Customs-Transshipment of Courier Shipments to other Customs Stations - Reg. - Customs - 08/2016 CUS

OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS, BENGALURU AIR COMMISSIONERATE P.B. NO. 5400: C.R. BUILDING QUEEN'S ROAD, BENGALURU-5600 001 C.No. VIII/39/4/2015 Air cus Tech 22-02-2016 PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 08/2016 CUS Sub: Customs-Transshipment of Courier Shipments to other Customs Stations - Reg. Attention of trade and Officers is invited to the transshipment procedure prescribed vide Public Notice No. 10/2007 dated 24.01.2007, Public Notice No.01/2011 dated 24.01.2011 and Public Notice No.41/2012 CUS dated 4.10.2012. In furtherance to that, the matter has been further examined and the updated procedure for transshipment of courier shipment to other stations shall be as given hereunder. 2. Goods imported by Authorized Couriers shall be allowed for transshipment by the Assistant/Deputy Commissioner of Customs (Courier), Bangalore International Airport, Devanahalli Bangalore subject to fulfilment of provisions of Section 54 and 55 of the Customs Act, 1962 ( Act ) and Goods Imported (Conditions of Transshipment) Regulations, 1995 ( Transshipment Regulations ) and Courier Import Exports (Clearance) Regulations, 1998 ( Courier Regulations 1998'). 3. Custodian , declarant and transporter , as defined in the Transshipment Regulations, mean the Express Industry Council of India (EICI) and M/S DHL Express (India) Pvt Ltd., the Authorised Couriers and the concerned airline and bonded truck operator, respectively. 4. Assistant/Deputy Commissioner of Customs (Courier) may allow the transshipment on an application made by the Authorised Courier, subject to the following conditions: (i) Transshipment Regulations are followed; (ii) The Transshipment shall only be allowed by Air to the Customs Airports at Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Thiruvananthapurarm, Kochi and Coimbatore; (iii) The Transshipment by road shall be permitted only when there are no domestic cargo carrying flights or for specified cargo which is not carried by the domestic flights; (iv) The goods which require specific conditions to be fulfilled under any other Act for the time being in force or any rule or regulations made there under shall not be allowed for transshipment. 5. The Authorised Courier shall execute a bond equal to the value of the goods under transshipment with a bank guarantee for an amount equal to 15% of the bond value. The Bank Guarantee furnished should contain a self renewal clause in-built in the guarantee itself in terms of the master circular No.RBI/2010-11/67 dated 1.7.2010 issued by the Reserve Bank of India. The terms of bond shall be that if the authorized courier produces a certificate from Customs of the destination port for safe arrival of goods there, the bond shall be discharged. In case, such certificate is not produced within 30 days or within such extended period as the Assistant/Deputy Commissioner of Customs (Courier Cell) may allow, an amount equal to the value, or as the case may be, the market price of the imported goods shall be forfeited. 6. To avoid multiplicity of bonds, the Authorised Courier is allowed to execute mother bond instead of individual bonds. The mother bond is like a running bond. The value of mother bond can be arrived at on the basis of aggregate value of the total imported shipments handled by the Courier within a financial year. To avoid blockage of funds in the form of bank guarantee an option is given to the Authorised Courier to furnish, either running bank guarantee or individual bank guarantees for each transshipment. Individual bank guarantee for each transshipment shall be released as soon as the landing certificate from destination Customs is produced to the satisfaction of the Assistant Commissioner/Deputy Commissioner of Customs (Courier). The Authorized Courier will be responsible for any shortage or pilferage of the cargo. The Authorized Courier will insure such goods for full value as well as the customs duty involved. 7. The bond, or the mother bond, as the case may be, shall be debited at the time of transshipment of the imported goods and the same shall be credited on receipt of proof of safe landing of the subject goods from the destination of Customs/stations to the satisfaction the Assistant Commissioner/Deputy Commissioner of Customs (Courier). 8. The Authorised Courier, after ensuring that the subject goods are specifically mentioned in the import manifest as for transshipment, has to file an application for transshipment permit along with copies of airway bills to Customs. The Customs scrutinizes the details furnished by the Couriers in the application for transshipment. In case, the documents are in order and there is no alert notice against the courier, permission for transshipment is granted by the Customs. A fee of Twenty Rupees in respect of each application for TP of the goods shall be charged by the Customs. 