Introduction of Project Import Module in ICES -Advisory - Customs - PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 21/2019

OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS CUSTOM HOUSE : PORT AREA : VISAKHAPATNAM 530 035 F. No. P3/06/2017-Stats(AM).Pt.II Date: 18.06.2019 PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 21/2019 SUB: Introduction of Project Import Module in ICES -Advisory - Reg. Kind attention of all Importers, Exporters and Members of the Trade is invited to Project Import Regulations 1936 and instructions issued by CBIC from time to time on the subject. 2 Registration of Project Contracts for availing benefit of PIR 86 was being done manually till date though the assessments are being done in ICES. The process of issuing release advices to other ports, bond debits and finalization of Project Contracts were being done manually till date. To obviate the difficulties faced by the Department as well as Members of Trade, a Project Import Module has been developed in ICES to replace the cumbersome and inefficient process in vogue currently, The processes covered by the Project Import Module (PI Module), functioning of the same is being explained in the following paragraphs for the benefit of Members of the Trade The processes covered by the PI Module are as follows: 1. Registration of a Project and generation of a Project number 2. Bond Registration for Project Imports 3. Filing of provisional BES with project number and bond details. Item wise debits in the project/bond for every BE 4. Finalization of the Provisional BES and re-crediting of the Bond The procedure of each process is as follows: REGISTRATION Project Registration functionality has been developed on the lines of license registration. The registration has to be done in the LIC role under License Registration. The same form as available at the time of registering licenses will be used for generating project number in the System. Following points may be kept in mind while registering a project: a) Scheme code to be used is PI, Notification will be null. b) All items of import have to be entered with quantity and value; No items of export. c) Default validity has been kept as 84 months. But the same is amendable. d) The limitation factor would be both value and quantity e) Sponsoring authority's certificate details can be entered in receipt No and date fields. f) Iss_By will be the code of the sponsoring authority (list of values in F7) g) Bond details are mandatory, Only the bonds registered under the new bond category of PI can be given during registration. h) Value (CIF) in foreign currency (FC) is mandatory. once the registration is complete in LIC role and then approved in APR role (under License Management), a 10-digit number license number would be generated by the System with the first two digits as 99. This can be treated as the Project number, for further quoting the same in the Bills of Entry. BOND REGISTRATION: For the purposes of Project imports, a new category of bonds with the code PI have been created. This bond is a national provisional bond, and can be used for imports at any port under a project. The bond registration is similar to any other bond in the roles of REB and ACE. Only when a PI bond is registered can a project be registered quoting the same in registration form. FILING OF IMPORT DECLARATIONS: Once a project (license) number is generated, the same can be used to file import declaration similar to how declarations with EP licenses are filed. The BES will have to be filed with PI as the scheme code and the serial numbers of the items Of import will also have to be quoted as per the project registration along with the project number in the license table. The bond details will reflect similarly at the time of assessment and with the corresponding debit value. The project ledger will also be maintained the same way as the license ledger in the System with both item quantity and value debits. For imports at ports other than the port of registration, online TRA can be issued in the System at the port of registration. A detailed advisory on the filing of import declarations including necessary information for the benefit of trade will follow. FINALIZATION OF PROJECT: The finalization of all the BES under a project and re-crediting of the bond can be done using the already existing options in the FAO and FDC roles. To begin with project registration and bond registration have been operationalized in ICES. It is requested that all the live projects currently and hereafter be compulsorily registered in the System as detailed in Para 1 and 2 above. This exercise may be started immediately as once the changes indicated in Para 3 above are implemented for BE filing and processing, no BE of project imports will be allowed to be filed without quoting the project number. The changes related to filing of project bills of entry will also be introduced shortly with a detailed advisory on the same. 3. This is based on ICES Advisory No. 13/2019 dated 29.052019 issued by the Directorate of Systems, CBIC. Difficulties faced, if any in implementation of the PI Module may be brought to the notice of the Dy. Commissioner of Customs (Gr.VI), Custom House, Visakhapatnam. -Sd- (Dr. D. K. Srinivas) Principal Commissioner of Customs