To facilitate exports and to provide relief to exporters, Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) has dispensed with the requirement of seeking the presence of jurisdictional officer for supervising stuffing of export cargo. This measure is expected to reduce transaction costs of exporters since they do not have to incur MoT charges in respect of such supervision as well as cut time taken in moving goods for exports.
Such facilitation will be backed by application of technology in form of RFID e-seal, which has the potential to improve visibility and enhance cargo security during transportation to Ports & ICDs as well as during holding time.
Circular No. 41/2017-Customs has been issued in this regard, which also clarifies the prescribed procedures to be followed for export of goods under RFID self-sealing.
Mandatory e-sealing
1st November 2017 was notified as the date for mandatory e-sealing as per Circular No. 37/2017-Customs dated 20-9-2017, but factoring that it may take some time to fully set up systems and procedures for handling RFID e-sealed containers as well as receipt of data, the Board has decided that mandatory e-sealing for different classes of exporters shall be brought in a phased manner.
- Exporters who have been permitted self-sealing facilities under erstwhile procedures and exporters who are AEOs, shall start using RFID e-seal from 8th Nov. 2017
- Exporters who are availing supervised stuffing at their premises, shall have to switch to RFID e-sealing procedures with effect from 20-11-2017
- Exporters who have newly applied to for self-sealing permission, under Circular 26/2017-Cus dated 1st July 2017, shall commence use of the facility subject to grant of permission and upon adoption of RFID e-sealing.
Exporters who are in possession of RFID e-seals are at liberty to commence availing the self-sealing procedure as the same has been made voluntary subject to availability of reader facilities.
Applicability
The prescribed self-sealing procedure using RFID e-seal applies only to cargo in full container load, sealed at an approved premise, by an entitled exporter.
In case an RFID seal affixed on a self-sealed container is found tampered, the same shall be subject to examination and the further movement of such a container shall not be under the RFID e-seal procedure.
E-sealing data
The web application should not allow deletion or editing of data once uploaded by the exporter, and shall capture the location where the RFID e-seal is read.