Extending eSANCHIT application on all EDI locations on a voluntary basis - Customs - PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 06/2018

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (PREVENTIVE), JODHPUR HQRS.: NEW CENTRAL REVENUE BUILDING, STATUE CIRCLE, C-SCHEME, JAIPUR (RAJ.)- 302 005 C. No. VIII(H)9/CT/PN/eSANCHIT/01/2018 DATED: 09.02.2018 PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 06/2018 Subject: Extending eSANCHIT application on all EDI locations on a voluntary basis - regarding. Attention of all exporters, Custom House Agents and the Members of the Trade is invited to Circular No.40/2017-Cus dated 13.10.2017 issued by CBEC on pilot implementation of application for uploading of supporting documents electronically i.e. eSANCHIT at ACC, New Delhi and Chennai Customs House. Subsequently, eSANCHIT was further extended to ICD Tughlaqabad, ACC Sahar, JNCH, Nhava Sheva, Mumbai and other major Customs Houses across the country. Under project Saksham , CBEC has upgraded its IT infrastructure, which is being used for the introduction of paperless processing under Single Window Interface for Facilitation of Trade (SWIFT) with the objective of reducing physical interface between Customs/regulatory agencies and the trade and to increase the speed of clearance. It was decided that after the completion of the pilot, the facility will be extended to all ICES locations. Now this facility is extended to all ports under the jurisdiction of this Commissionerate on a voluntary basis. 2. Under CBEC Circular No. 10/2015 dated March 31, 2015, and Circular 26/2015 dated November 23, 2015, Bills of Entry are required to be submitted by authorized persons on ICEGATE after affixing their digital signatures. Now, under this project, the authorized persons (Customs Brokers/ Importers) would also be required to submit all supporting documents online on ICEGATE after affixing digital signatures. On a voluntary basis, Members of the trade may use this facility to upload the supporting documents concerning Bills of Entry. For this project, the following procedure will apply: Uploading supporting documents 3. For uploading supporting documents on ICEGATE, the authorized persons must Open ICEGATE URL https://www.iceqate.gov.in/, Click on Login/Signup button for login into ICEGATE by using his/her access credentials and then Click on e-SANCHIT link provided in left vertical menu to redirect on e-SANCHIT. The step-by-step procedure for upload of supporting documents is also provided on the ICEGATE website. While preparing a job for submission on ICEGATE in their respective Remote EDI Systems (RES), the authorised persons must ensure that they have uploaded all the necessary supporting documents. A facility has also been provided on ICEGATE to the authorized persons to access and view the documents uploaded by them. 4. In case the authorised person seeks to provide a document after the generation of the Bill of Entry number, he/she may first upload the document on ICEGATE, obtain a unique ID Image Reference number (IRN) for the document and link that document with the corresponding Bill of Entry by submitting an amendment at the Service Centre. This procedure will also apply when the authorised person submits a document in response to a query raised by Customs for a Bill of Entry. Assessment Document Verification 5. Once a Bill of Entry has been filed, Customs officers will be able to access the uploaded electronic versions of supporting documents while viewing or assessing the Bill of Entry on ICES. During assessment, ICES provides for a query to be raised in order to call for additional documents or information. In response to a query, supporting documents can also be uploaded online by following the procedure described in para 4 above. All documents required for the purposes of assessment would be viewed online. In due course, the facility to view supporting documents will also be extended to officers of the Participating Government Agencies (PGAs). 6. Post Clearance Compliance Verification (PCCV) will be carried out online based on the electronic versions of supporting documents instead of hardcopy dockets of the Bills of Entry. Goods Registration Examination Clearance 7. After filing of the Bill of Entry, the authorized person (e.g. importer/Customs Broker) may with his self-assessed copy of the Bill of Entry, approach the designated place for goods registration, document verification and clearance. In case goods are to be examined, the officer examining goods may record the results of inspection/examination online on ICES. 8. Some types of supporting documents are required to be presented in original (as specified in the respective notifications) for verification of seal/signature etc., for defacement and for the debit of quantities/value. Trade should present hardcopy at the time of the registration of goods or at a place specified by the Commissioner of Customs. It may however be noted that all supporting documents shall be uploaded digitally, including those documents that must be presented in hardcopy. For supporting documents, where a debit of quantity/value is required to be made on hardcopy, for every subsequent Bill of Entry filed for import, the latest debit sheet shall be uploaded. The authorized person filing the Bill of Entry should pay attention while linking supporting documents with Bills of Entry and should ensure that the correct unique reference numbers (IRNs) are mentioned in the Bills of Entry. Manifest Closure 9. With the submission of supporting documents online, the manifest closure department of the Custom House will not receive hardcopies of dockets. Officers shall rely on the electronic records maintained on ICES to carry out activities in relation to manifest closure. 10. Step by step procedure to upload supporting documents with digital signatures at eSANCHIT and a list of FAQ's is also available at http://www.icegate.gov.in/eSANCHIT.html on ICEGATE website. All the Trade Associations / Chambers of Commerce / members of Regional Advisory Committee, Customs House Brokers Association are requested to widely publicise the contents of this notice amongst their members / constituents. (S. C. Agarwal) Commissioner