Import of Goods and Services
• RBI/2006-07/26 Master Circular No. /08 /2006-07 July 1, 2006
• Section 5 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 (42 of 1999), read with Notification No. GSR 381(E) dated May 3, 2000
IMPORT OF GOODS
• A.1 GENERAL A.2 FORM A-1 A.3 IMPORT LICENSES A.4 OBLIGATION OF PURCHASER OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE A.5 TIME LIMIT FOR SETTLEMENT OF IMPORT PAYMENTS A.6 ADVANCE REMITTANCE
• A.7 INTEREST ON IMPORT BILLS A.8 REMITTANCES AGAINST REPLACEMENT IMPORTS A.9 GUARANTEE FOR REPLACEMENT IMPORT
• A.10 EVIDENCE OF IMPORT A.11 FOLLOW UP FOR IMPORT EVIDENCE
• A.12 RECEIPT OF IMPORT BILLS/DOCUMENTS A.13 (I) IMPORT OF GOLD/PLATINUM/SILVER BY NOMINATED BANKS/AGENCIES
• A.13 (II) DIRECT IMPORT OF GOLD A.13 (III) GOLD LOANS
• A.14 IMPORT FACTORING
MERCHANTING TRADE
IMPORT OF CURRENCY
Import of Goods and Services
• regulated by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Commerce
• FEMA (Current Account Transactions) Rules, 2000 No. G.S.R.381 (E) dated May 3, 2000
• Uniform Customs and Practices for Documentary Credits (UCPDC)
• Research & Development Cess Act, 1986 -for import of drawings and designs
• provisions of Income Tax Act, wherever applicable
• particularly note to adhere to "Know Your Customer" (KYC)
• guidelines issued by Reserve Bank (Department of Banking Operations & Development)
• Foreign Trade Policy 2004-2009
• Public Notice No.28/ 2004-09 dated December 1, 2004.
• DBOD.AML.BC.18/14.01.001/2002-03, Dated August 16, 2002,
• Applications for making payments, exceeding USD 500 or its equivalent, towards imports into India must be made to AD on Form A-1
• freely open letters of credit and allow remittances for import of goods unless they are included in the negative list
• licences marked ‘For Exchange Control purposes’ should be called for and special conditions, if any, attached to such licences adhered to
• Section 10(6) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA), any person acquiring foreign exchange is permitted to use it either for the purpose mentioned in the declaration made by him to an Authorised Dealer under Section 10(5) of the Act
• Where foreign exchange acquired has been utilised for import of goods , the importer furnishes an evidence of import to his satisfaction ie BEF
• permitted methods of payment for imports .. FEMA14/2000-RB dated 3rd May 2000
• payment for import can also be made by way of credit to non-resident account of the overseas exporter maintained with a bank in India
• remittances against imports should be completed not later than six months from the date of shipment
• Deferred payment arrangements, including suppliers and buyers credit, providing for payments beyond a period of six months from date of shipment upto a period of less than three years, are treated as trade credits
• Remittances against import of books may be allowed without restriction as to time limit, provided, interest payment, if any is duly taken care of ..
• allow advance remittance for import of goods without any ceiling ..!
• exceeds USD 100,000 or its equivalent, an unconditional, irrevocable standby Letter of Credit or a guarantee from an international bank of repute situated outside India
• the importer unable to obtain bank guarantee (other than a Public Sector Company or a Department/Undertaking of the Government of India/State Governments) the requirement of the bank guarantee / standby Letter of Credit may not be insisted upon for advance remittances upto USD 1,000,000 as per a suitable policy framed by the bank's Board
• Public Sector Company or a Department/Undertaking of the Central/State Government/s is required to obtain a specific waiver for the bank guarantee from the Ministry of Finance
• The remittance is made directly to the supplier or manufacturer of the goods and not to any third party or to a numbered account
• Physical import of goods into India is made within six months (three years in case of capital goods) from the date of remittance
• importer gives an undertaking to furnish documentary evidence of import within fifteen days from the close of the relevant period.
