Customs Clearance
Freight Forwarders who coordinate the international transportation also provide customs clearance services to the clients. The activity is called customs brokerage.
Customs clearance work involves preparation and submission of documentations required to facilitate export or imports into the country, representing client during customs examination, assessment, payment of duty and co taking delivery of cargo from customs after clearance along with documents.
Some of the documents involved in customs clearance are:
- Exports Documentation: Purchase order from Buyer, Sales Invoice, Packing List, Shipping Bill, Bill of Lading or Airway Bill, Certificate of Origin and any other specific documentation as specified by the buyer, or as required by financial institutions or LC terms or as per importing country regulations.
- Imports Documentation: Purchase Order from Buyer, Sales Invoice of supplier, Bill of Entry, Bill of Lading or Airway bill, Packing List, Certificate of Origin, and any other specific documentation required by the buyer, or financial institution or the importing country regulation.
Customs Agents prepare the document of Shipping Bills in the house for submission while rests of the documents are obtained from the client. Preparing shipping bill involves Classification of cargo under specific classification that is a critical activity in the entire process.
Customs clearance agents are also called Carrying and Forwarding agents. They are registered and licensed by Customs to operate. Their role is limited to acting on behalf of and representing clients as third-party agencies engaged in customs clearance. Customs Agents are linked through EDI with customs in most of the countries and use documentation software to facilitate entire process.
CHA SCOPE OF WORK AND SERVICES for IMPORTS CLEARANCE.
- clearing, forwarding and inland transportation of packages to client’s warehouses.
- The imports are covered by project import/DEEC/Adhoc exemptions and other notifications in addition to normal merit clearance.
- Co-ordination with the shipping lines and tracking of consignments on Sea for ETA at ports, Airports, CD’s & obtaining Delivery orders.
- Co-ordination with CONCOR / CFS/Airports for all their activities i.e. handling of stuffed containers, de-stuffing of cargo, ware housing at whenever necessary,
- loading of the de-stuffed materials into Trucks / trailers for Transportation to clients Factories / warehouses by the suitable Trucks / Trailers as needed.
- Preparation of BE, Filing of Bill of Entry under various modes of assessment, getting the BE passed, Customs examination and arranging Customs clearance at customs.
- Registration of Import Licenses and various duty exemption schemes with Commissionern of Customs if required.
- Registration of TRA issued to various Customs locations for imports.
- Clearance of the imports under the licenses registered at customs with registration of additional bonds at Customs.
- Co-ordination with Customs for payment of duty & resolution of any procedural requirement of Customs.
- Charges includes any charges related to activities custom clearance, survey, Delivery order etc to be paid on behalf of the clients.
- Transportation of De-stuffed materials from customs locations to Stores Division, transportation of such heavy consignments.
- The materials shall be transported to clients.
- Survey of consignments found damaged during delivery.
- Submitting Original shipping bills of Duplicate and Triplicate Bill of Entry along with TR6 challan to clients immediately after of clearance.
- Despatch of Import Licenses & relevant import documents from to other customs locations as and when instructed by clients.
- Agent shall also utilize the facility of prior assessment of B/E without waiting for filing of Manifest, as per the relevant regulations, Public Notices etc. The CHA will be fully responsible for prompt finalization of Bill of Entry including examination and out of charge. The examination of goods by Customs, including first check examination, is to be got done promptly. All the queries of the Customs, at any stage, are to be attended to and satisfactorily replied promptly without any delay.
