A STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO IMPORT HAM RADIO EQUIPMENT (INDIVIDUAL APPROACH) 2005 Update Download All the recent

Customs Notifications in PDF format (zipped: 347 KB) (Notification No. 17, 18, 19, Condition No.61, List No. 25) Download the Suggested Import Certificate [I had troubles convincing the customs during the release of my imported equipment due to the non-mention of recent notification nos. in the import certificate issued to me (in 2000) by WPC, Ministry of Communications. If the latest Customs Notification nos. are not incorporated into the Import Certificate Format of WPC, I would suggest the incorporation of the same] List of Dealers & more on Import (Amateur Radio Trust Web site) Amateur Radio Resources page of KM2L 1. Get a "Proforma Invoice " from the Foreign Dealer (Either by post or by FAX or may be through e-

mail) 2. Ask the dealer to mention CIF (Cost of Equipment, Insurance & Freight/Air Parc el Post) value in it. 3.Also ask them to mention:-"Total Payment in Advance (or 'Telegraphic Transfer in Advanc e')". (Otherwise the Overseas Branc h of your bank may refuse to convert the Indian c urrenc y to equivalent foreign c urrenc y (US$ or Singapore $:Whatever the currenc y). 4. The "Proforma Invoic e" sent to you by the foreign dealer should mention the description of the equipment (e.g. "IC-718 HF Transc eiver: Amateur radio equipment": whatever the item) along with the H.S. Code of the equipment. H.S. Code (Harmonised System Code) for all Amateur radio equipment/ac cessories is 852520 04. This will help you in releasing the parc el from the customs, bec ause c ustoms people will be able to identify the equipment to be an "Amateur radio equipment" only when this number is mentioned in the "Invoice". For this you need to request the dealer to put the above information in the "Proforma Invoice" as well as on the parcel itself.T Sande ep Baruah 2002 http://www.qsl.net/vu2msys doc ument is a part of the http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy 5. You can ask the dealer to send the equipment by "Air Parcel Post". 6. After rec eiving the "Proforma Invoic e", get one "Import Certificate" (Right Clic k to download Applic ation Format > Save Target As) from the WPC, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, New Delhi. The "Import Permit" is issued by the Assistant Wireless Adviser, WPC, Ministry of Communication on production of the(a) "Proforma invoic e"; This doc ument is a part of the http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy (b) A photoc opy of your amateur radio lic ence; (c ) An application for the "Import Permit" (It is appropriately a Certificate issued by the WPC , whic h c ertifies that the item you are going to import is an Amateur Radio item/equipment ) in prescribed format (Right Click to download>Save Target As). The Applic ation should ac c ompany the following documents/fee:
1. Technical details of HF transceiver/Equipment. 2. Banker's C heque/DD for Rs. 50/- (Rupees fifty only ) obtained from a SBI Branch, in favour of "Pay & Accuonts Officer (HQ), Dept. of Telecommunications" payable at Service Branch (Code No: 7687), New Delhi. 3. Photostat copy of the "Proforma Invoice" for the equipment.

4.

Photostat copy of the Amateur Wireless Telegraph Station licence.

7. After rec eiving the "Import Permit/Certific ate" c ontac t the overseas branch of a bank where you maintain your acc ount and request them to issue you a US $ (Whatever be the currenc y) Draft in favour of the Foreign Dealer. You c an also "Telegraphic Transfer (TT)" the amount to the Dealer's account no. in its bank (this method is also c alled "SWIFT"-whic h is said to be very fast). In this method you need not send a Bank Draft by post. The bank will give you a "Network Acknowledgment" confirmation after the currency being remitted to the foreign bank account. (You need to get the TT/Wire Tranfer information/ bank account no. of the foreign dealer prior to this). I have no experience of importing amateur radio items using online credit cards and can not provide information on it. You have to fill up the forms given to you by the bank. Usually the forms c ontain a column where you have to mention your IEC Code Number (Importer/Exporter's code number). Being an individual importer you need not have this number (this number is issued by Director General of Foreign Trade) and so you have to mention that "You are importing the equipment for personal hobby use". T here is another column where you have to mention the H.S. Code (or BTN No.) of the equipment. It is 852520 04. In my c ase, on rec eipt of the remittance by TT (Telegraphic Transfer), the Singapore dealer sent me the equipment very promptly. If the equipment is available off-the-shelf, then usually it takes 4-5 days to send the equipment. But if not readily available, it may take a months time or more. I have done all the c orrespondenc e through e-mail only. Though the dealer was not very prompt in replying to my e-mails, I was sending e-mails repeatedly to get the information I wanted. The day they sent me the equipment, they sent me an e-mail mentioning the parcel number/other freight information. Please find the Ministry of Finance Notific ations at http://www.finmin.nic.in. Send copies of these Notifications to the WPC also along with your applic ation for Import Permit/Certific ate and request them to inc orporate the latest Notific ation Nos. in the Import Permit. It may be mentioned that an "Import Permit/Certificate" from the Ministry of Communications is not mandatory*. This certificate is necessary if you ask for a customs duty exemption (i.e. at present to enable you to pay CIF Value of the item+17% (Approx.) customs duty. In absenc e of this certificate you have to pay the customs duty at c ommerc ial (non-amateur) rates (Most probably 50%;).

