Indian Customs - eSANCHIT

What is eSANCHIT?

CBIC had upgraded its IT infrastructure under the project “Saksham”, which is being used for the paperless processing under Single Window Interface for Facilitation of Trade (SWIFT). With the objective of reducing physical interface between Customs/ regulatory agencies and the trade and to increase the speed of clearance, a facility to upload digitally signed supporting documents was launched at Air Cargo Complex, New Delhi and Chennai Custom House as pilot project in 2015. The the facility was later extended to all ICES locations in impot and export.

The Bills of Entry or Shipping Bills along with all supporting documents are required to be submitted online on ICEGATE after affixing digital signatures of the authorized agents/ customs brokers. The facility to upload supporting documents on ICEGATE was opened on October 20, 2017.

Uploading supporting documents

For uploading supporting documents on ICEGATE, the authorized persons must Open ICEGATE URL https://www.icegate.gov.in/, Click on Login/Signup button for login into ICEGATE by using his/her access credentials and then Click on e-SANCHIT link provided in left vertical menu to redirect on e-SANCHIT. The step-by-step procedure for upload of supporting documents is also provided on the ICEGATE website. While preparing a job for submission on ICEGATE in their respective Remote EDI Systems (RES), the authorised persons must ensure that they have uploaded all the necessary supporting documents. A facility has also been provided on ICEGATE to the authorized persons to access and view the documents uploaded by them.

In case the authorised person seeks to provide a document after the generation of the Bill of Entry number, he/she may first upload the document on ICEGATE, obtain a unique ID Image Reference number (IRN) for the document and link that document with the corresponding Bill of Entry or Shipping Bill by submitting an amendment at the Service Centre. This procedure will also apply when the authorised person submits a document in response to a query raised by Customs for a Bill of Entry or Shipping Bill.

Assessment & Document Verification

Once a Bill of Entry or Shipping Bill has been filed, Customs officers will be able to access the uploaded electronic versions of supporting documents while viewing or assessing the Bill of Entry or Shipping Bill on ICES. During assessment, ICES provides for a query to be raised in order to call for additional documents or information. In response to a query, supporting documents can also be uploaded online by following the procedure described in para above. All documents required for the purposes of assessment would be viewed online. In due course, the facility to view supporting documents will also be extended to officers of the Participating Government Agencies (PGAs).

Post Clearance Compliance Verification (PCCV) will be carried out online based on the electronic versions of supporting documents instead of hardcopy dockets of the Bills of Entry.

Goods Registration, Examination & Clearance

After filing of the Bill of Entry or Shipping Bill, the authorized person (importer/ Customs Broker) may with his self-assessed copy of the Bill of Entry or Shipping Bill, approach the designated place for goods registration, document verification and clearance. In case goods are to be examined, the officer examining goods may record the results of inspection/ examination online on ICES.

Some types of supporting documents are required to be presented in original (as specified in the respective notifications) for verification of seal/ signature, etc., for defacement and for the debit of quantities/ value. Trade should present hardcopy at the time of the registration of goods or at a place specified by the Commissioner of Customs. It may however be noted that all supporting documents shall be uploaded digitally, including those documents that must be presented in hardcopy. For supporting documents, where a debit of quantity/ value is required to be made on hardcopy, for every subsequent Bill of Entry filed for import, the latest debit sheet shall be uploaded. The authorized person filing the Bill of Entry or Shipping Bill should pay attention while linking supporting documents with Bills of Entry or Shipping Bills and should ensure that the correct unique reference numbers (IRNs) are mentioned in the Bills of Entry/ Shipping Bills.

Manifest Closure

With the submission of supporting documents online, the manifest closure department of the Custom House will not receive hardcopies of dockets. Officers shall rely on the electronic records maintained on ICES to carry out activities in relation to manifest closure.

Electronic copies of Out of Charge orders and assessed copies of Bills of Entry/ Shipping Bills will not be delivered online to the Custodians and authorised persons. Digital signatures will be applied on these messages and not copies of Bills of Entry/ Shipping Bills.

The Bill of Entry (Electronic Integrated Declaration) Regulations, 2011 provides for the authorized person to submit digitally signed electronic integrated declarations (Bills of Entry) and supporting documents and dispenses with the need for trade to submit the corresponding hardcopies. The Regulations also provides that the authorised person shall retain, for a period of 5 years from the date of acceptance of the Bill of Entry, all supporting documents in original, which were used or relied upon by him in submitting the electronic integrated declaration, and shall produce them before Customs or other Government agencies in connection with any action or proceedings under the Customs Act, 1962 or any other law for the time being in force.

The Shipping Bill (Electronic Integrated Declaration) Regulation, 2011 also provides for the authorized person to submit digitally signed electronic integrated declarations (Shipping Bills) and supporting documents and dispenses with the need for trade to submit the corresponding hardcopies. The Regulations provide that the authorized person shall retain, for a period of 5 years from the date of acceptance of the Shipping Bill, all supporting documents in original, which were used or relied upon by him in submitting the electronic integrated declaration, and shall produce them before Customs or other Government agencies in connection with any action or proceedings under the Customs Act 1962 or any other law for the time being in force.