Government of India Ministry of Finance Dept. of Revenue Central
Board of Excise and Customs
Circular No. 41 / 2017-Customs
Dated, the 30th October, 2017 North Block, New Delhi
To, All Principal Chief Commissioners/Chief Commissioners of
Customs/Customs(Preventive) All Principal Chief Commissioners/Chief
Commissioners of Customs & Central Excise All Principal
Commissioners/Commissioners of Customs/Customs (Preventive) All Principal
Commissioners/Commissioners of Customs & Central Excise
Madam/Sir,
Subject: Implementing Electronic Sealing for Containers by exporters under
self-sealing procedure prescribed by circular 26/2017-Cus dated 1st July 2017,
circular 36/2017 dated 28th Aug, 2017 and 37/2017 dated 20th Sep, 2017 – reg.
With the introduction of self-sealing using RFID e-seals, the Board has
sought to enhance export facilitation by dispensing the need for exporters
seeking the presence of jurisdictional officer for the purposes of supervising
stuffing of the cargo at approved premises. This measure is expected to reduce
transaction costs of exporters since they do not have to incur MoT charges in
respect of such supervision as well as improve their timeliness of their
exports. Such facilitation is proposed to be backed by application of technology
in the form of exporters using RFID eseals since it has the potential to improve
visibility and enhance cargo security during transportation to Ports & ICDs as
well as during holding time.
2. Attention is drawn to para 5 of circular 37/2017-Customs dated 20th
September 2017 stating the date for mandatory e-sealing shall be 1st November
2017. In order to take stock of the preparedness of the trade, field formations,
the Board has held consultations with the vendors. It is understood that the
fixed Readers are already in place at Chennai port and are being already used to
monitor the movement of trucks from CFSs to the Port. During the consultations,
it has also been informed that installation of fixed readers at Mangalore and
Cochin will be completed by 31st October 2017. It is also learnt that hand held
Readers have been provided to Kolkata Port and to all ICDs in the NCR region. It
has been informed that handheld readers have been dispatched to over 50 customs
stations including JNCH, Mumbai, Mundra, Pipavav, Hazira etc. Commissioner of
Customs, ICD, Patparganj and Kolkata have already had a familiarisation program
for the officers.
3. Trade associations and field formations have queried about the procedures
to be followed for export of goods under RFID self-sealing prescribed under the
above circulars. The following clarifications are provided for the sake of
uniformity and better understanding of the new procedure.
4. Circulars 26/2017 and 36/2017 have obligated following classes of
exporters to adopt RFID e-sealing:
(a) exporters already enjoying the facility of self-sealing after having been
approved by jurisdictional formations under the erstwhile procedures;
(b) exporters who have hitherto been availing of supervised sealing and have
been automatically entitled to avail of self-sealing using RFID e-seals, without
having to expressly seek any permission/approval of the jurisdictional
commissioner for this purpose;
(c) AEOs, regardless of whether they were self-sealing or undertaking
supervised sealing, have also been entitled to avail of the new procedure;
(d) Lastly, all exporters have been extended this facility subject to their
filing GST returns but after seeking permission for self-sealing from the
jurisdictional Commissioner as per procedure prescribed under para 9(iii) of
circular 26/2017-Cus dated 1st July 2017.
5. The procedure prescribed under the above circulars applies only to cargo
in full container load, sealed at an approved premise, by an entitled exporter.
In case of an FCL being received at a Port or ICD under self-sealing using RFID
e-seals, prescribed under circular 36/2017- Customs dated 28th August 2017, it
shall be deemed to be equivalent to a container sealed under the erstwhile
system of officer supervised sealing. Unless and until there are good reasons or
intelligence to warrant inspection of such containers, there shall be no need
for examination of such containers once the RFID e – seal is read as intact or
not tampered.
5.1 In case an RFID seal affixed on a self-sealed container is found
tampered, the same shall be subject to examination as already prescribed under
para 2(f) of Circular 36/2017-Cus dated 28th August 2017. However, after
examination, the further movement of such a container shall not be under the
RFID e-seal procedure. The existing system of using the traditional bottle seals
by customs shall continue for such movements.
5.2 Full containers brought to Ports without RFID e-seals shall be taken to a
CFS or allowed direct port entry, as the case may be, and will be subject to
usual RMS treatment. Similarly, Full Containers Loads arriving at ICDs, but
without RFID e-seals, will be subject to usual risk management parameters.
5.3 The procedure under the subject circulars does not apply to export of
non-containerized cargo or Air cargo or for movement of cargo from CFSs to
ICDs/Ports or cargo exported through Land Customs Stations. Extant practices in
respect of such cargo shall continue.
