The ASW is a regional environment that connects the National Single Windows (NSWs) of all ASEAN Member States, thereby facilitating the secure electronic exchange of trade-related documents. This integration significantly expedites cross-border clearance processes and strengthens ASEAN’s economic integration.

ASEAN is working to enhance trade efficiency and competitiveness by enabling the electronic exchange of trade-related documents among Member States through the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) initiative. Agreed by ASEAN Leaders at the 9th ASEAN Summit in Bali in October 2003, the ASW is a key step towards the realisation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). At the 11th ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in December 2005, ASEAN Economic Ministers signed the Agreement to Establish and Implement the ASW (ASW Agreement). This was soon followed by the signing of the Protocol to Establish and Implement the ASW (ASW Protocol) in 2006, which sets out the institutional arrangements and bodies responsible for its implementation. To strengthen the legal foundation, the Protocol on the Legal Framework to Implement the ASW (PLF) was signed in 2015 and subsequently ratified by all ASEAN Member States in 2017. The PLF provides the basis for facilitating secure electronic transactions within the ASW environment.

Key Outcomes

To launch live operations of the ASW, the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) electronic Form D (ATIGA e-Form D) was adopted as the first document for exchange. The ATIGA Operational Certification Procedures (OCP) were amended in 2017, granting the ATIGA e-Form D the same legal recognition as its hard-copy counterpart. The exchange of the ATIGA e-Form D was piloted by five ASEAN Member States in 2018, and by the end of 2019, all ten Member States are participating. As of June 2025, all ASEAN Member States are exchanging both the ATIGA e-Form D and the ASEAN Customs Declaration Document (ACDD) through the ASW. In addition, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand have begun exchanging electronic Phytosanitary (e-Phyto) certificates. The live operation of the ASW continues to open a wide range of opportunities for the region, including the potential exchange of additional trade-related documents, such as electronic Animal Health (e-AH) and electronic Food Safety (e-Food Safety) certificates.

Way Forward

Looking ahead, ASEAN is advancing towards the New Generation of ASW (ASW 2.0), with the aim of exploring the potential to connect the ASW with its Dialogue Partners. Discussions are already underway with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States on Single Window cooperation. ASW 2.0 seeks to establish a standardised framework for National Single Windows across ASEAN Member States, including guidance on the necessary legal provisions to facilitate cross-border paperless trade, as well as recommendations on technical standards to ensure interoperability between ASEAN Member States’ National Single Windows and the trade platforms of Dialogue Partners.