Customs clearances at Air Cargo Complex Bangalore: Procedure for filing and processing of export documents- Matter reg. - Customs - 77/2009

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS C.R.BUILDING:QUEEN S ROAD:BANGALORE-560001 Trade Facility Cirucalr No. 77/2009 CUS Date: 16.12.2009 Subject: Customs clearances at Air Cargo Complex Bangalore: Procedure for filing and processing of export documents- Matter reg:- It has been observed that a large number of shipping bills processed at the Indian Customs EDI(Electronic Data Interchange) System get stuck either because of wrong or incorrect entry of the Airway Bill Number at the time of Goods Registration of export cargo, or due to incorrect feeding of data in the ICES EDI system either at the service centre or at ICEGATE. It has further been observed that the procedures laid down for the filing and processing of export documents is not being complied with. 2. With a view to streamlining the filing and processing of export documentation, the Attention of trade and airlines is invited to the following procedure which is to be adopted for the filing and smooth processing of Export documents in relation to the clearance of export cargo. a) The exporter or his agent(CHA) shall bring with him the export declaration form(Annexure A) and the Shipping Bill in relation to the export cargo shall be filed by the exporter or his agent at the service centre or online through the RES package in ICEGATE. b) In cases where the shipping bill is sough to be filed before the export cargo actually arrives at the premises of the custodian, the exporter/CHA shall ensure that the goods are registered in the ICES EDI system, within 7 days of the filing of the shipping bill, failing which the shipping bill shall be automatically purged from the ICES EDI system. c) When the Shipping Bill is filed online through ICEGATE, the validation process of the data in relation to the shipping bill will be done on the ICES database and in the event of any error/mistake in filing a negative acknowledgement along with the details of the error/mistake shall be communicated online to the exporter/CHA. Where no negative acknowledgement is sent, the system shall automatically generate the Shipping Bill number and assign the same to the exporter/CHA. d) Where the Shipping Bill is filed at the Service Centre, a job number shall be assigned to the export declaration and the job is entered in the ICES EDI system at the Service Centre, based on which a check list shall be generated. e) The Checklist,(also referred to as Annexure C) has to be thoroughly verified by the exporter or his agent , with regard to the particulars filled in and ,corrections if any, have to be indicated to the service centre staff. f) After the necessary corrections in the Checklist are carried out at the Service Centre, the corrected copy of Annexure C will be generated and the signature of the Exporter or his agent shall be obtained, affirming the veracity and accuracy of the information contained in the check list. g) Based on the corrected copy of the checklist, a job number shall be assigned and the shipping bill number will be generated and allotted to the exporter by the Service Centre. h) The corrected copy of the checklist shall be presented before the designated customs officer in the export sheds for the purposes of getting the goods registered in the ICES EDI system. i) After the Goods registration process is completed the assessment/examination processes as determined by the ICES Export module shall automatically commence and after the completion of the processes, the designated officer responsible for issuing the Let Export Order(LEO) shall issue the LEO on the ICES EDI system. j) After issuance of the LEO, the exporter/CHA shall approach the service centre and request for four copies of the Shipping Bill to be printed out. One copy of the Shipping Bill shall be for Customs, the second copy shall be the Exporters Copy, the third copy of the Shipping Bill shall be the Exchange Control Copy and the fourth copy shall be the Export Promotion Copy of the Shipping Bill. k) These copies shall be presented to the designated officer in the export shed responsible for granting the LEO and the designated officer shall affix his seal and signature on the Customs copy, the Exchange Control Copy and the Exporter s copy of the Shipping Bills. l) The Fourth copy , i.e. the Export Promotion Copy of the Shipping Bill shall be handed back to the Exporter/CHA , without any signature and the same shall then be handed over by the Exporter/CHA to the concerned Airlines , for making the necessary entries in the Airlines EDI system. m) Under the provisions of Section 41 of the Customs Act, the Export General Manifest(EGM) shall be filed by the airlines. The airlines shall file the EGM electronically either through ICEGATE or through the service centre, 24 hours before the departure of the aircraft carrying the export goods. n) Before filing of the EGM, it is the responsibility of the concerned airlines to verify the details in accordance with the export promotion copy of the Shipping Bill submitted by the Exporter/CHA to the airlines. o) At the time of departure of the flight, the Airlines will enter the flight details and EGM number, obtained from the SDO at Airport from the register kept at the Airport. The Airlines should get an endorsement on 2 copies of EGM by the SDO(Station Duty Officer) at the Airport. They should hand over 1 copy of EGM to the SDO, Airport. p) The second copy of the EGM along with the Export Promotion Copy of the Shipping Bills shall be handed over the Assistant Commissioner(Export) at the ACC every day and a chart mapping the Shipping Bills with the EGMs shall also be prepared by the airlines. It shall be the responsibility of the airlines to personally file these documents directly with the Assistant Commissioner(Exports), ACC Bangalore and these should not be handed over to the exporter/CHA. q) The Assistant Commissioner(Export) shall designate any officer in the Export Sheds, who is entrusted with the responsibility of granting the LEO, to verify and corroborate the details in the manual copy of the EGM, the export promotion copy of the Shipping Bill along with the details as available in the ICES EDI system. r) The designated officer shall sign the export Promotion copy of the Shipping Bill only after verifying and corroborating these details with those available on the ICES EDI system and after confirming through the ICES EDI system that the EGM has been filed electronically by the airlines. s) Before filing the EGM electronically, the Airlines shall verify the Master Air Way Bill Number, number of packages and weight of cargo as mentioned on the export promotion copy of the shipping bill. t) If there are any discrepancies noticed , the same should be recorded in a separate sheet Discrepancy Memo which shall contain the details of the Shipping Bill Number, the nature of discrepancy noticed and this Discrepancy Memo should also be submitted each day along with the EP Copy of the Shipping Bill and the manual copy of the EGM to the Assistant Commissioner(Exports). 3. Trade and Industry may also note that under no circumstances shall any amendment be carried out in the Shipping Bill or any other export documents after the EGM has been filed by the airlines. Amendments/Corrections in the Shipping Bills can be made only upto the stage before LEO has been granted , and such an amendment/correction shall be made only after approval by the Assistant Commissioner(Exports), ACC Bangalore. No amendment/correction in the Shipping Bill can be made after LEO is granted. It is therefore imperative that due care and precautions be taken by the exporters/CHAs while filing the export documents. 4. The Airlines are also directed not accept any manual corrections made on the shipping bill and instances of such manual corrections must be immediately brought to the notice of the Assistant Commissioner(Exports), ACC Bangalore. (Issued from file C.No.VIII/48/231/2009 Cus.Tech.) Sd/- (B.BHATTACHARYA) COMMISSIONER