*"Amateur

radio equipment" (HS Code 852520 04), falls under the "Free Importability Clause" (OGL) in the "Exim Policy" (Announced on 31-03-2000) of the Ministry of Commerce. OGL itself is a licence and all items covered by it do not require any import licence from Import Licensing Authority. Again, the Ministry of Finance Vide their Notification No. 16 dated 01-03-2000 (Reproduced in the Indian Customs Tariff 2000-2001) presc ribes a "BASIC DUTY OF 5% ONLY, TOTALLY GRANTING EXEMPTION FROM COUNTERVAILING DUTY (CVD) ON AMATEUR RADIO EQUIPMENT WHEN IMPORTED BY LICENSED AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS, SUBJECT TO CONDITION NO. 55 OF MINISTRY OF FINANCE NOTIFICATION NO. 16 DATED 01-03-2000, i.e.: (a) total CIF value of the imported wireless apparatus, ac c essories and parts does not exc eed Rs. 75,000/-. (b) the importer produces a certificate from the Assistant Wireless Adviser, WPC, Ministry of Communications to the effect the wireless apparatus, accessories and parts in respect of which this exemption is claimed are within the value limits specified above and also rec ommending the grant of this exemption (as applic able from time to time)

It may be mentioned that the goods falling under NOTIFICATION NO. 16 dated 01-03-2000 were earlier (The New List No. is 25 and Amateur Radio items are placed at Serial No. 309. The Condition No. at present is 61: Indian Customs Tariff 2001-2002)) listed in LIST No. 24 (Indian Customs Tariff 2000-2001). Goods falling under customs tariff No.8525.20 are exempted from payment of surc harge as per the Notification No. 19 dated 01-03-2000. SADD, however, is payable @ 4%. This is calc ulated on the value of goods PLUS Duty payable, whic h works out to be 4.2%. The Total Customs Duty comes to around 17% (Approx.) at present. Please refer to Customs Notification No. 17, 18 & 19 (Indian Customs Tariff 2001-2002) 8.Arrival of the equipment: (Applic able if imported to New Delhi) The equipment arrives at "Foreign Post Office "(In front of Times of India Building, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, New Delhi) if your "port of import (Please refer to the Applic ation for Import Permit/Certificate) is "New Delhi". A separate branch of c ustoms department is also loc ated at Foreign Post Offic e (FPO). You will rec eive a Notice/letter from the Customs Department which will contain the Parc el No. (Foreign No. as well as Loc al No.) and the date on which it will be opened. You have to c ome to the FPO on that particular date and direc tly go to the 5th floor (postal authority) of the FPO building. A token number will be allotted to you ac cording to their list. On arrival of the c ustoms offic ial it will be opened in front of you and you have to produce him the following doc uments: 1. The "Proforma Invoice"(Actually "Proforma Invoic e" & "Commercial Invoic e" are two different doc uments. The dealer should send the commerc ial invoic e" to you on rec eipt of your payment. A copy of this "commercial invoice" (attest this from your bank) should also be there along with the parcel. If the dealer does not send you the "commercial invoice", you need to attest the earlier "Proforma invoice". This invoice should be attested/signed by your overseas bank and it is to be mentioned on it: "Attested for Customs clearance purpose". The Invoice sent with the parcel and the one you have with you should not differ (they should have the same number, same date, same equipment model name, same desc ription of equipment and same CIF value). 2. The "IMPORT PERMIT/CERTIFICATE" issued to you by WPC, Ministry of Communic ations. 3. IEC Code No. (As you do not have the IEC Code No., Write a separate application to the DC (Customs), FPO, New Delhi that you are importing it for "personal hobby use" and will bear the "Personal Penalty charge" (probably 0.01% of the CIF value) as applicable in this case. 4. A photoc opy of the original letter/notic e issued by the c ustoms to you (Keep the original with you). The customs offic ial will identify the equipment. Tell him its H.S. Code (852520 04). He will calculate the duty in front of you. The postal authority will then take a signature from you in a register book as a proof that the parcel was checked by the customs in front of you. The parcel will then be re-packed and sealed. It will be delivered to the postal authority by the customs after c ompletion of all these formalities.

9. NOW IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO WAIT AND BE READY TO PAY THE CUSTOMS DUTY TO THE POSTMAN!

The Parcel will then be posted to you by the FPO at your local address by Speed Post. This whole proc ess may take 7 to 15 days till the postman finally delivers you the item at your

doorstep! You have to pay the c ustoms duty to the postman only and release the parc el. I have to wait for 29 days (from the date of posting of the parcel from Singapore) to finally rec eive the equipment! DISCLAIMER:
I bear no responsibility for any consequences arising out of following the guidelines/information mentioned herein. Kindly verify the customs duty and other procedures etc. and the import procedures as applicable from time to time.

Efforts have been made to provide accurate information. However, I am not responsible for any error/nonavailability of latest information and the consequences arising out of following the above guidelines! Errors if any may be brought to my notice at the e-mail: vigyan@hub.nic.in

This doc ument is a part of the http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy I owe a lot to OB Karan, VU3GTF and Shri Sahruddin, VU2SDN (President, Amateur Radio Society of India)who provided me the courage/information during my own import of a c ommerc ial amateur equipment.
Sandeep Baruah 2002 http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy | last update 12.01.2002 | Visit http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy for more information on ham radio