S-04 · Customs brokerage

Customs, cleared right.

Customs is where quiet money is lost — demurrage while a rejected entry is corrected, duty overpaid on a misclassified HS code, a licence nobody applied for until the container had already landed. We handle classification, valuation, filing and licence work for Indian imports and exports, and coordinate clearance at the far end through our partner network.

Talk to a broker Read: why cargo gets stuck

What we handle

HS classification

The code determines your duty rate, your licence requirements and whether the entry passes. We classify before booking so there are no surprises at the port.

Duty planning

Preferential rates under trade agreements, exemption notifications and bonded deferment — checked against your specific goods, not assumed.

Export filing

Shipping bill preparation and ICEGATE filing, LEO follow-up and coordination with the terminal so the box makes its cut-off.

Import filing

Bill of entry, IGM verification, duty assessment and payment, examination coordination and out-of-charge release.

Licences & schemes

DGFT licences, advance authorisation, EPCG, MEIS/RoDTEP claims and restricted-item permissions where your HS code requires them.

Bonded movement

Moving cargo under bond to an inland depot or bonded warehouse, deferring duty until the goods are actually sold or consumed.

Documents

Get these right and most problems disappear.

The overwhelming majority of clearance delays we see are documentation issues, not enforcement issues. Numbers that disagree between the invoice and the packing list, a description too vague to classify, a certificate of origin that arrived after the vessel — each one costs days.

We check the full set before the cargo moves, not when it arrives. If something is missing we tell you while there is still time to fix it cheaply.

Standard document set

Commercial invoice — values, currency, Incoterm
Packing list — carton count, weights, dimensions
Bill of lading or air waybill
Certificate of origin (preferential where applicable)
IEC code and GST registration
Purchase order or contract
Insurance certificate, where CIF or CIP
Product-specific licences, permits or test certificates

Timeline

How an Indian import clearance runs.

01

Pre-arrival

Documents checked, HS codes confirmed, duty estimated. Any licence gap flagged while the vessel is still sailing.

02

IGM filed

Carrier files the import general manifest. We verify your line items appear correctly before filing the entry.

03

Bill of entry

Entry filed on ICEGATE. Risk management assigns the channel — facilitation, or examination.

04

Assessment & duty

Duty assessed and paid, examination attended if required, queries answered same day where possible.

05

Out of charge

Release granted, delivery order collected, container moved before free time expires.

Clean documentation on a facilitated entry typically clears within one to three working days of arrival. Examination channels, licence queries and valuation disputes add time — which is exactly why we front-load the checks.

Shipment stuck, or about to be?

Send us the bill of entry or shipping bill number and the query raised. We will read it, tell you plainly what is wrong, and quote to fix it — even if the original booking was not ours.

Get customs help Call +91 88774 42208