According to DGFT Notification No. 11/2015-20, issued May 25, 2022, imports of goods covered by Chapter 48 (totalling 201 tariff lines) of Schedule-I (Import Policy) of ITC (HS), 2022, are permitted but subject to mandatory registration under the Paper Import Monitoring System (PIMS).
For the import of commodities covered by Annexure-A, the Paper Import Monitoring System (PIMS) will require importers to provide prior information in an online system and get an automated Registration Number by paying a registration fee of Rs. 500.
The importer may submit an application for registration up to 75 days before the anticipated arrival date of the import consignment and no later than 5 days after that date. The automatically assigned Registration Number issued in this manner is valid for 75 days. Within the registration’s validity period and for the permissible quantity, several Bill of Entries may be registered under the same registration number.
To allow Customs to clear the cargo, the importer must include the Registration Number and Expiration Date of Registration in the Bill of Entry.
The PIMS will take into effect on October 1, 2022, meaning that any Bill of Entry for items named in Annexure-1 to this Notification made on or after that date would be subject to its regulations. With effect from 15.07.2022, the online registration feature will be accessible at https:/limports.gov.in.
[DGFT Notification No. 11/2015-2020 dated 25 May 2022]
Trade and industry representatives have made a number of requests to the DGFT for clarification regarding the applicability of the aforementioned Notification of 25 May 2022 in particular circumstances. The Department of Commerce (DoC) and Department for the Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade have reviewed the issue (DPIIT). As a result, the following list of issues and responses is provided:
1. Are imports made via the Air method exempt from PIMS registration?
There are no small volume/high value commodities in paper where air freight is appropriate. Therefore, regardless of the mode of transportation, registration under PIMS will be required.
2. Does the import of paper samples exclude them from PIM registration?
Import consignments of samples with a FOB value of Rs. 10,000 or more, regardless of quantity, are free from the PIMS’s requirement for mandatory registration.
3. Can temporary imports of returnable paper products be excused from PIMS registration and awarded a fee waiver?
Since paper products are not low-volume, high-value goods, registration under PIMS is required regardless of why paper products are being imported.
4. Is the import of goods under the Common IEC by private parties and governmental entities free from registration with PIMS?
All imported notified paper Products must be registered under the PIMS. According to Paragraph 2.58 of the Foreign Trade Policy, however, exemption from PIMS may be taken into account for non-commercial import under common IECs by individuals and government entities on a case-by-case basis.
5. Will imports made with an advance authorization, a DFIA, or an ICGR be subject to PIMS?
No matter the reason for the imports of paper products under any scheme (Advance Authorization/IGCR/EOU/SEZ, etc.), PIMS shall be required.
6. When importing goods into SEZ/FTWZ and when clearing customs to go from SEZ to DTA, is PIMS Registration necessary? Is registration necessary for EOUs at the time of an EOU’s importation?
PIMS. When an EOU imports items covered by PIMS, registration is necessary both at the time of import by an EOU and at the point of import by a Unit in SEZ/FTWZ. PIMS When a piece of paper that was previously registered under PIMS at the time of entry into a SEZ, FTWZ, or EQU is not processed, the DTA Unit will not demand registration at the time of customs clearance from the SEZ, FTWZ, or EQU to DTA.
The importer in DTA will need to register under PIMS, however, if processing occurred in the SEZ/FTWZ/EOU with a change in the HS Code at the 8-Digit level, if the processed itém falls under any of the tariff categories.
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