Air Ocean Technology Career Information Centre Home | About us | Key Personnel | Procedure | RFQ | Global Network | Contact us Procedure   Exporting to India For shipments to India the MAWB should be consigned to Pace Express Travels & Cargo Pvt. Ltd. with the respective destination office address (Please check with Pace prior to sending the shipment). Important Notes 1. MAWB column “Nature and Quantity of Goods” should show -“Consolidation as per Manifest Attached”. 2. The total weight of the HAWB should match with the weight on the MAWB. PRE-ALERT A detailed pre-alert must be sent to respective destination offices as well as to Head office (Delhi) prior 24 hours of arrival at destination. A detailed pre-alert enables the branch office to: i ii iii iv Get confirmation from the airline on the flight number and date Pre-alert customers about the arrival of shipments Pre-alert airlines if cargo is meant for cold storage Prepare the manifest to be lodged with customs   SHORT LANDING / SHORT SHIPMENTS Ensure flight connections and minimize short landings. If shipments are short-landed, customers will have difficulty in clearance of shipments. Indian customs does not allow the splitting of consignments for clearance (in the event of part shipments). If a single consignment covered under one house airway bill and invoice arrives on two different flights, customs will not allow the invoice to be split unless it receives justification from the origin office (ie the shipper as well as the origin office) giving valid reasons for the part shipment. This scenario results in a delay of at least two to three days to clear cargo. Such a delay is unavoidable as the shipment comes in on two different flights and is treated as two different shipments by customs. CROSS LABELLING In cases of cross labeling, the time needed to rectify errors is approximately 15-20 days. Customs authorities do not accept any written justification from the destination point. Hence all correspondence justifying the cross labeling (for customs) and correct invoices for the consignment will have to be sent by the origin office. HOUSE AIRWAY BILL RATING Always ensure that documents are rated correctly as mis-rated HAWBs cause delays in the customs clearance of cargo. In India customs duties are charged on the CIF value of the consignment and over-charging of freight means that the customer pays higher duty, and can lead to the loss of that customer. Mis-rated house airway bills cannot be amended at destination offices in India as Indian customs requires amendment to be done at origin. Delays in customs clearance are inevitable as the consignee has to wait for amended copies of HAWBs from origin. Another problem is that of having to explain the delay to understandably irate customers. FREE DOMICILE SHIPMENTS Free domicile shipments can be accepted only after prior approval from our offices. Free domicile shipments will be cleared and delivered by Pace Express and all costs related to clearance will be borne by Origin Office. The HAWB should reflect the shipment as "free domicile". DOCUMENTATION   ALL DOCUMENTATION INCLUDING INVOICES MUST BE IN ENGLISH Please observe this rule for the documents listed below: i ii iii iv Pre-alerts from origin office with details of notified party Master airway bill – clipped to the pouch Consolidation manifest. The pouch should contain the following items:   (a) HAWB - 8 fold (b) Shipper's Invoice - 4 fold Packing (c) List - 2 fold (d) MAWB - 6 fold (e) Manifest - 4 fold v The Customs Pouch is to be clipped to the Document Pouch and should contain:   (a) HAWB - 1 fold (b) Manifest - 1 fold (c) MAWB - 1 fold (d) Invoice - 1 fold vi vii The HAWB number for consignments meant for COLD STORAGE must be clearly be indicated on the MAWB and Manifest Debit note / Credit note – wherever applicable.   UNCLEARED / UNDELIVERED SHIPMENTS Lots of shipments that arrive at Indian airports remain uncleared. Such uncleared shipments are transferred to the AAI warehouse 15 days after their arrival. After 3 months they are auctioned to recover customs duties and warehousing charges accrued. Shipments may remain uncleared for the following reasons: i ii iii iv v Wrong shipment / cargo Wrong documentation Financial difficulty of the importer (i.e. inability to pay) Delay in arrivasl of shipments Shipment of restricted articles (items not allowed to be imported as per customs manual) When there are any uncleared shipments, reminders of the cargo arrival notice are sent on the 15th and the 30th day urging customers to take delivery of their shipment. A list of uncleared shipments is also forwarded to origin offices on a fortnightly basis for follow-up with the shipper. CASH AGAINST DOCUMENTS (CAD) CAD shipments are not permitted by Indian customs. The HAWB must reflect that the consignment is a "free domicile shipment". PROCEDURES FOR RETRIEVAL AND ON-FORWARDING OF SHIPMENTS TO THEIR CORRECT DESTINATIONS If a shipment is not routed to the right destination, it will have to be retrieved. For example, if the destination of a shipment reads Mumbai instead of Trivandrum, it will have to be retrieved from the custody of Mumbai customs and on-forwarded to Trivandrum. In such circumstances, the following is required. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. A letter from the shipper explaining the error and addressed to the Assistant Commissioner of Customs. A letter from the origin office explaining the error and addressed to the Assistant Commissioner of Customs. A letter from the consignee requesting on-forwarding of the shipment to its correct destination. A letter from the origin office explaining the error and justifying it. Permission from the Assistant Commissioner of Customs in the form of a "No Objections Certificate" (NOC). The commissioner responsible for a certain case passes on his/her remarks to his/her deputy, who verifies the justification before approval is granted. The approval papers are then forwarded to the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) for approval. Once approval is given, warehouse charges have to be paid before a customs officer can escort the cargo to the Indian Airlines' warehouse. After the cargo is handed over, it is transshipped to the correct destination as per the transshipment procedure.   PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL RETRIEVALS TAKE A MINIMUM OF 5-7 WORKING DAYS.     © 2008 Pace Express. All Rights Reserved.