Restriction on transaction of business with Customs By unauthorized persons of CHAs/Importers/Exporters - Customs - FACILITY NOTICE NO. 08/2006

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (EXPORTS) JAWAHARLAL NEHRU CUSTOM HOUSE, NHAVA SHEVA, TAL: URAN, DISTRICT RAIGAD, MAHARASHTRA 400 707 F.No: S/22-Gen-48/2004 A(M) Date: 25.01.2006 FACILITY NOTICE NO. 08/2006 (Referred / amended vide P.N.No. 72/2006) Sub: Restriction on transaction of business with Customs By unauthorized persons of CHAs/Importers/Exporters - reg. Attention of the Importers, Exporters, CHAs, CFSs, and members of the trade is invited to provisions under Customs House Agents Licensing Regulations, 2004, and Public Notice No. 32, dated 02.06.2004, issued by this Custom House on the above subject. 2. Instances have come to notice of the Department wherein unauthorized persons have entered the premises of the Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House and the Container Freight Stations. It is hereby brought to the notice of all concerned that entry of any unauthorized/unscrupulous person is not permitted inside the Custom House and CFSs. Entry of authorized persons shall be permitted in the Custom House and CFSs on the basis of valid Identity Cards/Custom Passes, which will be verified by the Sepoy at the gate. 3. Any member of the public not holding Custom Pass and desirous of meeting any officer in the Custom House during the office hours shall approach the Preventive Officer at the Gate/CHS section for issue of passes for the day and no person shall be allowed inside the gate without such a valid pass. 4. Further, instances have also come to the notice of the Department that owners/employees of the Custom House Agents (CHAs) who are not authorized to sign Customs related documents are signing such documents such as EDI declaration for import/export/transshipment, Bill of Entry, Shipping Bill and declaration thereof on behalf of the Custom House Agents. It is, therefore, brought to the notice of all concerned that as per the provisions of Regulation 19(5) of the Custom House Agents Licensing Regulations (CHALR), 2004, only such owners/employees who have passed the examination referred to in Regulation 8 (holder of Custom pass of Category F ) or Regulation 19 (holder of Customs pass of Category G i.e. erstwhile Category 1st ) of CHALR, 2004, and have been duly authorized by the concerned Custom House Agents, are allowed to sign the customs related documents concerning import, export, transshipment, etc., and declaration thereof. Documents signed by any persons, other than those mentioned above, will not be accepted. 5. Instances have also been noticed where CHAs, in whose name certain documents have been filed, have informed that they had not filed such documents. It appears that in such cases, the documents have been filed by unauthorized persons in the name of the said CHAs. However, this could not have been possible if the instructions issued under the Public Notice No. 32 had been followed scrupulously, by all concerned. 6. In view of the above, it is reiterated that all the persons concerned shall follow the relevant instructions contained in the Public Notice No. 32 dated 02.06.2004, without fail. Further, i) All the Service Centers shall verify that the person submitting any documents holds a valid permanent Customs Pass before accepting the documents from him. In case of a temporary pass, it should be valid on the date of submission. For Importers/Exporters who work on Self Basis , their employees shall produce an Identity Card issued by the New Custom House, Mumbai. No other documents shall be accepted in lieu of those mentioned here. ii) While handing over the Check List, the Service Centre shall obtain full signature of the employee, their name in block letters and their Kardex Number on a copy of the checklist which shall be kept by the Service Centre for record. iii) Similarly, the Bank shall also verify full details from the identity card at the time of accepting payment. iv) All the Appraising Officers/Examining Officers/Superintendents posted in Docks shall accept the documents for examination, only when the persons presenting the documents for examination are bona fide employees of the CHA/Importer or Exporter, as the case may be, and hold valid identity card. Further, the officers shall ensure that their full signature with name in capital and Kardex Number have been taken on the hard copy of the B/E or S/B, as the case may be, before the final prints, duly signed, are handed over to them. Sd/- (H. O. TEWARI) COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (EXPORTS) JNCH/NHAVA SHEVA