• In the event of non-import of goods advance remittance is repatriated to India or is utilised for any other purposes for which release of exchange is permissible
• interest on usance bills or overdue interest for a period of less than three years from the date of shipment at the rates prescribed in the Master Circular on trade credits
• pre-payment of usance import bills, remittances may be made only after reducing the proportionate interest for the unexpired portion of usance at the rate at which interest has been claimed or LIBOR
• Where goods are short-supplied, damaged, short-landed or lost in transit , fresh remittance for replacement imports may be permitted without reference to Reserve Bank, provided the insurance claim relating to the lost goods has been settled in favour of the importer
• replacement goods for defective import are being sent by the overseas supplier before the defective goods imported earlier are reshipped out of India, AD banks may issue guarantees at the request of importer client for despatch/return of the defective goods
• where value of foreign exchange remitted/paid for import into India exceeds USD 100,000 or its equivalent, it is obligatory to ensure that the importer submits
– Exchange Control copy of the Bill of Entry for home consumption
– Exchange Control copy of the Bill of Entry for warehousing, in case of 100% Export Oriented Units
– Customs Assessment Certificate or Postal Appraisal Form, as declared by the importer to the Customs Authorities
– If imports are made in non-physical form, i.e., software certificate from a Chartered Accountant that the software / data / drawing/ design has been received by the importer
– For imports on D/A basis insist on evidence of import at the time of effecting remittance of import bill
• AD banks may allow reasonable time, not exceeding three months from the date of remittance, to the importer to submit the evidence of import
• Exchange Control copy of Bill of Entry for home consumption or a certificate from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or auditor of the company that the goods for which remittance was made have actually been imported into India provided
– less than USD 1,000,000
– importer is a company listed on a stock exchange in India , net worth is not less than Rs.100 crores
– the importer is a public sector company or an undertaking of the Government
• If importer does not furnish, evidence of import , , within 3 months from the date of remittance , > USD 100,000 , exceeding USD100,000, the AD bank should rigorously follow-up for the next 3 months , should forward to Reserve Bank a statement on half-yearly basis as at the end of June & December of every year, in form BEF , for non submission within 6 months from the date of remittance, , within 15 days from the close of the half-year to which the statement relates
• Import bills and documents should be received from the banker of the supplier by the banker of the importer in India
• AD banks should not, therefore, make remittances where import bills have been received directly by the importers from the overseas supplier, except in the following cases
– of import bill does not exceed USD 100,000
– received by wholly-owned Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies from their principals
– received by Status Holder Exporters as defined in the Foreign Trade Policy, 100% Export Oriented Units / Units in Free Trade Zones, Public Sector Undertakings and Limited Companies
– received by all limited companies viz. public limited, deemed public limited and private limited companies
• AD banks may receive bills direct from the overseas supplier as above but AD bank should obtain report on each individual overseas supplier from the overseas banker or reputed credit agency
• Gold/ Platinum/ Silver may be imported by the nominated agencies/banks on consignment basis where the ownership will remain with the supplier . Remittances towards the cost of import shall be made as and when sales take place and in terms of the provisions of agreement
• The nominated agency/bank may import Gold/ Platinum/ Silver on outright purchase basis subject to the condition that although ownership of the gold shall be passed on to the importer at the time of import itself, the price of gold shall be fixed later, as and when the importer sells the gold to the users
• AD banks can open Letters of Credit and allow remittances on behalf of EOUs, units in SEZs in the Gem & Jewellery sector and nominated agencies, for direct import of gold, subject to the following
– strictly in accordance with the Foreign Trade Policy.
– Suppliers’ and Buyers’ Credit, including the usance period of LCs opened for direct import of gold, should not exceed 90 days
– Any large or abnormal increase in the volume of business of the importer should be closely examined to ensure that the transactions are bonafide trade transactions
– the credentials of the supplier should also be ascertained before opening the LCs
– required to submit as per the format enclosed at Annex-2, a monthly statement thereof, to the Trade Division, Foreign Exchange Department, Amar Building, Central Office, Reserve Bank of India, Sir P.M. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001
• Nominated agencies / approved banks can import gold on loan basis for on lending to exporters of jewellery under this scheme. On the other hand EOUs and units in SEZ who are in the Gem and Jewellery sector can import gold on loan basis for manufacturing and export of jewellery on their own account only
• maximum tenor of gold loan is 240 days at present
• Standby Letters of Credit (SBLC), for import of gold on loan basis, where ever required, as per FEDAI guidelines dated April 1, 2003 , usance period not exceeding 90 days
Importing currency, including cheques, is governed by clause (g) of sub-section (3) of Section 6 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, and the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations 2000, made by Reserve Bank vide Notification No.FEMA 6/RB- 2000 dated May 3, 2000 and No.FEMA 38/RB-2001 dated February 27, 2001.
• AD banks may take necessary precautions in handling merchanting trade transactions or intermediary trade transactions to ensure that
• (a) Goods involved in the transactions are permitted to be imported into India,
• (b) Such transactions do not involve foreign exchange outlay for a period exceeding three months, and
• (c) All rules, regulations and directions applicable to export (except Export Declaration Form) and import (except Bill of Entry) are complied with for the export leg and import leg, respectively, of the merchanting trade transactions.
• (d) Payment is received in time for the export leg.
– The liability for the import leg of the transaction is extinguished by the payment received for the export leg of the transaction, without any delay and
– The entire merchant trade transaction is completed within a period of 6 months.
• Short-term credit either by way of suppliers' credit or buyers' credit is not available for merchanting trade or intermediary trade transactions
