Abstract: The effectiveness of the export clearance procedure is essential for promoting global trade, cutting down on logistical expenses, and guaranteeing prompt delivery of goods. As authorized middlemen between exporters and customs officials, Customs House Agents (CHAs) play a crucial role in this process. With an emphasis on the function and performance of CHAs, this study analyses key performance metrics such processing time, documentation accuracy, compliance rates, and stakeholder satisfaction in order to assess the efficacy of export clearance procedures.

The project investigates how CHAs may streamline customs processes and lessen administrative costs through digitalization and technological integration, including blockchain, automated risk management systems, and electronic data exchange (EDI). It contains a thorough breakdown of the entire export process, highlighting the duties of the CHA in terms of paperwork, cargo categorization, duty computation, and regulatory agency coordination. Key stakeholders, including exporters, freight forwarders, CHAs, and customs officers, provide comments on operational obstacles, such as delays in documentation, scheduling of inspections, and regulation anomalies. Their observations are used to assess the export clearance system's timeliness, uniformity, and transparency. In order to suggest specific improvements, regulatory obstacles and typical causes of delay, such as insufficient documentation or poor interagency collaboration, are investigated.

In order to improve export clearance outcomes, the study emphasizes the need for improved training and capacity-building for CHAs, adoption of electronic systems, and strengthened inter-agency collaboration. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for policymakers and trade facilitators to maximize the role of Customs House Agents in export procedures, improve compliance, and support sustainable trade growth. The findings indicate that providing CHAs with improved tools, streamlined procedures, and supportive regulatory environments can significantly reduce clearance times and increase trade competitiveness.

Key Words: Customs House Agent, export clearance, customs, trade, logistics, compliance, digitalization, automation, efficiency, bottlenecks, procedures

| DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2025.125174