Chennai Customs Simplifies Entry Inwards and Cargo Handling

The Office of the Principal Commissioner of Customs, Chennai-III, issued Public Notice No. 63/2025 to streamline the process for Entry Inwards, boarding of vessels, and commencement of cargo discharge under Section 31 of the Customs Act, 1962. The notice clarifies that the grant of Entry Inwards is delinked from the physical boarding of the vessel, allowing the Boarding Officer to record entry based on automated or e-mailed messages from the Port Control Room and vessel agents. Vessel or steamer agents must submit requests with supporting documents via email and inform the Boarding Officer by telephone, after which the officer verifies the details and grants Entry Inwards in the ICES system. The e-mail confirmation from the Boarding Officer is considered authorization for cargo discharge. After berthing, physical boarding procedures and document verification are completed. Agents are advised to ensure accurate submission of details to avoid delays, and any issues may be reported to the Preventive General Section, Custom House, Chennai.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS, CHENNAI-III
CUSTOM HOUSE, NO. 60, RAJAJI SALAI, CHENNAI 600001

F. No. I/(22)/287/2023-PG

Public Notice No. 63/2025 | Dated: 03/12/2025

Sub: Entry Inwards, Boarding of Vessel and Discharge of Cargo – Reg.

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Kind Attention of the members of Trade and Industry, Shipping Lines, Port Terminal Operators and all other stakeholders is invited to Public Notice No. 240/2017 dated 10.11.2017 and Section 31 of the Customs Act, 1962.

2. As per the above said Public Notice, the process of granting Entry Inwards has been delinked from the physical act of boarding the vessel by the Boarding Officer. For ease of reference, para 4 of the said Public Notice are reproduced below:

“In order to expedite the grant of Entry Inward, it has been decided to delink Entry Inwards with the physical act of boarding the vessel by the boarding officer and then granting Entry Inwards in the system. A message regarding reporting of the vessel at the ‘Pilot Station’/‘Boarding of the Pilot’ by the ‘Port Control Room’ Marine Department, CHPT from the Master of the vessel and after recording the same in their (CHPT) log books and the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS). There shall be an automatic message flow/exchange or an e-mail by the ‘Port Control Room’ to the Customs Boarding Office informing the arrival / reporting of the vessel giving the relevant details of the vessel which are required for grant of Entry Inwards. Further, when the Shipping Lines/Shipping Agents inform the port authorities of the arrival of the vessel, they should simultaneously inform Customs Boarding Office with relevant details. On receipt of message/documents, the boarding officer shall grant entry inward without any delay and the time of giving entry inwards shall be taken as time of arrival of vessel.”

3. In order to further streamline the procedure relating to Entry Inward, Boarding of the vessel and commencement of cargo discharge, the following procedure shall be followed:

i. The Vessel Agent/Steamer Agent shall forward the request ( f o r m a t enclosed) to the respective port’s Customs e-mail ID after confirmation of “Pilot on Board (POB)” information. After sending the request via e-mail, the agent shall also intimate the same to the Boarding officer over telephone.

ii. The Vessel Agent/Steamer Agent shall produce physical copies of the supporting documents at the time of boarding for verification.

iii. The POB message shall also be conveyed by the Signal Station to the Boarding Officer over telephone.

The Customs e-mail IDs and landline numbers for each port are as follows:

iii. After verification of the details received, the Boarding Officer shall grant Entry Inwards in ICES and communicate the same to the Vessel Agent/Steamer Agent by replying to the same e-mail received from them.

iv. Upon receipt of the above communication from the Boarding Officer, the Vessel Agent shall inform the Master of the vessel to commence discharge of cargo.

4. The communication received from the Boarding Officer through e-mail regarding grant of Entry Inwards shall be treated as the authorization for commencement of cargo discharge under Section 31 of Customs Act, 1962

5. After berthing of the vessel, the Boarding Officer shall complete the boarding procedures, including verification of relevant documents and necessary checks.

6. Vessel Agents/Steamer Agents are advised to ensure that all details in the Entry Inward request Form are filled correctly to avoid errors in granting of Entry Inwards.

7. Any difficulties faced in this regard may be brought to the notice of the Preventive General Section, Custom House, Chennai.

(ISTIKHAR BAIG)
Principal Commissioner of Customs

Copy To:

1. The Principal Chief Commissioner of Customs, Chennai Customs Zone,

2. All Principal Commissioners/Commissioners of Customs, Chennai Customs Zone.

3. The CHENSAA (Steamer Agents Association, Chennai).

4. Terminal Operators (CCTL/CITPL/Kattupalli/Ennore),

5. The Port Authorities of Chennai Port/Adani Kattupalli Port/ Kamarajar Port

6. DC/AC, EDI for uploading on Chennai Customs website.

REQUEST FOR VESSEL ENTRY INWARD

1. Vessel Details

• Name of the Vessel& Vessel Code:
• IMO Number:___________________
• Call Sign:_____________________
• Voyage Number:_________________

2. Port & Arrival Information

• Port of Arrival:

☐ Chennai Port ☐ Ennore Port ☐Kattupalli Port

• Last port & Next port of Call: ___________
  •  Pilot Boarding Time (POB): ____________
  • Source of POB Confirmation:

☐ Port Control Room ☐ Signal Station ☐ VTS

•  Berth/Terminal Allotted: _____________

3. Agent Details

• Steamer Agent Code: _______________
• Shipping Line Code: _______________

4. Sea Arrival Manifest/IGM Details

• IGM Number and Date __________
• Number of Lines in IGM: ______________
• Cargo Type: ____________

5. Relevant Documents

• LH Dues Payment Challan No.& date ______________
  • Same Bottom Cargo: ☐Ye ☐ No
  • Crew List Declaration: ☐Yes ☐ No
  • Crew Effect: ☐Yes ☐ No
  • Ship Store Declaration: ☐Yes ☐ No
  • Passenger List: ☐Yes ☐ No
  • Maritime Declaration: ☐Yes ☐ No

6. Declaration

I hereby confirm that the above information is true and correct to the best of knowledge. I also confirm that the Pilot on Board (POB) information has been received and verified prior to this submission for the grant of Entry Inwards.

Signature of Authorized Agent & Stamp: ___________
Name: __________________
Designation: ________________
Mobile Number: ________________

Date: _______
Place: _______