6. The issue of the type of readers that vendor shall provide to customs has
also been raised. The Board has permitted vendors to either provide fixed
readers, in consultation with custodians at Ports and ICDs, or provide handheld
Readers. Due to the flexibility provided by Handheld Readers, in as much as
officers can use them to read seals at the point of entry or at the place of
stacking or when containers are being loaded for further movement, the same are
preferred. Vendors are advised that when they provide fixed readers, services
must be supported with handheld readers so that officers can carry out
additional checks at any point within the Port/ICD. Accordingly, the readers to
be provided shall be:
(a) Rugged and capable of withstanding shocks and vibrations and be generally
adapted to outdoor/industrial environment.
(b) Integrated devices with a large display screen for viewing of data fields
specified in para 4 of circular 36/2017 customs.
(c) The aforesaid data elements shall be displayed on the Reader display, on
scanning of the e-seal by Customs.
6.1 Furthermore, all vendors shall provide an application on a desktop
computer to be made available by field formations so that e-sealing data pushed
to the destination customs port / ICD is searchable in terms of any of the data
elements prescribed under para 4 (a) of circular 36/2017 customs. The said
application may be made available in reasonable time but not exceeding 30 days
from the date of this circular. In the meantime, the data elements shall be
transmitted in excel format to risk management division (RMD) and the concerned
field formation from where the cargo is to be exported. Field formations and RMD
are advised to immediately communicate the email IDs for this purpose to
vendors.
6.2 It is also re-iterated that data once uploaded by the exporter should not
be capable of edited or deleted.
6.3 The web application shall capture the location where the RFID e-seal is
read.
6.4 The vendors shall transmit the IEC details of such exporters who have
purchased the RFID e-seals to RMD on a daily basis. The IEC number and the name
of exporter shall be provided only when the vendor makes the first sale to the
exporter; there is no need transmit the details of the exporter each time a sale
is made.
6.5 The vendors shall make all efforts to serve the requirements of maximum
number of exporters by providing the RFID e-seals. They shall also provide
Readers to all the customs stations from where the client exporters are
exporting their cargo. The department reserves its right to direct vendors to
provide Readers at any particular port/ICD.
7. The list of stations where Readers have been provided by Vendors is
annexed to this circular. As and when coverage is extended by vendors to more
customs stations, they shall be included in the list of Ports / ICDs where
e-sealing would be mandatory. While for the benefit of the trade, Board shall
update the list of Customs stations from time to time, field formations are
advised to issue trade notices regarding availability of Readers as soon as
these are available at their Port/ICD.
8. While the progress made in the coverage of reader network across ports and
ICDs is well recognised, but factoring that it may take some time for the field
formations to fully set up systems and procedures for handling RFID e-sealed
containers as well as receipt of data, the Board has decided that mandatory
e-sealing for different classes of exporters shall be brought in a phased manner
as indicated below:
8.1 In respect of all exporters who have been permitted self-sealing
facilities under erstwhile procedures and exporters who are AEOs, it woul
d be mandatory to seal their export containers with prescribed RFID e-seal
w.e.f 8th Nov. 2017. Any non-compliance will subject the containers to usual RMS
parameters.
8.2 In respect of the category of exporters who are availing supervised
stuffing at their premises, extant practice of supervised stuffing may continue
till 19th November 2017. With effect from 20th November 2017, they shall have to
switch to RFID e-sealing procedures.
8.3 Regarding the exporters who have newly applied to the jurisdictional
customs authority for self-sealing permission under circular 26/2017-Cus dated
1st July 2017, they shall commence use of the facility subject to grant of
permission and upon adoption of RFID e-sealing.
9. The applicable date for RFID e-sealing implies that exporters are required
to use this procedure from the prescribed date. Any container sealed at the
exporters premises before the prescribed date, shall not be required to be
brought with RFID e-seal.
9.1 It is also clarified that those exporters who are in possession of RFID
e-seals are at liberty to commence availing the facilitative procedures
forthwith. It may be recalled that vide circular 37/2017-Cus, the e-sealing
procedure had been made voluntary subject to availability of reader facilities.
10. As the RFID e-seal based self-sealing procedure has been introduced as a
measure of export facilitation, the field formations are advised to guide the
exporters and work closely with the private service providers for smooth
roll-out of the system.
11. The procedures in respect of customs stations where readers have not been
provided by any vendor so far shall continue till 31st December 2017, as per
existing practice. Board shall take necessary steps to make sure that the
readers are made available at such customs stations by 1st January 2018.
