MEDIA RELEASE
07/11/2025

The American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago (AMCHAM T&T) welcomes the announcement today by the Customs and Excise Division that customers can now make payments electronically. This option is initially being offered at Piarco and Customs’ House. 

While this may seem like a small step, this initiative has the potential to cut bureaucracy and reduce friction in the facilitation of trade. It therefore, represents important progress toward the digitalization and modernization of Customs operations – something for which AMCHAM T&T has consistently advocated to improve efficiency, transparency, and the overall ease of doing business in Trinidad and Tobago. By reducing reliance on cash transactions, businesses will benefit from faster processing times, fewer administrative delays, less avenues for corruption and a smoother overall trade facilitation experience. 

Commenting on the announcement, Nirad Tewarie, CEO of AMCHAM T&T, said: 

"This is a positive and practical step toward improving service delivery and enhancing the ease of doing business. AMCHAM T&T has long called for the digital transformation of Customs processes to help reduce backlogs and improve efficiency. In the past couple months, we have seen a refreshingly new approach by Customs when it comes to trade facilitation, which is one of their three core functions. We applaud Comptroller Riad Juman and his team as well as the Ministry of Finance and the team at the National Payments Company for making this a reality. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Customs and Excise Division to build a fully digital, efficient, and transparent system that strengthens trade facilitation and supports economic growth while protecting our borders and enhancing the Government’s revenue collection capacity. We look forward to this being rolled out at all ports and Customs facilities and to even more payment options being added as time goes by.” 

END. 

For further questions or comments, please contact:  
Nirad Tewarie, CEO AMCHAM T&T at niradtewarie@amchamtt.com.