To simplify procedures and reduce transaction costs, DGFT and Customs are committed to provide electronic commerce solutions to the trade & industry for various Export Promotion Schemes. DGFT has been having a series of meetings with the Directorate of Systems to exchange Shipping Bill particulars and Licence data on a digital platform as per agreed message exchange formats.

2. To provide a thrust to the electronic message exchange between DGFT and Customs, it has been decided that data relating to EDI Shipping Bills (for DEPB Scheme) issued on or after 01.10.2005 from the 23 Customs EDI Ports shall be exchanged between the Customs and the DGFT Server on a digital platform. The list of EDI Ports is as under:
 

3. Accordingly, the DEPB application procedure and verification/registration system for DEPB licences, which are based on EDI DEPB Shipping Bill(s) issued on or after 01.10.2005 by 23 Customs EDI Ports, will be as under:

a. All such DEPB applications shall be made on the DGFT website www.nic.in/eximpol only with a digital signature and DEPB licence fee will be submitted through the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) mode only. No manual DEPB applications in case of EDI DEPB Shipping Bill(s) issued on or after 01.10.2005 shall be permitted.

b. Exporters while applying for DEPB licences based on EDI DEPB Shipping Bill(s) issued on or after 01.10.2005 shall take care not to club the EDI DEPB Shipping Bill(s) issued before 01.10.2005 and non EDI shipping bills with such DEPB ECOM applications.

c. Details of the EDI Shipping Bills issued on or after 01.10.2005 and received from the Customs Server will be segregated IEC wise by the DGFT Server and will be available in the DEPB ECOM module of the IEC holder. Exporters are required to link the concerned EDI Shipping Bills in the DEPB ECOM application and EP copy of such EDI DEPB Shipping Bill(s) issued on or after 01.10.2005 need not be submitted to DGFT offices while submitting their claim for DEPB credit.

d. 1. Exporters will have the option to submit the Bank Realisation Certificate (in original) issued by the concerned authorised dealer in paper form to the jurisdictional RLA at the counter/by post (mentioning the ECOM DEPB file number) within 5 working days of electronic submission of the DEPB ECOM application OR submit a digitally signed scanned copy of the Bank Realisation Certificate along with the DEPB ECOM application on the DGFT website. In cases where a scanned BRC copy is submitted, manual copy of the BRC will not be asked for.

2. DEPB ECOM application which is electronically submitted on the DGFT website to the jurisdictional RLA with the non-transferability endorsement request shall be issued DEPB licence accordingly and DEPB licence sent electronically to Customs. On submission of proof of realisation, at a later date, to the jurisdictional RLA at the counter/by post, the DEPB licence will be endorsed with the transferability clause and an amendment message will also be transmitted electronically to Customs through the message exchange system.

e. Exporters will also not be required to submit a hard copy of such DEPB applications filed electronically on the DGFT website to the Regional Licensing Authorities and the Regional Licensing Authorities will finalise the DEPB claim based on the data submitted on the DEPB ECOM module only. However Regional Licensing Authorities may, at their discretion, call for such additional documents as may be required, to satisfy themselves of the admissibility of the DEPB claim as per Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures (Vol 1).

f. Data relating to DEPB Licences issued on the basis of EDI DEPB Shipping Bills issued on or after 01.10.2005 shall be sent electronically to the Customs ‘Port of Registration’ as per Para 4.40.1 of Handbook of Procedures (Vol 1) and no manual verification/registration of DEPB licences will be required at the Customs end.

g. DEPB Licences shall, however, continue to be issued in paper form by the Regional Licensing Authorities to enable the exporters to transfer the ownership of licences and such DEPB licences need to be produced at the ‘Port of Registration’ to enable debiting and imports against these DEPB licences.

h. Any amendments which are made subsequent to the issue of DEPB licence will also be transmitted electronically to the Customs through the message exchange system.

i. ‘DEPB Help Guidelines’ are available on the DGFT website. Exporters are advised to go through these guidelines before submitting DEPB claims for EDI DEPB Shipping Bill(s) issued on or after 01.10.2005 to minimize errors while submitting their DEPB applications.

4. Para 4.40 of the Handbook of Procedures (Vol 1) allows certain notified ports to be treated as a single port for the purposes of imports and exports. However, the present distributed architecture of the Customs electronic system does not allow import clearances from all the notified ports in the same city. Therefore, the Regional Licensing Authorities will issue DEPBs (and other licences also) for a single notified Port only along with the unique six digit Location Code of the Customs ‘Port of Registration’ to facilitate speedy clearances against the licences issued.

5. The earlier procedure for submitting DEPB claims to Regional Licensing Authorities and DEPB verification/registration system at Customs will continue for EDI Shipping Bills issued before 01.10.2005 and non EDI Shipping Bills.

This issues with the approval of the DGFT.
 

(Anil Aggarwal)
Joint Director General of Foreign Trade

(Issued from File No 01/02/31/AM06/ EDI)