Automating Customs Declarations with Agentic AI

Executive Summary 

A leading logistics provider in Dubai eliminated 85% of manual work in its customs declaration process through an AWS-powered automation solution. By implementing intelligent document processing and GUI automation, the organisation reduced processing time from hours to minutes, decreased error rates by 97%, and enabled handling 3x the previous declaration volume without additional staff. 

Customer Challenge 

Customer Information 

• Customer: [Redacted] 

• Industry: Logistics & Transportation (Global Trade Services) 

• Location: United Arab Emirates 

• Company Size: [Not provided] 

Business Challenges 

The organisation faced significant operational challenges with customs declaration filing: 

• High Manual Workload: Multiple manual steps — from receiving emails, extracting data, and storing information in spreadsheets, to manual portal entry. 

• Scalability Bottleneck: Operations struggled to keep up with growing business volume. 

• Integration Challenges: The customs clearance portal lacked API access and required GUI-based automation. 

• Inefficiency and Delays: Time-intensive and resource-heavy processes slowed efficiency. 

Technical Challenges 

• Reliance on legacy, spreadsheet-based workflows. 

• No API availability in the customs portal. 

• Scalability and performance limitations. 

• Data challenges with varied document formats. 

• Stringent security and compliance requirements. 

Partner Solution 

Solution Overview

An AWS-powered automation framework was implemented using AI-driven document processing, GUI automation, and human-in-the-loop verification. The solution ingests documents via Amazon SES, extracts data with Amazon Textract, interprets it with Bedrock Agents, and uses Playwright automation hosted on ECS Fargate to complete filings in the customs portal. Step Functions orchestrate workflows, while Aurora PostgreSQL stores structured data. Dashboards provide real-time monitoring. 

AWS Services Used 

• Amazon VPC: Private subnets for secure infrastructure. 

• Amazon S3: Centralised document repository. 

• Amazon CloudFront:  Content delivery. 

• AWS IAM: Role-based access control. 

• Amazon SES: Email ingestion. 

• AWS Lambda: Event-driven processing. 

• Amazon SQS: Queue management. 

• Amazon Textract: Text, form, and table extraction. 

• Amazon Bedrock Agents: Data classification and interpretation. 

• AWS Guardrails: Compliance enforcement. 

• AWS Step Functions: Workflow orchestration. 

• Amazon ECS + Fargate: GUI automation with Playwright. 

• Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL: Structured data storage. 

Architecture Diagram 

Implementation Details 

• Methodology: Agile, DevOps-based phased rollout. 

• Ingestion: SES + Lambda capture incoming emails and store attachments in S3. 

• Processing: Textract extracts data; Bedrock Agents interpret results; Guardrails enforce compliance. 

• Automation: Playwright scripts hosted on ECS Fargate complete portal submissions. 

• Human-in-the-Loop: Specialists verify details before final submission. 

• Monitoring: Superset dashboards provide visibility. 

• Phased Rollout: 

• Phase 1: Transfer for 100 clients, pilot Transit 

• Phase 2: Full Transfer + Transit rollout 

• Phase 3: Transfer Out + Transit Out 

• Phase 4: Import 

• Phase 5: Export 

Innovation and Best Practices 

• Early-stage document standardisation improved accuracy. 

• Resilient Playwright scripts reduced maintenance caused by portal UI changes. 

• Incremental rollout allowed refinements and reduced disruption. 

• Standardised onboarding accelerated client integration. 

• Transparent reporting reinforced leadership alignment. 

Results and Benefits 

Business Outcomes and Success Metrics 

• 89% reduction in processing time (45 minutes → 5 minutes). 

• 97% decrease in error rates (12% → 0.4%). 

• 3x increase in declaration volume capacity without added staff. 

• 85% reduction in manual data entry. 

• Onboarding time reduced from 2 weeks to 48 hours. 

Technical Benefits 

• 92% automation rate for Transfer and Transit declarations. 

• 99.8% automation success rate without human intervention. 

• 42% reduction in infrastructure costs using AWS serverless. 

• Increased scalability and reliability. 

• Reduced technical debt with a shift to cloud-native architecture. 

Customer Testimonial 

"By automating our customs declaration process, we achieved speed, accuracy, and scalability while ensuring compliance. The AWS-powered solution transformed our operations." 

Lessons Learned 

Challenges Overcome 

• Portal UI instability resolved with resilient Playwright scripting. 

• Document variability is handled with early normalisation. 

• Incremental rollout enabled adjustments and adoption. 

Best Practices Identified 

• Standardised onboarding accelerated integration. 

• Transparent dashboards reinforced alignment. 

• Human-in-the-loop ensured accuracy. 

• Phased deployment minimised risk. 

Future Plans 

Planned expansion includes completing automation for all customs workflows, extending to import and export declarations, and adopting predictive AI for proactive error detection. Future optimisation will include multilingual document handling, client self-service portals, and advanced dashboards for real-time decision support.