Implementation of Phase-I of Automation of Refund claims and Manual Brand rate drawback claim i.e. Digitization of Refund claims and Manual Brand rate Drawback claims at JNCH, Nhava Sheva – Reg. - Customs - 34/2017

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (NS - I, III V) JAWAHARLAL NEHRU CUSTOM HOUSE, POST : SHEVA TALUKA : URAN, DIST : RAIGAD, MAHARASHTRA, PINCODE 400707 F. No. S/22-Gen-150/2015-16 AM (I) Date: 16.03.2017 Public Notice No. 34/2017 Sub:- Implementation of Phase-I of Automation of Refund claims and Manual Brand rate drawback claim i.e. Digitization of Refund claims and Manual Brand rate Drawback claims at JNCH, Nhava Sheva Reg. All the importers, exporters, customs brokers and the member of the trade are informed that as a trade facilitation measure and in the spirit of Ease of Doing Business , this Custom House is going to roll out Phase-I of Automation of Refund claims and Manual brand rate drawback claim i.e. Digitization of Refund claims and Manual brand rate drawback claims. The automation process would be rolled out in two phases. First phase will consist of receipt and digitization of refund claims and manual brand rate drawback claim and second phase will be implemented later which will consist of processing, sanctioning and payment of the above mentioned claims. 2. The following category of claims are selected for automation process:- a) SAD Refund claims, b) Custom Duty Refund claims, c) Refund claims in Consequence of orders of Higher Appellate Forms and Finalization of Provisional Assessments, d) Supplementary Refund claims, e) Interest Refund claims, f) Double Duty Refund claims, g) Other Specific Situations of Customs Duty Refund claims, h) Manual Brand Rate Duty Drawback, i) Supplementary Drawback etc., 3. The procedure for first phase of receipt and digitization of refund claims and manual brand rate of drawback claims will be as follows: (a) A service centre for receipt and digitization of the above mentioned claims will be functional in the EDI building in JNCH and all the above mentioned claims will be submitted to the receiving clerk posted there. Receiving clerk will receive the aforesaid claims and will hand it over to the vendor s employee for digitization, who will receive fee of ₹ 400/- from the Importer/Customs Broker and will issue receipt of the payment of the fee and will mention unique ID for the said claim on the receipt. On production of this receipt, the receiving clerk will give acknowledgement of the claim. Importer/Customs Broker will refer the unique ID in all future correspondences. (b) The vendor s employee will digitize the above mentioned claim along with the relevant documents and after mentioning the unique ID on the hard copy of the claim, hand it over back to the receiving clerk who will forward the hard copy of the claim to the concerned section for further processing and existing procedure will continue to be followed. (c) If the importer wants to submit additional/supplementary information/documents related to the claim, the same shall be presented to the receiving clerk in the service center who will give acknowledgement of the same and hand it over to the vendor s employee for digitization. Vendor s employee will digitize the same in the respective claim based on the unique ID and hand it back to receiving clerk. Receiving clerk will forward the same to the concerned section for further processing. For this digital incorporation of such additional/supplementary information/documents no fee will be collected by the vendor. Any change in the claim will be only with the prior approval of Deputy/Assistant commissioner of Customs of the concerned section. (d) In case the hard copy of the claim is mis-placed, copy of claim can be retrieved from the digitize copy of the claim. 4. The procedure for the second phase of automation which will be implemented in due course shall be as follows: (a) The vender will develop and provide a web based portal and functionality where Importer will be given access to submit their claims online and upload the relevant documents. The existing facility of service centre will continue. In both the cases unique ID will be generated for each claim. The importer will also be required to submit the hard copy of the claim. The importer will also be given option to submit additional/supplementary information and documents online. Importer will refer to the unique ID allotted to their claim in all future correspondences. (b) Based on the uploaded documents completion, deficiency or surplus memo will be generated automatically by system. Each claim while uploading will contain validation points to avoid double claims. There will be two types of deficiencies namely 1) Documental Deficiency which will be generated if claim is not provided with any mandatory documents for a certain type of claim 2) Similarly, a Validation Deficiency will be generated in case of Non-Validation. Deficiency will be removed by either uploading deficient document or providing the reasons for non-applicability. (c) Soft copy of the claim along with deficiency memo and unique ID will automatically move to concerned scrutiny officer. The scrutiny officers will scrutinize completeness of applications and send complete applications to the corresponding sanctioning officers. If any deficiency is noticed in applications, deficiency memos will be generated automatically and issued to the applicants. All aforesaid incomplete applications will also be sent to the sanctioning officers and will not come back to scrutiny officers unless the application is complete and deficiency removed. (d) Sanctioning officers will also scrutinize and verify the claim in system. Claims which will be sanctioned in the system will move to the payment queue automatically for direct payment and for further processing. The scrutiny and sanctioning officer will be given access to view uploaded documents. 5. Difficulties, if any, faced in implementation of these instructions may be brought to the notice of the undersigned. -Sd/- (SHRAWAN KUMAR) Commissioner of Customs, NS-III