KARACHI: Pakistan Customs has issued certain exemptions and relaxations from the filing of electronic Import Form (EIF).
A senior officer told Customnews.pk that Goods Declarations (GDs) of personal baggage, Transshipment (TP), Afghan Transit (AT), Defense Store imports, Privileged Persons (PP), Courier, imports falling under PCT Codes 9901, 9902, 9903, 9905, 9908, 9909, 9910, 9911, 9913 & 9916, Ex Bond are not required to attach of electronic I-Form at the time of GD filing in WeBOC.
In one Customs, the system will not require EIF for GD types of TP (Transshipment), AT (Afghan Transit), Baggage and un accompanied Baggage, Defense Embarkation, EX, EB (Ex-bond), EPZA and imports falling under section 22 of the Customs Act, 1969 and PCT codes 9901, 9902, 9903, 9905, 9908, 9909, 9910, 9911, 9913, & 9916.
For consignments involving no foreign remittance, the importer shall file request to bank for EIF having nil value. These may include goods temporarily imported into Pakistan with a view to subsequent exportation and imports under project loans and credits (including those on free of payment basis) or under special approvals from State Bank of Pakistan.
The bank will approve or reject such EIF and the importer will attach the approved EIF with respective Goods Declaration.
A Customs officer of Additional Collector level would be able to waive off the Form requirement in respect of specific Goods Declaration to cater for any untoward / unforeseen situations. However, payment against such consignment will be made upon filing of EIF at subsequent issuance of Bank Debit Advice (BDA) in WeBOC system.
The officer said that the digitization of import payments would have no impact on the Valuation Rulings and their subsequent implementation in line with the orders of Justice Muneeb Akhtar of Sindh High Court in Sadia Jabbar case.
The Order said the Section 25A is only an enabling section. It permits but does not mandatory require a predetermination of customs value. Principal method of determining customs values is Section 25. Valuation Rulings not following the procedure are quashed.
Moreover, Issuance of Valuation Rulings under section 25A cannot be regarded as limited only to those cases where the department concludes that there is group under invoicing. Moreover, the determination under section 25A is subject to revision by the Director General Valuation.
The officer said that the advent of EIF would eliminate under-invoicing to a maximum extent, while Pakistan Customs is also pursuing data sharing protocols with other countries so that the under-invoicing is eliminated.