India – Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations

Kindly note that the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Custom – CBIT through notification No. 88/2018-Customs (N.T.) has announced Sea Cargo Manifest and Transshipment Regulations 2018, which shall come into force on March 1, 2019 (Vessel Arrival/Departure date).

The new regulation stipulates following changes in timelines and requirements for the Cargo Manifestation of Imports arriving in India, as well as Exports out of India.

Import Shipment

Import manifest will now be known as Arrival Manifest and Shipping Lines will be required to submit details of all import, transshipment & onboard containers to Indian Customs prior to departure or vessel sailing from the last port of call before calling India ports.

Export Shipment

Export manifest will now be known as Departure Manifest and Shipping Lines will be required to submit details of all export containers to Indian Customs prior to departure or sailing of the vessel.

We solicit your cooperation and understanding to comply with the new regulation in order to ensure smooth loading and discharge of your shipments at Indian load & discharge ports. We kindly request all our customers to ensure the following:

Arrival Manifest Requirement
Submit the IGM relevant information, House Bill of Lading, preferred CFS details etc. to Hapag-Lloyd at least 72 hours prior to vessel sailing from last port of call before calling India ports.

Departure Manifest Requirement
You are requested to submit Shipping Instruction & Shipping Bill to Hapag-Lloyd at least 48 hours prior vessel departure from Indian Port of Loading.

We are in discussion with various stakeholders to determine the EDI formats and specifi-cations to facilitate manifest submission and will keep you updated of further developments.

In addition, you are welcome to contact our local offices for more information.