New Integrated Foreign Trade System’s “Single Window” will provide access to five ministries and 19 government services

Chile will reduce by half the number of days required to complete import and export procedures and related operational costs through implementation of an Integrated Foreign Trade System (SICEX) to be partially funded by a $7 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank.

The system will implement a "Single Window" methodology that provides export and import firms with a unified foreign trade portal designed to facilitate procedures. With SICEX, firms have access to five ministries and 19 government services, enabling them to avoid lengthy processing times for obtaining permits and approvals from numerous agencies.

Implementation of SICEX will also produce savings in paper and maximize the use of information technology. It will prevent the duplication of data and improve coordination among public agencies and with the single windows of other countries.

China, Korea, Mexico, and Colombia are among the countries that have achieved significant reductions in trade costs through the implementation of single windows.

Chile currently has trade agreements with more than 52 countries, resulting in approximately one million export and import transactions per year involving more than 85,000 users.

The total cost of the program is nearly $11 million, of which $7.5 million (69 percent) will be funded through the IDB’s Integration and Trade Sector. More than $3 million will be financed by local sources.