If you are going abroad for the first time and do not have an idea about Customs clearance such as items which can be and cannot be carried or the duty structure related to various items, an online guide is now available.
The Online Customs guide for international passengers launched by the office of the Commissioner of Customs, Mangaluru, on Friday, comes in handy for all international passengers arriving in and leaving India. It is also useful for frequent international travellers.
Launching the web link, www.customsmangalore. gov.in/baggage/ or www.customsmangalore. gov.in (which has a link to the online guide), at the Mangaluru International Airport, Rajiv Bhushan Tiwari, Chief Commissioner of Customs, Bengaluru zone, said that each passenger would have different queries on subjects related to Customs. This web platform would help the passenger to get the information related to Customs at one point.
“If a passenger goes through this web link, it will give an idea on the items he can or cannot carry, or the duty structure on various items the passenger carries with him,” he said.
For example, if a passenger is shifting his house from abroad, the guide will help him know which would be the items he could bring without paying duty.
Mr. Tiwari asked the officials from airlines and travel agents to popularise this web link among the passengers. Then, passengers would have an idea about Customs clearance while booking the ticket itself.
The web link could be accessed by anybody having internet connection. It will be useful for international passengers using different airports in the country.
He said that the customer feedback survey conducted at the Bengaluru airport in September last had revealed that more than 89 % of passengers were satisfied with Customs processes. Referring to a mobile app launched for the benefit of international passengers, he said that the app had been translated into regional languages, including Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil and it would be translated into Telugu soon.
M. Subramanyam, Commissioner of Customs, Mangaluru, said that the online guide had been devised to enable any passenger to know his entitlements to various items, including gold jewellery, television, liquor, cigarettes, in an easy, simple and interactive way.
J.T. Radhakrishna, director of the airport, spoke.
