Honduras - 2.3.1 Land Border Crossing of El Florido

Overview

It is a “conventional” custom, with a lot of tourist traffic, since a few kilometers away are archaeological remains, and it is not enabled as a fiscal route neither by Honduras nor by Guatemala.

The customs buildings of Honduras and Guatemala are separated, with an esplanade in the middle that corresponds to the parking area for heavy vehicles. Building conditions are poor on both sides, without air conditioning and more deficient in the Honduras area.

The Agricultural Services of Honduras and Guatemala are located in a new booth, completely renovated with air conditioning and in better condition than the customs buildings. The issuance of the certificates was to begin at the same time, eliminating the double certification.

For the implementation of the process of deepening integration, Integrated Border Posts have been created, which have Trade Facilitation Centers to guarantee an agile passage of goods and Control Centers to attend to goods exempted from free circulation. To this is added the upcoming implementation of the Peripheral Customs of the Customs Union, which will serve to attend the customs operations of goods entering the single customs territory.

The Customs Union seeks to facilitate trade between Guatemala and Honduras, accelerating it and reducing its cost. The two countries have integrated their trade procedures at three common land borders: Agua Caliente, El Florido and Corinto. Instead of duplicating paperwork and paperwork on both sides of the border, trade between Honduras and Guatemala now requires only an online instrument called "FYDUCA" (Factura y Declaración Única Centroamericana).

In the customs union between Guatemala and Honduras, 75% of trade between the two countries was liberalized, making them more competitive and productive. This meant 50% of the Central American population and about 52% of intraregional trade.

The Customs Union model will work in two additional customs offices, El Amatillo and El Poy. The benefit in terms of the mobility of goods at the borders thanks to the Customs Union will make it possible to speed up the crossing procedures, a reduction in transaction costs for all exporters and for users of border points.

Daily capacity

This customs has a high traffic and the passage is relatively agile due to the integrated binational coordination that exists between the countries, on average it takes 6 minutes to make the border crossing thanks to the integration process between Guatemala and Honduras.

Private cars have their own lane at El Florido Customs. This lane is usually faster than the lane for trucks and buses.

 Customs Clearance

1. Commercial Invoice (original)

The Original Invoice must be formulated in the Spanish language or its corresponding translation attached. That commercial invoice shall contain at least the following information:

• Name and address of the seller;
• Place and date of issue;
• Name and address of the buyer of the goods;
• Detailed description of the goods, by make, model or style;
• Quantity of the goods;
• Unit and total value of the goods; and
• Terms agreed with the seller. When the commercial description of the goods included in the commercial invoice comes in code or codes, the importer must attach to the invoice a list of the information duly decoded.

2. Letter of the means of transport (original):

• Present the transport document that has been contracted and negotiated.

3. Customs Value Declaration (DVA) (original)

4. FAUCA (simple copy):

• Certificate of Origin

5. Phytosanitary Export Certificate of the country of origin (simple copy)

6. category A and B: Phytosanitary certificate (original)

In the case of urgent shipments (DE SOCORRO), the clearance procedure established  in Decree No. 147-2020 — Law for the Facilitation of International Humanitarian Assistance in the Event of Disaster and Initial Recovery will apply.

Other relevant information

Since June 1, 2021, the advance electronic transmission of the Central American Single Declaration (DUCA) is mandatory for trade in goods originating in the region (DUCA-F) and for the import or export of goods with third countries (DUCA-D) at the three common border posts between Guatemala and Honduras: El Florido, Agua Caliente and El Corinto, as confirmed by SIECA.

This measure, the first to be implemented in the Central American region in a bilateral and coordinated manner, has a clear objective: to reduce transit and waiting times at common border posts, facilitating foreign trade operations, in compliance with Ministerial Instance Resolutions – UA 83/2020 and 59/2019.

All importers and exporters will be able to make use of the DUCA-F Advance Declaration, through the computer systems of the single windows of each country. In the case of Honduras, all exports with DUCA-F will be made through the Export Procedures Center (CENTREX) of the Ministry of Economic Development; and for Guatemala, through the Single Window for Exports (VUPE)

For the process of filling out and submitting the DUCA-F Advance Declaration of goods:

• The exporter must type, in the CENTREX system in the case of Honduras and VUPE for Guatemala, the information related to the definitive export regime and upload images of the documents that support the regime (commercial invoice and transport document)".
• CENTREX and VUPE will transmit the information to the computer system of the Customs Service, which will validate the information transmitted and record the Declaration.
• The Customs System of Honduras and Guatemala will send the information to the repository of the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA).
• The system of the countries will receive the validation of the Advance Declaration for the agile passage of the goods.