Issue/renewal of Steamer Agents Registration -Delivering of Import General Manifests/Export General Manifests under Customs Act, 1962 - Customs - 12/2011

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS CUSTOMS HOUSE PORT AREA : VISAKHAPATNAM : 530035 F.No.S6/542/2010-Imp. Date: 15.06.2011 PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 12/2011 Sub: Issue/renewal of Steamer Agents Registration -Delivering of Import General Manifests/Export General Manifests under Customs Act, 1962. It is brought to the notice of all. the Steamer Agents the revised procedure/guidelines for. Issue/renewal of Steamer Agents Registration. for the purpose of filing Import-General Manifests and Export General Manifests is as under: I (A) For Registration of New Steamer Agents for filing IGM EGM: The following documents are required. to be submitted while applying for fresh registration which will be valid for one year:- i) Certificate of registration of the firm. ii) Partnership Deed/Constitution of firm duly attested/Memorandum of articles of Association of the firm. iii) Power of Attorney duly notarized. iv) Particulars of bankers. v) Letter from any Nationalized Bank confirming that they are maintaining account satisfactorily with them. vi) Fixed Deposit (Security Deposit) for ₹ 1,00,000/- (Rs. One Lakh only) issued by any, nationalized bank in original. vii) No objection. for recovery of penalty/revenue dues from the Security Deposit. viii) Bond under Section 41, 42t 97 (2) of the Customs Act, 1962. ix) Letter agreeing to intimate any change the constitution of the firm within one month such change and that they. seek fresh registration. x) Local Office lease agreement copy duly attested; xi) Income Tax returns of the Directors/partners/company for the last 03 years. xii) Service Tax returns if any of firm/company for the last 03 years. xiii) Name; Address, Telephone and PAN. Nos authorized signatory/Directors/executive of the firm. xiv) Letters from two ship owners appointing them as their local steamer agents and names of their Vessels, when vessels arrived to this port during the last three years. xv) Copy of Income Tax Pan Number of the firm. xvi) Photo copies of PAN cards/Passports of the Directors and the staff of the firm, and their qualification, residential address, office address. xvii) Address and details of Head Office Branch. xviii) Copy/copies of the steamer agency registrations at other ports with their registration numbers registered with the EDI Department of the Custom House concerned. xix) Declaration that the firm is having adequate manpower of along with computer facility with necessary' software for remote filing of documents IGMs/EGMs through ICEGATE. It is to be noted that registration of Steamer Agents shall be liable for cancellation in case they found to be subcontracting their work to other organizations. xx) Prescribed Application for registration of the firm in EDI. In case of new/fresh applicants, the registration would be valid for a period of one year with a minimum norm of filing IGMs/EGMs for 5 Foreign Run vessels/handling 200 TEUs (including both Import Export Containers) per year. The period can be extended by one more year to fresh applicants in order to fulfill the above norms in deserving cases. In case, they fail to comply with the minimum! norms even during the extended period of one year, the registration is liable for cancellation after completion of 2nd year and no further renewal/extension shall be granted. It may be noted that handling of the vessel as owner protective agents shall not be counted for the proposed renewal. Further the handling of the coastal vessels shall not be counted for this purpose. 1 (B) Renewal of registration for filing IGM/EGM. The renewal of the registration will be for three years. The Steamer Agent should apply at least two months before the expiry of the existing registration with all the documents submitted at the time of initial registration which should be validated for renewal of registration. The Licence holders should have handled a minimum of 5 (five) foreign run vessels in the previous financial year or 15 foreign run vessels in the previous 3 years period. 2. (A) Amendments to section 30 of the Customs Act '1962: On behalf of the master of the vessel, every Steamer Agent should file an import manifest as required under section 30 of the Customs Act under Regulations of Import Manifest (Vessel Regulations) 1971. Steamer agent should file Import General Manifest only through ICEGATE system which should be available in their office. All the Steamer Agents are required to have the facility for remote filing of IGM/EGM though ICEGATE before applying for registration of their firm as Steamer Agents with Custom House. The Steamer Agents have to file the Import General Manifest only through remote system of ICEGATE from their office before 10 hours of berthing of the vessel in the case of vessels where the voyage period from the last port of- call. is less than 4 (four) days. They have to file the Import General Manifest only through remote system of ICEGATE from their office before 48 hours of berthing of the vessel in the case of vessels where the voyage period from the last port of call is more than 4 (four) days. After that, they have to submit within 24 hours from the time of filing through ICEGATE, the hard copies of every import manifest which should: A. be delivered in duplicate, B. cover all the goods carried in a vessel and C. consists of: i. an application for entry in wards in form I (Custom series form No. 56) ii. a general declaration in form II (Customs Series form No. 57) iii. a cargo declaration in form III (Customs series form No. 58), iv. a vessels stores list in form IV (Customs series form No. 59), v. a list in form V of private property in the possession of the Master, officers and crew (Customs services form No. 59 A), The documents mentioned against serial numbers (i) , (i) (iii) above shall be filed with the Customs Department prior to arrival of the vessel and the remaining documents mentioned against serial numbers (iv) (v) above along with the following declaration/certificates shall be submitted to the proper officer of Customs immediately on arrival of the vessel at this port. a. deck cargo/certificate; b. last port clearance. The agent or the master is liable to a penalty up to ₹ 50,000/- (Rs. Fifty Thousand only) for delay in submission of complete/correct Import General Manifest. 2. (B) EXPORT GENERAL MANIFEST: As per section 41 of the Customs Act, 1962, the Export General Manifest has to be closed properly in the ICEGATE covering all Shipping Bills enabling all exporters concerned to generate Export Promotion copies of Shipping Bills within 7 days from the date of, sailing of vessel. Hard copy of the Export General Manifest should also be delivered by the Steamer Agents to the proper officer in the prescribed form. In case of failure on the part of steamer agent to close Export General Manifest through ICEGATE covering all Shipping Bills within the stipulated period as mentioned above, the steamer agent is liable to pay penalty up to 1,00,000/- (Rs. One Lakh only) as provided for under section 117 of the Customs Act, 1962. It is further stated that repeated lapses would also result in denial of the extension pf registration to the steamer agents. All concerned are here by directed to follow the above instructions scrupulously. (P.V.R. REDDY) COMMISSIONER