9. On arrival of the flight, the transshipment cargo should be segregated in Custodian's premises. After unloading of imported goods under the Customs supervision, a Segregation Report shall be prepared duly signed by the authorized courier, Superintendent of Customs (Courier Cell) and Custodian. 10. These transshipment goods shall be X-rayed by the Authorized Courier in the presence of Officer of Customs. 11. The goods meant for transshipment shall be transferred to the transshipment (TP) godown and a transfer advice shall be prepared duly signed by the Authorised Courier. The TP godown shall be safely and adequately secured with a double lock and shall be operated under the supervision of the Superintendent of Customs (Courier Cell). 12. The authorized courier is required to file an application for transshipment of cargo to another customs station as indicated in the House Airway Bill (HAWB). The cargo transfer manifest (CTM) may itself be treated as an application for transshipment. Separate CTMs may be prepared destination wise which would be approved by the Superintendent of Customs (Courier Cell). 13. The cargo mentioned in the CTM need to be escorted by the Preventive Officer from the TP warehouse of the custodian to the warehouse of receiving airlines/custodian which acknowledges the same. The concerned airlines/custodian of warehouse should have double locking arrangement one key will be kept with the airlines/custodian and the other with Customs for storage of transshipment cargo. In the event the airlines carrying goods on transshipment basis at Bangalore do not have their own warehousing facility at Bangalore, they shall tie-up with the other airlines having warehouse at BIAL or at a nearby public/private bonded warehouse. No physical examination needs to be conducted, except on specific intelligence, for allowing transshipment and only marks and numbers of the packages earmarked for transshipment need to be verified. 14. It shall be ensured that the Cargo Transfer Manifest (containing the details of imported goods so carried) duly attested and sealed by the Customs shall be handed over to the Customs officer at the Customs station of destination in India. The goods mentioned in CTM shall be produced to the Superintendent of Customs (Courier Cell) at the said Customs station in safe and intact condition. The copy of EGM detailing such goods shall also be handed over along with the CTM. 15. Customs at the destination airport will acknowledge the receipt of the goods and return the acknowledgement manifest to the originating customs station. It will be the responsibility of the Authorised Courier to produce such acknowledgement/landing certificate/re-warehousing certificate to the Courier cell, Bangalore Airport, within the time limits specified above. 16. The Authorized Courier should ensure that the bags containing the import goods meant for transshipment should be durable. In case of small packages, those should be put in durable big bags and shall be sealed with the Customs Department seal by the Customs Officer (Courier Cell) in the presence of the Authorized Courier. The material required for locking and sealing shall be provided by the Authorized Courier. 17. If the cargo transshipped under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 is not unloaded at the place of destination in India, or if the quantity unloaded is short of the quantity to be unloaded at that destination, and if the failure to unload or the deficiency is not accounted for, then the person-in-charge of the conveyance and the Authorized Courier shall be liable for penal action as per the provisions of Customs Act, 1962. 18. The Authorised Courier shall maintain record and registers in respect of transshipment of goods and shall submit them for inspection as and when directed by the Superintendent of Customs (Courier). 19. The Authorised Courier, the custodian and all concerned shall conform to the instructions issued from time to time by Customs to ensure safe custody and transportation of imported goods meant for transshipment. 20. The Authorized Courier identifying the cargo meant for transshipment by road shall transfer the said cargo either of the Cargo terminals, viz., Menzies Aviation Bobba Cargo terminal or Air India SATS Air Cargo Terminal by following the procedure as provided in Public Notice No.11/2014 dated 19.05.2014. The permission for transshipment by road shall be accorded by the Proper Officer of Transshipment Cell. The Authorized Courier shall utilize the bonded trucking facility provided by licensed bonded truck operators permitted by the Transhipment Cell of Air Cargo. The procedure prescribed for transshipment of cargo shall apply mutatis mutandis in these cases. 21. All other procedures/instructions/Circulars applicable for goods under Bonded trucking facility shall be followed. (R.B. TIWARI) PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER