The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has eliminated the requirement for manual documentation and statements for duty-free imported containers, marking another step towards digitising India's customs processes and improving ease of doing business. The move applies to containers imported under Notification No. 104/94-Customs, where shipping lines are required to re-export containers within six months or pay the applicable customs duty.
Under the revised framework, the Directorate General of Systems (DG Systems) will automatically generate reports of containers that are not re-exported within the stipulated timeframe and publish them on the ICEGATE portal. While shipping lines, NVOCCs, and steamer agents will continue executing customs bonds, the manual process of debiting and crediting bonds for every container movement has been discontinued, significantly reducing paperwork and administrative effort.
The reform also aligns with the Government's "One Nation One Port Process" initiative by encouraging ports and terminals to deploy electronic gate systems and maintain digital records of container movements. The automation is expected to reduce compliance costs, improve turnaround times, and enhance the efficiency of India's port and customs ecosystem.
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