The online payment platform allows users to pay customs duties and charges electronically
The Customs and Excise Department is reporting strong uptake of its online payment platform, with officials indicating that the system is already helping to accelerate cargo clearance, enhance transparency, and improve the ease with which businesses and individuals conduct customs transactions.
The initiative forms part of the Department's broader modernization agenda aimed at enhancing productivity, strengthening competitiveness, and improving the ease of doing business in Saint Lucia.
The online payment platform allows users to pay customs duties and charges electronically at any time and from virtually anywhere in the world. Customs officials say the system is eliminating traditional bottlenecks associated with in-person payments, reducing waiting times, and improving the overall trading experience for importers, customs brokers, and members of the public.
Comptroller of Customs and Excise, Sherman Emmanuel, described the platform as an important component of the Department's trade facilitation strategy.
"The online payment portal and platform is just one small measure amongst the many that Customs is implementing to improve processing times for the clearance of cargo, create a more efficient environment for traders, and fulfill that ease of doing business mandate," Emmanuel said.
He noted that the platform forms part of a larger strategic vision that includes paperless initiatives and technological upgrades designed to improve service delivery and strengthen Saint Lucia's competitiveness.
Prior to the introduction of the online system, importers and brokers were required to visit Customs offices in person, often standing in long lines and conducting transactions during limited business hours. Today, payments can be made electronically twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
"This online payment portal created a facility so that persons can now pay 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from anywhere in the world," Emmanuel explained. "It has also created a level of transparency that did not exist before, allowing customers to receive direct electronic confirmation of their payments through the Customs system."
The platform became fully operational in July 2025 following a phased implementation process that began in 2023.
According to Senior Customs Officer Vedlina Paulice-Modest, approximately sixty percent of Customs clients primarily within the commercial sector are already utilizing the online payment platform. The Department is now focusing on expanding participation among non-commercial users, including individuals clearing barrels, baggage, and personal effects.
"We are trying to get the non-commercial aspect fully on board," she said. "We are streamlining our processes to allow persons conducting regular barrel clearances and other non-commercial transactions to make their payments online. Anyone can use this platform, as long as they have a credit card or bank card."
The technology underpinning the platform is managed by the Customs Information Technology Unit. Senior Customs Officer Antonia Calixte explained that the system is integrated with the ASYCUDA customs management platform and incorporates one-time password authentication to ensure secure transactions.
"The online payment platform allows anyone with internet access, an email address, and a credit or debit card to pay customs duties and charges from a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer," Calixte noted. "Payments can even be made by someone overseas on behalf of a family member in Saint Lucia."
The platform has also earned strong support from the customs brokerage community.
Senior Broker at Joseph Shipping Agency and President of the Saint Lucia Customs Brokers Association, Sylvester Louis, says the platform has fundamentally changed the way brokers conduct business.
"I don't think I can overstate the convenience of the online payment platform," Louis said. "Those of us who work on evenings, weekends, or public holidays can make payments and have our documentation ready for the next working day. Payments are processed immediately, receipts are available electronically, and the system has proven to be stable, reliable, and highly efficient."
Louis also highlighted the platform's expanded transaction capabilities, noting that the maximum payment limit has increased from EC$99,000 to EC$270,000 per transaction.
He is encouraging brokers, importers, and other users who have not yet adopted the platform to do so, citing its convenience, reliability, enhanced security, and potential to deliver significant productivity gains while accelerating the cargo clearance process.
As the Customs and Excise Department continues to modernize its operations, officials say the online payment platform represents another major step toward creating a faster, more transparent, and customer-focused trading environment that supports national economic growth and competitiveness.