Conduct Business with the
T&T Government online! Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T’s) Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment (MTI&I) continues to fulfil its core responsibility to grow trade, business and investment through innovative means. TTBizLink is one such innovative initiative. TTBizLink, referred to as a Single Electronic Window (SEW), facilitates trade and business-related transactions with the T&T Government online. Using TTBizLink companies or individuals submit one single e-document at TTBizLink’s portal – www. ttbizlink.gov.tt! The document is then routed to the relevant approving agency and applicants receive status updates via email. Applications are accessible anytime (24/7) and from anywhere via the TTBizLink portal. TTBizLink’s infrastructure was developed by CrimsonLogic which has over two decades of experience in eGovernment and was responsible for Singapore’s TradeNet®. TTBizLink translates to higher levels of efficiency in conducting transactions, greater accessibility to approving agencies and more immediate transaction status reports. In this first phase the following e-services are being focused on: • e-Certificate of Origin (CO) – allows exporters/brokers to apply for COs issued by the Business Development Company Ltd. (BDC) and the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce (TTCIC) using the online application. Exporters can also pre-register with the BDC or TTCIC. • e-Import Duty Concession (IDC) and Fiscal Incentives (FIs) – allows clients seeking IDCs and FIs from the Government to complete the necessary application forms and upload supporting documents online. • e-Permits & Licences – allows importers/exporters to apply for Permits and Licences from the Animal Production and Health Services, and Plant Quarantine Division of the Minis118
try of Food Production and from the Trade Licence Unit (TLU) of the MTI&I. The former encompasses Animal Import Permits and Plant Import Permits. The latter includes Import Licences; Export Licences; Duty Relief Licences/Minister’s Licences; Suspension Certificates; and Safeguard Certificates. • e-Company Registration – provides for Name Search, Name Reservation, Registering a Business and Incorporating a Company from the Companies Registry of the Ministry of Legal Affairs (MLA). • e-Work Permit – allows companies/businesses and attorneys-at-law practising in T&T to electronically complete and submit applications for Work Permits and Work Permit Extensions (individual or group, i.e. 10 persons or more) to the Work Permit Secretariat (WPS) of the Ministry of National Security (MNS). In the design of the infrastructure, several security features have been incorporated to ensure that the system is secure. These features exist at every tier of the system, thereby ensuring its impenetrability. All electronically generated permits, licences and certificates have three security features – Common Optical, 2D Barcode and Microprint. Attempts to tamper with any TTBizLink document compromises the appearance of the Watermark and Microprint. Attempts to modify the document’s data will not affect the data encrypted on the 2D Barcode, i.e. the Barcode cannot be doctored. To access TTBizLink persons undertake a simple one-time registration process as outlined on the portal – www.ttbizlink.gov.tt. Already TTBizLink has made an impact on those using the system. Mahase Frank, Customs Clerk of Hyline Label Co. Ltd., had this to say on the way service delivery has instantaneously been enhanced: “I find this online system to be working efficiently and it is very convenient as it eliminates the hassle of having to go into the Agency in person and wait for approvals. I received approval of my Certificate of Origin within five minutes of sending them through this service.” For further information, please email ttbizlinkinfo@ gov.tt or call 800-4739. You can also visit the Head Office located at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment, Level 9 Nicholas Tower, 63-65 Independence Square, Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. TTBizLink – Business Made Easy!