Some of the best logistical gains for exporters can happen at the borders. In 2009, the Bank implemented an innovative project that reduced customs waiting time from an average of 62 minutes to about 8 minutes at the El Amatillo customs office on the border between Honduras and El Salvador.

The trick? International Customs Transfer for Merchandise (TIM, for its initials in Spanish), which is part of the Mesoamerica Plan. Through a simple and efficient process, TIM improves private sector competitiveness by dramatically reducing waiting times at customs to a level comparable with similar systems used in the European Union. Customs delays increase in transport costs by between 4 and 12 percent.

TIM is a new system for managing and supervising international customs movements. It is based on cutting-edge technology, elimination of paper use, and harmonization of customs control procedures and plant and animal sanitation services.

An efficient and painless process carried out through a one-stop window, TIM has helped cut cargo passage times in El Amatillo by 90 percent and improved tax and quasi-tax oversight as well as the traceability of operations.

The second phase of the project, which is now underway, will expand the service to Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The project will also include a component to identify measures for expediting trade within customs services, fostering joint efforts between the subregion’s public and private sectors.

This project is financed by the General Cooperation Fund of Spain.