Andhra Pradesh, Telangana get Foreign Post Office

NEW DELHI, October 15, 2016

IMPORT/EXPORT OF GOODS BY PARCEL WILL GET MUCH-NEEDED BOOST

The Centre has announced the setting up of ‘Foreign Post Office’ in the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, along with the Leh region in Jammu & Kashmir, providing the much-needed service for import and export of goods by post parcels, courtesy the Postal Department.

A gazette notification issued by the Central Board of Excise and Customers under the Department of Revenue in the Union Finance Ministry on Thursday evening said that the facility was now a reality after the required amendments to sub-sections of Section 7 of the Customs Act, 1962, had been carried out.

Sub-sections under Section 7 deal with issues related to ports and airports/inland container depots, which alone shall be customs ports or customs airports for the unloading and clearance of imported goods and the loading of export goods or any class of such goods.

They also pertain to the places which alone shall be land customs stations for the clearance of goods imported or to be exported by land or inland water or any class of such goods, the routes by which alone goods or any class of goods specified in the notification may pass by land or inland water into or out of India, or to or from any land customs station from or to any land frontier and the ports which alone shall be coastal ports for carrying on of trade in coastal goods or any class of such goods with all or any specified ports in India. Office of the Commissioner of Customs is in-charge of Foreign Post Offices and sub-Foreign Post Offices where the facility for import and export of goods by post parcels is provided by the Postal Department.

Customs facilities

1. Customs facilities for examination, assessment and clearance are available at these post offices.
2. Limited facility for export clearances is also available at Export Extension Counters opened by the Postal Department where parcels for export are accepted and cleared by the Customs.
3. Goods imported through post are classified under Chapter Heading 9804 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, and it applies to goods permitted for import through post which are exempted from prohibition under Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992.
4. As per Note 6 to Chapter 98, goods against an import licence or Customs Clearance Permit can also not be imported through post.
5. Motor vehicles, alcoholic drinks and goods imported through courier, however, are not covered.

Source : http://www.thehindu.com