It's interesting to see how something that should quickly reach its final destination—a delivery for an embassy—can turn into a drama of concepts and perceptions.
We received a call from the Embassy of the Czech Republic inquiring whether D-Log could release a shipment containing a bench sent by air from a company in Brazil for use by the embassy.
If an item is sent by courier, with an air waybill (AWB) or by sea to an embassy, it does not need to be nationalized. However, an import declaration must still be filed under a modality exempt from foreign payment: import type 99.
The delivery deadline was yesterday, November 25. After several days of uncertainty due to the DIAN inspectors’ unfamiliarity with this type of modality, our customs agency finally secured the release at 12:15 PM. But the wait wasn’t over yet. Due to Bogotá’s constant rain and overwhelming traffic, the vehicle was only able to pick up the bench—still in its crate—at 4 PM from the airport zone.
Finally, the bench arrived at the embassy after 6 PM, right in the middle of a cocktail event attended by Czech businesspeople showcasing their products at the ExpoConstruction trade fair.
This note simply aims to illustrate the importance of ensuring that both government officials and customs intermediaries, including warehouse operators, are fully knowledgeable about the various import modalities.