We are licensed customs house agents under the Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations, and clearance is the oldest thing this firm does. It is what we started with at Cochin in 1965 and it is still the service most clients arrive for.
How an import clearance runs
The sequence rarely changes. What changes is how long each step takes, and most of that is decided before the vessel berths.
| Stage | What happens | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| Documents | Invoice, packing list, bill of lading, and any licence or certificate the goods need | You and your supplier |
| Bill of Entry | Classification settled and the declaration filed electronically | Us |
| Assessment | Duty computed; the declaration may be accepted, queried or marked for examination | Customs |
| Duty payment | Basic customs duty, IGST, cess and any additional duties paid | You, or us against funds |
| Examination | Goods inspected against the declaration where the system calls for it | Customs, with us present |
| Out of charge | Clearance granted and the goods released from customs control | Customs |
| Delivery | Terminal charges settled, container released, trailer despatched | Us |
Our people are physically present at examination. That sounds like a small thing until an officer raises a question about a marking or a specification and someone has to answer it that hour rather than the next working day.
How an export clearance runs
Exports run the same shape in reverse: shipping bill filed, goods examined where required, Let Export Order issued, container handed in against the vessel's cut-off. The pressure point is different — with imports you are fighting storage charges, with exports you are fighting a cut-off that will not move.
- Shipping bill filed with the correct scheme code, because that determines your drawback and RoDTEP position.
- Let Export Order obtained ahead of the cut-off, not against it.
- Drawback and RoDTEP claimed at filing. These are difficult to recover later if the declaration was made under the wrong scheme.
- Certificates of origin arranged where a preference is being claimed at the buyer's end.
Where the delays actually come from
Importers usually assume customs is slow. In our experience four things account for most of the waiting, and three of them are fixable before the goods arrive.
An invoice that does not describe the goods
"Spare parts" invites a query. A query invites examination. A description precise enough that a stranger could reach the same classification is the cheapest delay insurance available.
A classification nobody checked
Copying the supplier's code, or last year's Bill of Entry, is how a routine consignment turns into a dispute. Our guide to HS codes covers what actually decides the heading.
A licence or registration that was needed weeks earlier
Restricted lines need a DGFT authorisation. Food needs FSSAI. Some goods need BIS registration or plant quarantine. None of these can be arranged while the container sits at the terminal accruing charges.
Duty funded late
Assessment can be completed in a morning and then wait two days for payment. If you want us to pay duty against funds held with us, say so at the outset and it stops being a bottleneck.
A delayed container costs on three meters at once: port storage charged by the terminal, demurrage charged by the line for the box sitting inside the terminal, and detention once it leaves and is not returned. They accrue simultaneously and none of them is negotiable after the fact.
What we need from you
Send these as soon as the shipment is confirmed, not when the vessel arrives.
- Commercial invoice and packing list
- Bill of lading or airway bill
- IEC and GSTIN, once, at the start of the relationship
- Any licence, permit, registration or certificate the goods require
- Certificate of origin, where you are claiming preference under an FTA
- Purchase order or contract, where valuation may be questioned
If something is missing we will tell you what and why. We would rather have an awkward conversation two weeks out than an expensive one at the terminal.
Cochin, Vizhinjam and Kottayam
We file at Cochin Port, including the container terminal at Vallarpadam and the conventional berths, at Vizhinjam International Seaport for cargo moving through the southern gateway, and at Kottayam ICD for central Kerala shippers who would rather clear inland than run to the coast twice.
Beyond Kerala, we are appointing agents at major Indian ports so a single instruction to us can cover a consignment landing elsewhere. Ask which gateways are live before you plan around it.
Common questions
How long does customs clearance take at Cochin Port?
A straightforward consignment with complete documents and a settled classification is usually cleared within a couple of working days of the vessel's arrival. Queries, examination, licence issues or late duty payment extend that. Most of what determines the answer happens before the ship berths.
What documents do I need for customs clearance in India?
At minimum a commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading or airway bill, plus your IEC and GSTIN. Beyond that it depends on the goods: DGFT authorisations, FSSAI registration, BIS certification, plant quarantine or a certificate of origin for FTA preference.
Can you pay the customs duty on our behalf?
Yes, against funds held with us, and it removes one of the most common causes of delay. It needs to be agreed at the outset rather than improvised while a container is accruing storage.
Do you handle clearance for first-time importers?
Regularly. First imports usually need more work at the front end — IEC, classification, whether the line is free or restricted, which agencies are involved — and less at the port. We would rather spend an hour on that before you order than fix it afterwards.