Hey Folks,
I am curious about your experiences with your Customs service.... I don't mean the usual "Oh man, I bought sth. in America and I really have to pay taxes for that here...", more about how it works (paperworks).
One thing you may know, or should know...Germany love paperwork and rules. I am quite sure there is some official paperwork for breathing here (you know...emissions and so on).
So, why all the hack. We have to send a sensor for a repair to the manufacturer in the US (and have done that before, too). Some years ago it was like taking the sensor, walk to the customs office in our city and do the paperwork with an officer there. Pack the parcel and post it. The Papers were needed for the return of the parcel, to show that VAT and so on is already paid.
Then it was only possible to go online (started begin of last year), search through some cryptical lists for the customs number of your part you want to send and fill out the forms online, print it and go with it and the device to customs. Then the checked it there, date, stamp, done....shipping.
That one worked and was a little more work (brainwork) than before.
Now you can still just do it online, but you have to register with your VAT number in a Platform that is also used for your tax declaration where you get a freaky file and pin code. These you need to log on in the system of the Customs service and fill out the forms and so on like before.
Well, there is one file and pin for our whole university and we need these to ship our sensor for a repair..... these data are also used for sensible work like tax declaration.........very smart, don't you think
Hehe, our secretary is trying to find out these data for over a week now
.........
How is it in the US, Great Britain, France, Australia?!....Is it that much of a mess, too?
PS: Funny thing aside that fits in here, too. Several bureaucracy depleting laws have been filed in the last decade, but they have built new departments for that and well.....you see above
....we seem to need that stuff......