What is Customs Clearance: The Customs Department is an important government authority of a country. It regulates, controls and looks over the movement of the people along with the import and export of goods in and from the country. The prime role of the customs clearance process is to collect customs duties and ensure the smooth functioning of the trade.

1. All You Need to Know About Customs
Clearance
What is Customs Clearance:
The Customs Department is an important government authority of a country. It
regulates, controls and looks over the movement of the people along with the
import and export of goods in and from the country. The prime role of the
customs clearance process is to collect customs duties and ensure the smooth
functioning of the trade.
Jurisdiction and Powers of Customs Clearance:
Customs Department has its presence all across the country, especially at the
entry and exit points of cargo and people, especially at the seaports, airports and
borders.
The department has the power to check the goods, documents and other details.
It can even take legal action against dubious-looking people or cargo.

2. Working of Clearance Process:
At the port of origin, the customs clearance department confirms that all the
goods to be exported go through a thorough check from the authorities and then
it is processed for customs clearance for export. Likewise, when the cargo
arrives at the destination port, it goes through a thorough check along with
document verification before it moves to the clearance process for imports. A
similar procedure is followed at the intermediate ports or ports of transit.
Customs Clearance Costs:
The cost of customs clearance process or fees depends upon several factors like
the type of products, their value, quantity, volume etc. It also depends upon the
countries which are trading, distance and number of intermediate ports.
Customs duty also has many elements like education cess, Basic Customs Duty,
Countervailing Duty, Education Cess, Protective Duty, Safeguard Duty, Anti-
Dumping Duty etc.
Custom Clearance Documents:
Documentation is an important part of the customs clearance process. Without
producing proper documents, the Customs Departments won’t allow the import-
export of the goods even after paying the required custom duty.
Document for Export:
Export Licence: It is a mandatory document for every person or organisation
engaging in exporting goods to other countries. Exports Licences vary
according to the types of products you want to export.
Purchase Order From The Buyer: It provides the details of the goods and
products to be exported. It also has the list of agreed terms and conditions of the
trade between both parties.
Sales Invoice: A sales invoice contains detailed information about the goods to
be exported such as ordered details, product descriptions, selling price,

3. packaging, cost of the product, weight, quantity, volume, origin and destination
ports, freight insurance details and other relevant terms and conditions. This
customs clearance document must be produced when asked by a customs officer.
Packing List: The packing list gives details about the items included in the
shipment. This list is sent with the shipment and verified by the customs officer.
Country of Origin or COO Certificate: COO certificates are a declaration of
the exported goods that are produced and manufactured in a particular country.
Along with the above-mentioned documents, customs clearance process
requires a Letter of Credit, ProForma Invoice, Commercial Invoice, Warehouse
Receipt, Health Certificates
Documents for Import:
Apart from documents like Purchase order from the buyer, sales invoice of the
supplier, Packing list COO certificate etc following are required for import
customs clearance
Import Licence: Like Export Licence, Import Licence is a compulsory
document for any person or company wishing to import goods from other
countries. It is also required for availing certain trade benefits offered by the
government.
Bill of Entry: A Bill of entry is an important customs clearance document to be
filled out and signed by the importer. It is required by the customs authority to
carry out examination and assessment of goods. After that, the importer can
avail ITC claim for the imported goods.
Bill of Landing or Airway Bill: This document is issued by the carrier to the
shipper. It acts as a contract for the transportation of goods, pre-mentioned in
the bill. It has details about the goods such as the type of products, origin and
destination etc. Bill of Landing is useful in case of theft or other unforeseen
events.

4. Benefits of Customs Clearance Services
Customs Clearance is a cumbersome process. It requires a lot of time and
dedicated persons to carry out the intricate processes of customs clearance.
Here, customer clearance services come in handy.
Here are a few benefits of Customer Clearance Services:
They have detailed knowledge and information about all the processes
involved in customs clearance, customs duty, legal and pragmatic solutions
to the arisen issues.
These services ensure that your cargo reaches your desired destination
without delay and any administrative hurdles.
Many a time individuals are charged with extra duty or charges because of
lack of knowledge or other allied reasons. But the customer clearance
services help you avoid unnecessary expenses.
These services are experts in these domains with years of experience under
their belt. Thus they know exactly what kind of documents are required for
the end-to-end customs clearance process. How they are filled and how they
are processed. This reduces unnecessary paperwork and makes the work
more convenient.