12. Difficulties if any should be brought to the notice of the Board
13. Hindi version follows.
(Maninder Kumar) OSD (Customs) [F. No: 450/08/2015-Cus.IV ]
List of Customs stations (as declared by Vendors)
S.No. |
Ports Covered |
Type |
Location Code |
1 |
Ankhleswar |
ICD |
INAKV6 |
2 |
APL Dadri |
ICD |
INAPL6 |
3 |
Bawal |
ICD |
INBAW6 |
4 |
Buddi |
ICD |
INBDI6 |
5 |
Ginnaur Sonepat |
ICD |
INBDM6 |
6 |
GRFL Piala Faridabad |
ICD |
INBFR6 |
7 |
Bhagat Ki Kothi, Jodhpur |
ICD |
INBGK6 |
8 |
Moti Mahal Agra |
ICD |
INBLJ6 |
9 |
Tarapur Thane |
ICD |
INBNG6 |
10 |
Mumbai Port |
PORT |
INBOM1 |
11 |
Vadodra Dashrath |
ICD |
INBRC6 |
12 |
CONCOR Fridabad |
ICD |
INBVC6 |
13 |
Kolkata Port |
PORT |
INCCUl |
14 |
Tirupur Coimbatore |
ICD |
INCHE6 |
15 |
Khatuwas |
ICD |
INCML6 |
16 |
Cochin Port |
PORT |
INCOK1 |
17 |
CPL DADRI |
ICD |
INCPL6 |
18 |
Chawa Payal |
ICD |
INCPR6 |
19 |
OWPL Ludhiana |
ICD |
INDDL6 |
20 |
PSWC Dhandai Kalan |
ICD |
INDDL6 |
21 |
Dadri |
ICD |
INDER6 |
22 |
CONCOR Dadri |
ICD |
INDER6 |
23 |
Jatipur Panipat |
ICD |
INDWN6 |
24 |
Ennore Port |
PORT |
INENR1 |
25 |
Balabgarh |
ICD |
INFBD6 |
26 |
Garhi Harsru |
ICD |
INGHR6 |
27 |
Adani Hazira Port |
PORT |
INHZA1 |
28 |
Pithampur Dhar MP |
ICD |
ININD6 |
29 |
Kandla Port |
PORT |
INIXY1 |
30 |
Jalandhar |
ICD |
INJUC6 |
31 |
Kattuapalli |
PORT |
INKAT1 |
32 |
Kanakpura Jaipur |
ICD |
INKKU6 |
33 |
JRY Kanpur |
ICD |
INKNU6 |
34 |
Krishnapatnam Port |
PORT |
INKRI1 |
35 |
Kota |
ICD |
INKTT6 |
36 |
Concor Ludhiana |
ICD |
INLDH6 |
37 |
Loni |
ICD |
INLON6 |
38 |
Chennai Port |
PORT |
INMAA1 |
39 |
Moradabad |
ICD |
INMBD6 |
40 |
Mandideep Bhopal |
ICD |
INMDD6 |
41 |
Mundra Port |
PORT |
INMUN1 |
42 |
Maliwada Aurangabad |
ICD |
INMWA6 |
43 |
Ajni Nagpur |
ICD |
INNGP6 |
44 |
Nagpur |
ICD |
INNGP6 |
45 |
JNPT Nava Sheva |
PORT |
INNSA1 |
46 |
Pipavav Port |
PORT |
INPAV1 |
47 |
Pali |
ICD |
INPKR6 |
48 |
Panki Kanpur |
ICD |
INPNK6 |
49 |
Panipat |
ICD |
INPNP6 |
50 |
PPG |
ICD |
INPPG6 |
51 |
Patli |
ICD |
INPTL6 |
52 |
Palwal |
ICD |
INPWL6 |
53 |
Rewari |
ICD |
INREA6 |
54 |
Sanad |
ICD |
INSAU6 |
55 |
Khodiyar |
ICD |
INSBI6 |
56 |
GRFL Ludhiana |
ICD |
INSGF6 |
57 |
Sanatnagar Hyd |
ICD |
INSNF6 |
58 |
Kanech Ludhiana |
ICD |
INSNI6 |
59 |
Star Track Dadri |
ICD |
INSTT6 |
60 |
Thar Dry Jodhpur |
ICD |
INTHA6 |
61 |
TKD Delhi |
ICD |
INTKD 6 |
62 |
Talegaon |
ICD |
INTLG6 |
63 |
TTP Dadri |
ICD |
INTTP6 |
64 |
Custom House Tuticorin |
PORT |
INTUT1 |
65 |
Vishakhapatnam Port |
PORT |
INVTZ1 |
64 |
Waluj Aurngabad |
ICD |
INWAL6 |
65 |
Whitefield Banglore |
ICD |
INWFD6 |
66 |
Valsad |
ICD |
INSAJ6 |
67 |
Valsad |
ICD |
INVPI6 |
68 |
New Custom House, Panambur, Mangalore |
SEA |
INNML1 |
69 |
Old Mangalore Port, Mangalore |
SEA |
INIXE1 |
|