ICES Advisory 23/2020 — Streamlining of processes in System related to Bonds and First Check BEs - Customs - PUBLIC NOTICE No. 30/2020

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONEROF CUSTOMS ICD-GRFL, G.T.ROAD, SAHNEWAL, LUDHIANA C. No. VIII-CUS/HQ/LDIVEDI-section{PN-SOP s/87/2O15/Pt-I/158-1610 Dated: 07.07.2020 PUBLIC NOTICE No. 30/2020 Subject: - ICES Advisory 23/2020 - Streamlining of processes in System related to Bonds and First Check BEs- reg. Attention of all the Importers, Custom Brokers and all other Stakeholders is invited to the above mentioned subject. 2. With the objective of further facilitating trade and streamlining procedures, particularly to overcome the scourge of Covid-19, following initiatives are implemented in System w.e.f July 2020: 3. Auto Debiting of Bond: Currently, the importer (or the Customs Broker) has to necessarily approach Customs officer in the Bonds section for the debiting of bond(s), if any, after assessment of the Bill of Entry. This interface is also required for Bills of Entry otherwise facilitated by RMS without assessment. Continuing with the endeavours to mitigate physical interface, the facility of auto debiting of Bond has now been developed in the System. With effect from 6th July 2020, an imponer does not need to visit Customs officer for debiting of any bond given in the Bill of Entry. If a valid bond is declared in the Bill of Entry at the time of filing, the same will be auto-debited by the System after the assessment stage. Only in cases where either a Bond is not given during filing or the balance available in the bond is not sufficient, necessary intervention by Customs officer will be required for debiting. Trade may therefore be encouraged to furnish bond details along with the Bill of Entry and to use Continuity bonds wherever possible so as to avoid the necessity to physically visit Customs Houses for registration or debiting of Bonds. 4. Streamlining of workflow in case of First Check BE: a. Currently, a first check BE has to be activated by the appraising officer after it comes back from the Shed with the first check examination report. This adds one additional step and at times, creates delays in assessment of such consignments. Sometimes, the importer has to visit the assessing officer for the activation of the Bill of Entry. This becomes all the more challenging in the case of faceless assessment where the BES get assessed at some other port. Recently, the list of all BES pending activation was being shown to the officer as a pop up so that necessary action can be taken suomotu. Now, the need for activating has been done away with and the Bills of Entry will automatically come to the assessing officer s queue after being marked by the Shed officers with completed first check examination. b. Further, there was no facility earlier with the appraising offlcer to seek additional inputs from the examination officers in case the first check report is incomplete or not sufficient to assess BE. Now, in such cases, the AC can again mark the BE back to the examiner by entering N when asked to confirm whether assessment is complete. Only when Y is entered by the AC, the assessment will be considered as complete by System. c. First check BE when comes to SUP queue, it sometimes comes with CFS code as FAC which may create issue in marking it to INS. To resolve this issue, now first check BE would be routed to SUP with CFS code indicated as NOCFS and the Supdt/AO can exercise the already existing option in SUP role to enter the CFS code and send it to INS. 5. All stakeholders are requested to take note and publicise the contents of this Public Notice among their members/constituents. 6. Difficulties, if any, may be brought to the notice of the Deputy/Assistant Commissioner (Import Appraisement), Customs Commissionerate, Ludhiana. 7. For the departmental officers, this may be treated as Standing Order. (A. S. Ranga) Commissioner