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Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
(Central Board of Excise and Customs)
Circular No. 44/2017-Customs
Room No. 227B, North Block,
New Delhi, 18th November, 2017
To,
All Principal Chief Commissioners of Customs / Customs (Prev.).
All Chief Commissioners of Customs / Customs (Prev.).
All Principal
Commissioners of Customs / Customs (Prev.).
All Commissioner of Customs of
Customs / Customs (Prev.).
Sir/ Madam,
Subject: Implementing Electronic Sealing for Containers by exporters under
self-sealing procedure by
Circular 26/2017-Cus dated 01st July, 2017,
36/2017 dated
28th Aug, 2017,
37/2017 dated 20th Sep, 2017 and 41/2017 dated 30th Oct, 2017.-reg.
Paras 8.1 and 8.2 of Circular 41/2017–customs dated 30th October 2017
prescribed the following dates for mandatory e-sealing:
(a) AEOs and
Units having permission to self–seal without supervision of a Central Excise
officer were to mandatorily use RFID e seals with effect from 8th November 2017
when exporting from the ports / ICDs listed in the aforesaid circular.
(b) In respect of units who were availing sealing at approved premises but in
presence of Central Excise officers (or now officers from the GST
Commissionerate of the CBEC) with effect from 20th November 2017.
2.
Representations have been received from several trade associations, exporters,
custodians and other stakeholders for relaxing the requirement for mandatory e-
sealing in view of insufficient stock of e-seals with the notified vendors and
that all eligible categories of exporters have not been able to acquire seals
for adopting the new procedures.
3. Taking this into consideration, the
Board has decided the following:
(i) All entitled Exporters who have
acquired RFID e-seals and are stuffing containers at approved premises for
export through Ports/ ICDs where facilities for readers are available shall be
free to continue / adopt the new e-sealing procedure and need not seek presence
of officers of the department for supervising stuffing. Essentially, this
implies that the procedure is voluntary for entitled exporters till 15th
December, 2017.
(ii) Further, with effect from 15th December, 2017
e-sealing shall become mandatory in respect of the exporters, who have been
permitted self-sealing facilities under the erstwhile excise procedure or GST
regime, AEO exporters and exporters availing supervised stuffing at their
premises for the following locations:
1. JNCH, Nhava Sheva (INNSA1)
2. Chennai Port (INMAA1)
3. Mundra Port (INMUN1)
4. Hazira
Port (INHZA1)
5. Cochin Port (INCOK1)
6. Kattupalli, Port (INKAT1)
7. Kolkata Port (INCCU1)
8. ICD Tughlakabad (INTKD6)
9.
Tuticorin Port (INTUT1)
10. Pipavav Port (INPAV1)
11.
Vishakhapatnam Port (INVTZ1)
12. Krishnapatnam Port (INKRIl )
13.
ICD Bangalore (INWFD6)
14. ICD Tirupur (INTUP6)
15. ICD Ludhiana
(INLDH6)
(iii) Finally, e-sealing procedure for Full Container Load
stuffed at approved premises would be mandatory with effect from 1st January,
2018 for all Ports/ICDs
4. It is once again clarified that the exporters
who have already switched to new procedure may continue with new procedure and
exporters who intend to voluntarily adopt new e-sealing procedure are free to do
so, if the readers are in place at the Customs station of export. Exporters
availing stuffing at approved premises under supervision shall continue to do so
through the GST Commissionerates of the CBEC.
5. Field formations shall
take necessary steps to ensure that officers familiarize themselves with
equipment, procedures and systems with respect to RFID e-sealing. Board shall in
consultation with Chief Commissioners and Vendors plan regional training
workshops on the lines of the national event in Delhi on 16thNovember 2017 for
facilitating a smooth transition to the technology enabled system. In the
meanwhile, Commissioners must encourage the officers to familiarize themselves
with the equipment in all such places where readers have been made available.
6. In case there is still no reader available at any Port/ICD 15 days prior
to 31st December, 2017, it shall be communicated to Board by fax/email.
7. Difficulties if any should be brought to the notice of the Board. Hindi
version follows.
Yours faithfully,
(Zubair Riaz)
Director (Customs)
[F. No:
450/08/2015-Cus.IV]
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