How long does customs clearance take in India?
Customs station | Time taken from arrival of cargo to filing of declaration by importer | Time taken from registration of documents to "out of customs charge" |
---|---|---|
ICD, Delhi | 10 days 14 hours 11 minutes | 0 days 9 hours 42 minutes |
ICD Bangalore | 5 days 23 hours 36 minutes | 0 days 4 hours 30 minutes |
How long does custom clearance take? Typically, customs clearance takes less than 24 hours, however, there are times where it can take several days or weeks for goods to be inspected.
Normally, in three business days its status would change to “Released by Customs”, meaning that the package is on its want to you. But sometimes this doesn't happen. There are two main reasons why international packages get held up in customs for more than three days.
The best way to do this is generally through the courier's website, where you will be able to find out what is happening. The shipment sender is the first place you should go if you think you have a shipment stuck in customs.
The importer of the goods should file a bill of entry (customs copy) electronically for the clearance of the goods, before or on arrival of the goods. In the bill of entry, the duty and taxes to be paid is assessed by the importer himself and this is called self- assessment.
Sometimes customs can hold on to packages for prolonged periods of time. You are very likely to receive your package at some point. Sometimes customs drags their feet. Sometimes the tracking information isn't updated and your package actually is being shipped to you.
Do customs open every package to verify information? No, customs officers will not open up your package or packages without good reason. Every package is put through a scanner machine, or an x-ray machine, to verify that the items you are shipping match your customs forms.
- Fill out customs and immigration forms in advance. ...
- Get in line faster. ...
- Ditch the food. ...
- Know the questions they'll ask. ...
- Retain your receipts. ...
- Put your phone away. ...
- Become a trusted traveler. ...
- Keep your cool.
For General Inquiries call: 1-877-227-5511.
Check Your Mail for a Customs Detainment Letter
Check your company mail for a letter from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection department stating that your package has been detained. If the department is holding your item, officials will notify you usually within a few days but it can take as long as 30 to 45 days.
How do I contact customs about a package in India?
- For further assistance please contact the Indian Customs authorities directly. ...
- Indian Customs contact information.
- Telephone: +9123092978.
- Website: http://www.cbec.gov.in/
The most common reason for shipments being held for Customs clearance is missing documentation and information. Documentation and information gaps can often be corrected at the origin location through process improvement, implementation, and training.

Like many other countries in the world, Indian Customs has come up with a threshold value of INR 5000. If the declared value of the shipment is over and above that threshold, duty will be applied at the rate of a MINIMUM of 42.5%.
Most small agents will charge you around Rs. 4000-5000 for a small consignment clearing service,which is only thier agency charges as for all the actual charges that have to be paid to the customs department will be in excess of about 5000 onwards.
If you move back to India, you are eligible for exemption from customs duties under Transfer of Residence. All you would need to do is apply for Transfer of Residence and provide all the required documentation for the clearance. Forgetting to do this can cost you customs duty on the entire shipment.
Customs Handling Fee: In addition to import duties, India charges a one percent customs handling fee on all imports. This is charged on the total value of the goods plus the freight costs and insurance.
Retail associates will enter the customs information electronically. If these mailpieces are improperly presented or deposited, the Postal Service will return those items to the sender for proper entry and acceptance.
The Chief Commissioner of Customs, Delhi Custom Zone, Shri Surjit Bhujabal inaugurated the Customs clearance work on all 7 days of a week including public holidays today at Inland Container Depot (ICD) Garhi Harsaru.
Up to $1,600 in goods will be duty-free under your personal exemption if the merchandise is from an IP. Up to $800 in goods will be duty-free if it is from a CBI or Andean country. Any additional amount, up to $1,000, in goods will be dutiable at a flat rate (3%).
Many wonder, “do I have to go through customs for a connecting flight?” This is a common question amongst international travelers, and the answer is usually “no.” As long as you're not leaving the airport, your bags are checked through to your final destination and you have a boarding pass for your next flight, you won ...
Can you skip customs?
Global Entry:
Global Entry helps speed up the travel process when headed to international destinations, as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection program allows pre-cleared travelers to skip the customs line and head straight to automatic kiosks to get a customs declaration.
In most cases, you'll go through customs and immigration after your flight first arrives in a new country, but there are exceptions. For example, some countries have mutual agreements intended to help speed travelers through the process, so you may go through customs and immigration before you board.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, (CBP) is unable to track packages into or out of our facilities unless you have received a notice of detention issued by CBP, otherwise we will not be able to locate your package even if it is being held by CBP.
If you are shipping a package internationally and you see a tracking scan such as 'Customs Clearance' or 'Held by Customs' this means the recipient should have been contacted by customs to make payment of any duty owed in order to release the package for delivery.
