ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has integrated customs administration with ValidAP, the blockchain-based cross-validation platform, to advance secure digital trade and facilitation.

ValidAP was developed and hosted by Hong Kong Customs. The integration has been operationalised through Pakistan Single Window (PSW), pursuant to the memorandum of understanding signed between Pak­istan Customs and the Customs and Excise Dep­artment of Hong Kong on May 18.

An official announcement said ValidAP provides a secure and efficient mechanism for participating customs and regulatory authorities to verify the authenticity and integrity of electronic trade documents issued through PSW, including Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) certificates and export permits, without requ­iring transmission of the underlying documents or their data.

The platform uses cryptographic hash-based verification to detect any alteration to a document registered on the platform, strengthening safeguards against tampering and forgery.

The integration will also reduce reliance on paper-based and manual verification processes, enable faster validation of trade documents, and support more efficient consignment clearance. By enabling trusted digital verification at source, the initiative is expected to reduce clearance and cargo dwell times, with no additional cost to traders.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026