Dear Valued Customer,
Please be advised that the Commissioner of Customs, India has issued a public notification no. 33/2018 dated 7 March 2018, which mandates that with effect from 1 April 2018, importers are required to ensure that the following basic details are informed to their exporters abroad so that these details are incorporated in the Bill of Lading issued at the time of booking of such consignments:
•Import and Export Code (IEC) of importer •GST Identification Number (GSTIN) of importer •Official e-Mail ID of importer (to be used for correspondence by shipping lines and customs)
The notice was issued due to a number of instances where the consignments of hazardous waste, other waste or restricted items were imported in the name of certain importers and remained un-cleared. Subsequent investigation in the aforesaid cases revealed that no such importer actually exists/or came forward to claim the cargo. It is suspected that these consignments were imported for the purpose of dumping of hazardous waste from the exporting country and are posing a serious environmental threat. Furthermore, in order to give further impetus to Direct Port Delivery (DPD), it has been decided to gradually do away with consignment wise DPD intimation (72 hours advance intimation being submitted by importer in respect of each consignment to shipping lines) with one time default intimation.
In view of the above, it is essential to capture basic details of the importer in the Bill of Lading itself so that such details can be used to decide DPD stacking code and for various other purposes.