'Held at Customs' means the package you are sending to the destination country is held by the officials of the importer country's customs office. These government bodies hold the packages until they ensure that only permissible items cross their border and the taxes (Duties & Excise) are paid for the import.
The value of Rs. 5, 000/- is taken as the value of the goods in the country from where the goods have been dispatched. If the value of the gifts received is more than Rs. 5, 000/-, the receiver has to pay customs duty on the whole consignment, even if the goods have been received free, unsolicited.
The Government has exempted gifts items received from foreign country to persons residing in India from the whole of custom duty under Foreign Trade Act. In the present scenario, import of goods up to the value of Rs. 5,000/- is allowed as gift, duty free.
Re: Do You Go Through Customs Twice ? You only go through once. If you connect through another country, you will just have to go through security and not customs.
Exemption to goods from Customs duty only when imported against an Advance Licence (without Actual user condition) - Notification No. 107/95-Cus dated 2.6.1995. 12. Exemption to inputs for leather and textile garments when imported against a Value Based Advance Licence issued on or after 19.9.1995 - Notification No.
Why are imports taxed heavily? Tax on imports in India are high because of India's policy of encouraging local/homegrown industries. This is called import substitution industrialisation (ISI), a trade policy that is all about substituting imports with domestic manufacturing and production.
Do I need to pay money if receiving a parcel from abroad?
If you are receiving a shipment from abroad there is no duty-free amount. Exemptions are only available when traveling. Your friend paid the cost of shipping and was given an option, either to have duty and taxes charged back to them or to have you pay duty and taxes.
- ProForma Invoice. Similar to a purchase order, a proforma invoice is a document that provides details of the product to be sold. ...
- Customs packing list. ...
- COO Certificate (Country of Origin) ...
- Customs Invoice. ...
- Shipping bill. ...
- Bill of sight. ...
- Letter of credit. ...
- Bill of exchange.
Passengers normally resident of India who are returning from a visit abroad are allowed to bring in Indian currency up to Rs. 25,000. 9. In case, the value of one item exceeds the free allowance, the duty shall be calculated only on the excess of free allowance.
One can bring two laptops to India and for more laptops, they have to pay customs duty. There are some exemptions like if the laptop is a used one and you can prove that with its original receipt. It's no doubt that people are looking for ways of bringing more electronic gadgets as gifts for their loved ones.
You are allowed to bring stuff upto Rs 50,000 in value if you are resident in India but above that you need to pay custom duty. However, goods for commercial use are not permitted and 30 to 40 watches are definitely going to be considered commercial goods.
The declarant is the person “responsible” for the import. He must ensure the goods are legitimate, correctly valued and declared upon import – this includes customs debt, accuracy of the information given in the declaration, the authenticity of the documents presented and the compliance with all obligations.
- Self-assessment. As an exporter, you will have to self-assess the duty of the export items. ...
- Shipping Bill. Shipping Bill is generated through the Indian Customs EDI System (ICES) or the non-EDI mode in case of non-EDI ports. ...
- Risk Management System. ...
- Post Clearance Audit.
Standard Handling | FY 2017 | FY2018 |
---|---|---|
Tier 1 (Low Risk-no clearance) | $176 | $194 |
Tier 2 (Moderate Risk-Public Trust) | $1,515 | $1,550 |
Tier 2R | $1,204 | $1,261 |
Tier 3 (Noncritical Sensitive-Secret) | $421 | $433 |
Check Your Mail for a Customs Detainment Letter
Check your company mail for a letter from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection department stating that your package has been detained. If the department is holding your item, officials will notify you usually within a few days but it can take as long as 30 to 45 days.
After you've submitted. If you've provided the documents that HMRC need, the arrived goods should be cleared: within 2 hours for air freight imports, road freight imports, all exports. within 3 hours if received between 8am and 3pm for marine freight imports.
Why is customs taking so long?
If the items being shipped are prohibited or restricted, customs may delay or even destroy the package. Sometimes, customs clearance documentation is incomplete, causing delays while customs coordinates with the shipper to gather needed information.
The most common reason for shipments being held for Customs clearance is missing documentation and information. Documentation and information gaps can often be corrected at the origin location through process improvement, implementation, and training.
- Fill out customs and immigration forms in advance. ...
- Get in line faster. ...
- Ditch the food. ...
- Know the questions they'll ask. ...
- Retain your receipts. ...
- Put your phone away. ...
- Become a trusted traveler. ...
- Keep your cool.
For General Inquiries call: 1-877-227-5511.
- For further assistance please contact the Indian Customs authorities directly. ...
- Indian Customs contact information.
- Telephone: +9123092978.
- Website: http://www.cbec.gov.in/