enter document numbers into designated fields when preparing a customs declaration, allowing the system to confirm the documents are authentic before they are accepted. The service is running on a trial basis and will become mandatory from July 10, after which certificates of origin and commercial invoices will not be accepted unless they can be electronically verified. The commission urged traders and clearance agents to register their commercial documents properly with the federation and check their accuracy before the requirement takes effect, to avoid delays.

The measure is part of Iraq’s broader push to modernize customs through ASYCUDA, the Automated System for Customs Data, which processes declarations and monitors trade. Authorities have been expanding it across crossings and ports to tighten oversight and improve revenue collection, and recently agreed with the Kurdistan Regional Government to roll it out at the region’s border crossings under unified procedures, tariffs and data.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Ali Zaidi ordered a rotation of border crossing staff that reassigned 1,905 employees and officers, a move officials said was meant to strengthen monitoring and support non-oil revenues.