Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra (Ver.1.1)

CF-4/2/2020-CF

Dated: 15.09.22

Annexure-I

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra (Ver.1.1) 

1. Booking of commercial articles at Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra (DNK):

At present, commercial articles are accepted at the counters/ international business centers (IBCs) setup in the designated FPOs only through manual filing of Postal Bill of Exports (PBE). Exporters bring these articles physically to FPOs where PBE number is given by Customs and thereafter booking is done. Exporters claim tax refunds, as applicable using the PBE signed by Customs officials. With the help of DNK software, Customers will be able to file PBE online through the web link created for this purpose and can get the export shipments booked at designated DNKs/IBCs.

1.1 Process of commercial booking at DNK*:

1.1.1 The customer will do Registration on the link

https://dnk.cept.gov.in/customers.web/ which is accessible using any browser.

1.1.2 The customer will Login with user ID and Password

1.1.3 The customer will Update profile and upload Business details (KYC) like Import Export Code (IEC), AD Code, GSTIN, LUT etc., IEC & GSTIN is mandatory at present.

1.1.4 The customer will enter basic Profile like Name, Company Name, Address, City, Pin code etc.

1.1.5 The customer will upload the KYC documents relating to their business viz., IEC, AD Code, GSTIN, LUT, Aadhar, etc.

1.1.6 The article booking can be done by customer under Menu Option, either via data entry or bulk upload using excel template.

1.1.7 The customer will upload documents related to the article viz., Licenses, Certificates, Invoices, etc. under the option documents upload.

1.1.8 The customer can Print CN23 or harmonized label (in case ITPS for USA) and affix on/present with the article. PBE form can only be downloaded after customs clearance and dispatch to foreign destination.

1.1.9 The customer shall present the article at DNK/IBC Counter.

1.1.10 Pick-up facility, for eligible volumes as per existing provisions, will be provided in case of bulk bookings and the articles will be brought to the booking office.

1.1.11 The counter PA will induct the article in CSI PoS under ‘Business Services Portal Induction Other Induction’ by scanning/entering the barcode in ‘Reference Number’ and pressing F8

1.1.12 The counter PA shall obtain KYC of customer (to be placed in office record), check weight, modify if required and take payment from customer.

1.1.13 One-time validation of customer ID and contract ID of bulk customers (for availing BNPL/advance payment facility) will be done from CEPT.

1.1.14 The article is to be dispatched to the mapped FPO using the Bag close options available in IPVS under CSI- PoS Back Office. For direct bagging to linked FPO, a schedule needs to be maintained in CSI.

1.1.15 Once the article is booked, the information can be accessed by the customs officer at the mapped FPO through Customs portal.

1.1.16 The booked articles are to be dispatched to the mapped FPO as per the existing arrangement. There is provision of examination of articles by Customs in the system before physical arrival of the articles but at present the blocking of uncleared Customs articles is not enabled. Therefore, in order to identify the PBE articles at FPO, the DNKs shall close direct bag (category-wise) to the mapped FPO with clear indication of ‘PBE ARTICLES’ on the bag label.

1.1.17 At FPO, the PBE bags are to be opened before Customs. Customs authority will be able to fetch the details of booked article through Customs portal after induction in CSI-POS

1.1.18 Customs may either approve or place the article on hold on the basis of examination.

1.1.19 In case, Customs has any query like requirement of additional document/information, a notification will be sent by the customs through portal. Customer may reply to Customs through the customers portal. 

1.1.20 Customs may clear these detained articles on receipt of information/documents or cancel export.

1.1.21 In case of clearance of article by Customs and dispatch to destination country, the PBE form can be obtained by the customer from the forms download option in Customer Portal.

(*Non-commercial booking will also take place at DNK Post Offices through use of CN22/23CN22/23 forms as usual)

1.2 Handholding facilities for customers at DNK*:

The Postal Assistant deployed at DNK will

1.2.1 Assist customers in registration on Customs portal and in creating a profile (user ID/Password) of the customer.

1.2.2 Guide the exporters regarding filing of PBE and generation of IEC.

1.2.3 Assist the customer in preparation of excel sheet having requisite details and uploading the sheet along with other documents viz. invoices/certificates etc.

