TAG | send packages
The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has prescribed more rigorous processes for imports and exports through couriers. The new requirements follow new regulations to enable electronic filing and processing of Customs declarations by couriers and consequential changes made in the regulations for clearance of courier consignments by filing manual bills of entry/shipping bill.
The couriers have to now furnish a security of Rs 10 lakh for clearance through major international airports of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai and Rs 5 lakh at other airports. Their net worth or financial viability requirement has also been raised to a minimum Rs 25 lakh worth of assets.
After a transition period of six months, the couriers can file declarations before Customs, for clearance of imported or export goods, only through a person who has passed the examination referred to in Regulation 8 or Regulation 19 of the Customs House Agents Licensing Regulations, 2004, and who is duly authorised under Section 146 of the Customs Act, 1962.
The couriers have to verify the antecedents, identity and functioning of their clients in the address by using independent and authentic documents, data and information. This is to guard against offences such as fraud and duty evasion by bogus IEC holders etc. The ‘Know Your Customer’ guidelines applicable for Customs House Agents will equally apply for couriers.
The couriers cannot outsource or sub-let any of the processes in the door-to-door supply chain to any agency without prior permission of the Customs. For consignments of up to Rs 10,000 in value, the couriers have to obtain necessary authorisation from their clients at the time of delivery of the goods, or earlier. For higher value consignments, they have to get the authorisations at the time of import. For consignments beyond Rs 1 lakh, a normal bill of entry will have to be filed.
The couriers have to put in place verifiable and secure work processes on a global basis backed by an elaborate information technology infrastructure for knowledge and information management. They must have their own in-house mechanism to guard against the use of express supply chain by unscrupulous elements.
CBEC has also given some relaxations for couriers. Transhipment of cargo imported through couriers to another Customs station or transfer of cargo from one Customs area to another within the same Customs station will be allowed. In case of breakdown of computer systems or other unforeseen circumstances, they can file a manual bill of entry and seek quick clearance of consignments. The shipments of export-oriented units have been allowed as the necessary module has been developed under the automated electronic system but the data requirements have been enhanced.
For testing any goods imported by couriers, the Customs have been allowed to send samples to any government-approved laboratory and get the reports quickly. Till the Export Manifest Module is developed under the EDI, the existing procedure being followed in respect of courier regulations for manual mode will continue. The examination norms for export cargo through couriers will be the same as for export through other modes. Couriers already having authorisations from Customs can file electronic declarations without the need for fresh appointment or fresh intimation.
The essence of courier service is speed. The latest CBEC instructions strike a fair balance between need for expediency and safeguards to ensure compliance.
Source: TNC Rajagopalan
Taking a bit more of home while traveling…
S.K. Jain, Mumbai, India
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My daughter was going for 1 year internship abroad. And we started planning beforehand what she should take along with her. It was a pretty long list, as you can guess. I tried my best to talk her out of some needless (in my view) things (with partial success 
.
But still, she had too many things to carry with her. With a 20 KG check-in baggage limit that we have, we realized that we may end up paying a hefty sum as extra baggage fee, to the airlines.
Most airlines allow a maximum baggage allowance of 20-30 Kilograms (considering the economy class tickets). The extra baggage fee varies from 5 USD to 50 USD per “extra” Kilogram, depending on the airline, route, flight conditions etc. So, even if you have just 10 Kilograms of extra “home” with you (could be your clothes, your favorite books etc.), you may end-up paying upto 500 USD as “extra baggage fee” for that luxury.
I’m a frequent flyer myself. Most often I used to travel with just a hand-bag. That’s mainly because those are very short business trips, and there is not much of “home” that you have to take with you.
After seeing my daughter’s plans, I was thinking why should not frequent travelers like me (who travel with just their hand-bags, or very less luggage), not be helpful for infrequent home-sick travelers like my daughter, by “sharing” our luggage space. If one or two people are willing to share their “baggage allowance” with my daughter, then we dont have to worry about extra baggage fees, and my daughter could take more of “home” with her.
Curious to see if there any such processes or initiatives, I googled a bit. Quite soon, I ended up on exactly something which I was thinking about, CHAKKR (www.chakkr.com ). The website is a sort of market place where people request and offer each other courier services (send packages through travelers), shopping services (ask travelers from abroad to buy what you like to have) etc.
I checked if someone was willing or offering to take extra baggages, on my daughter’s travel route. Well, I couldn’t find any. I saw a few offers where people were offering to take some thing with them, or get something for someone etc. on their travel route., all for very small nominal fee. But, I couldn’t find anyone who was offering to “share his/her baggage allowance”, on my daughter’s travel route.
Nevertheless,since it was all very fast, and free, I placed a request there so that any traveler who is willing to help (and earn some money) could contact us.
A couple of days passed by, and I didn’t get any updates from CHAKKR. I was telling to many people about this website, with the “selfish” thought they might pass it further, and maybe then I’ll find someone who will offer to share his/her baggage allowance.
There was only 3 days left before my daughter’s departure date. We started packing, but were very very strict in what to take and what not. (her books took the first priority!).
That evening we got a mail from CHAKKR, informing us that somebody is making an offer to our request. The message said that he could “offer” up to 15 Kilograms of baggage space. He wanted to have 40 USD for that. Well, on the first outset, the offer sounded pretty attractive. With our allowance of 20 Kilograms, plus the “bought” allowance from the CHAKKR offer, we will be at 35 Kilograms allowance. That’s a reasonable volume of our “home” which my daughter would have liked to take with her.
We agreed to the offer. The person who was making the offer was from our same town, and he was flying to the same city as my daughter, on the same day, in the same flight. We exchanged our phone numbers, and agreed to meet at the airport, outside the check-in counter (he said that he would like to see the contents of the baggage first. (security concerns!)).
The meeting went very well. Well, in fact, it went a bit “funny”, because my daughter knew this person somehow. He was her senior in her school, and took admission in the university an year before. He had come home recently for a short time, as part of his summer holidays., and was going back now.
Well, what more I can say about this!.. CHAKKR helped my daughter to have some more of “home” with her without paying a hefty extra baggage fee. Moreover, it also helped her to meet an old acquaintance who was not only sharing just his baggage allowance with my daughter, but also the complete journey until the destination, and well, probably the some assistance at the university as well.
I’m really thankful to CHAKKR for that. Its a very different (but nice way, of seeking help, offering help, making small money, and to top it all, meeting people as well!.
I’m using now CHAKKR quite often to send gifts and other missing pieces of her “home” to her. Its fast and easy, never knew that sending things internationally can go so smooth and cost effective like this.
Whenever I’m travelling, I’m also posting offers on CHAKKR. Most often, I meet nice people, and its a always a pleasant feeling when you know that you are bringing joy to someone. Moreover, sometimes I take some payments as well (depending on how high was my travel shopping expenses .
S.K. Jain, Mumbai, India
(Do you have a story to tell us ?. Please email your story to team@chakkr.com . Let the world know about your CHAKKR experiences. Moreover, we may also reward you with a surprise gift!).