Government notifies Exim rules for couriers

The government has announced new rules for handling of imported goods by couriers, so as to help faster clearance of consignments of goods like medicine, jewellery and gems.

The new rules detail the manner in which a courier would handle imported or exported goods at specified customs stations where an automated system of filing of customs declarations and its processing is readily available.

According to the 'Courier Imports and Exports (Electronic Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2010, notified by the Central Board of Customs and Excise (CBEC), the authorised courier would have to verify the identity of his client in the declared address by "using reliable, independent, authentic documents, data or information".

The new facility would be available in around 10 airports in the country where the Electronic Data Inter-change (EDI) system is in operation.

"The new rules will help in expediting clearance of despatches, which would be beneficial for the exporters, especially in small sectors," FIEO director-general Ajay Sahai said.

The new measures have been announced on the explicit demand of exporters who depend on courier services for importing or exporting time-sensitive consignments.