1.2.4 Assist in printing of CN form/Harmonized label generated on the portal

1.2.5 Educate exporters about different facilities/schemes, incentives, tax benefits etc. of Government of India available for commercial exports, training about which will be provided to the staff.

2. Manpower:

2.1 Circles will identify suitable employees - Postal Assistants/ Supervisor/ MEs/MTS to be posted / deputed in DNKs who can comfortably interact and deal with exporters, guide them about services and documentation and efficiently book the shipments by generating required documents including Postal Bill of Exports. At least double the number of Postal Assistant/ MTS required for all DNKs may be identified and trained to man and manage the working of DNKs even during absence of regular staff due to leave/ training/ transfer etc.

2.2 The guideline for manpower deployment in the DNKs is as follows:

●Category A:- Minimum Four (4) efficient Postal Assistant and a Supervisor to be identified and trained, out of which 2 person to be dedicated for DNK at any point of time.

●Category B:- Minimum three (3) efficient Postal Assistant and a Supervisor to be identified and trained, out of which 1 person to be dedicated for DNK at any point of time.

●Category C:- Minimum Two (2) efficient Postal Assistant and a Supervisor to be identified and trained, out of which 1 person to be available for DNK at any point of time.

3. Training:

Training shall be imparted to the staff identified by Circles on the following modules by IR&GB Division of Directorate. It should be ensured that Postal Assistants trained to work in DNKs are only deployed to manage these Kendras.

It is also recommended to undertake regular training exercises for smooth operations at the local level in consultation with local chapters of Federation of Indian Exporter Organizations (FIEO), Export Development Centers in districts and Exporters’ bodies.

The training module will include:

• Product Information of International Mails

• Restricted and prohibited items

• Addressing / labeling standards

• Customs Declaration requirements and related Information

• Export benefits

Customs portal

4. Packaging Solution:

Safety and security of article are of utmost importance for e-commerce and other commercial export items. There may be different scenarios with regards to the packaging solutions to be provided to customers at DNKs:

4.1 Exporters using own packaging material- Exporters may have their own

packaging material. In case the packaging is sub-standard (irregular shape and not as per prescribed standards) and do not fulfill the rules regarding make up of international articles for secure transmission and processing, such customers may be guided for standard packaging solution by making standard material available at DNKs.

4.2 E-Market Place providing packaging material to sellers- EMPs may provide their standard packing products directly to sellers.

4.3 EMPs may provide packaging material to DNKs- The EMPs registered as Bulk Customers with the Department may also be offered option to supply packaging inventory at DNKs to be provided to their registered sellers/exporters at the time of booking.

4.4 DoP standard packaging- In accordance with instructions issued on thesubject by Directorate/Parcel Directorate and the Parcel packaging Policy issued vide Parcel Directorate letter no. 27-08/2021-PD dated 10.02.22, Circles will procure/ source packaging material as per demand and make it available to exporters under retail post at DNKs.

4.5 Strapping/ Wrapping machine- Many shipments may require additional layer of safety and security to strengthen the packing. For this purpose, Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras will be provided with Strapping/ Wrapping machine for which specifications will be circulated separately.

5. Mail Arrangement:

5.1 The DNK in Category A shall close direct bag for the mapped Office of Exchange / Foreign Post Office.From rest of the DNKs, in principle, mail dispatches to FPO/ OE will be as

5.2

per the existing mail arrangement for different categories of mails. However, in case of the DNKs having more than 15 articles / packets per day or 5kg of weight, based on monthly average, may review their mail arrangements and direct bag to mapped FPO will be closed to improve the efficiency. In no case, bags from any DNK should take more than 48 hours to reach the mapped FPO.

5.3 Review of Mail arrangement from SFPOs to FPOs/ Office of Exchange should also be undertaken by the respective Circles to ensure that mail should be received in OEs next day from its receipt at SFPOs.

5.4 The above arrangement shall be applicable after enabling of blocking of uncleared Customs articles in system. However, for the time being all DNKs shall close direct bags (category – wise) to mapped FPOs with clear mention of ‘PBE ARTICLES’ on the bag label.

6. Accounting:

There is no change in the accounting process for DNK booked articles and the accounting will start from the moment the article is inducted in CSI-PoS.