Malé, Maldives – An MOU was signed between Maldives Customs Service (MCS), Maldives Immigration and Maldives Police Service today to enable direct access to Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data through Global Travel Assessment System (GTAS).
The MoU was signed by Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed, Commissioner General of Customs Abdulla Shareef and Controller General of Immigration Mohamed Ahmed Hussain, at a ceremony held at the Customs Building on 3 May 2021.
The Global Travel Assessment System (GTAS) is a major tool for combating crime and border security, which would enable coordination between national law enforcement agencies and enhance understanding of risks. The MoU will establish and strengthen the coordinated border enforcement mechanism.
The GTAS was officially launched in the Maldives on 23 June 2019 with the assistance of the governments of Japan and the US.
The GTAS technical team that supported the Maldives in their installation and training included members of United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP). Training was provided for 24 officers including Maldives Customs Service (MCS), Immigration, Police and National Defense Services. Additionally, training was provided to MCS IT as the Single Window to independently manage the system.
The Government of Japan and the WCO Asia/Pacific Security Project assisted Maldives to establish the GTAS, to join in the global efforts towards the interdiction of Foreign Terrorist Fighters and other transnational crimes under the United Nations Security Resolutions (UNSCRs) 2178 and 2396. With the installation of GTAS, the Maldives Customs Service has also shown their strong commitment to the WCO Punta Cana Resolution by embracing security as part of the national mandate in all aspects of customs.
With the implementation of GTAS the Maldives now requires all air carriers with flights in and out of Maldives to submit Advanced Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data in the agreed upon format described by the World Customs Organization (WCO), International Air Transportation Association (IATA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the WCO-IATA-ICAO API and PNR Guidelines.