JNCH Revises “Back to Town” Procedure for Export Cargo – Simplified Endorsement Process at Port Terminals.

1. Background

The Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House (JNCH), Nhava Sheva, has issued Public Notice No. 76/2025 dated 03.10.2025, introducing significant procedural simplifications in the handling of Back to Town (BTT) export consignments.
This notice amends and partially supersedes certain provisions of Public Notice No. 75/2023 dated 31.08.2023, which laid down comprehensive guidelines for permitting export cargo to be taken “Back to Town” from port areas, Container Freight Stations (CFS), or Container Parking Plazas (CPP).

The revision aims to streamline operations, reduce procedural delays, and enhance accountability by redefining the authority responsible for endorsing shipping bills when export containers are not loaded onto the scheduled vessel.

2. Previous System and Challenges

Under the earlier Public Notice No. 75/2023:

• Para 2(I)(B) and Para 2(II)(B) mandated that a manual endorsement be made on the relevant Shipping Bill by a Superintendent posted in the Port Area when an exporter sought permission to move export cargo “Back to Town”:
  • (a) From Port to Container Parking Plaza (CPP) to Town, or
  • (b) From Port to Container Freight Station (CFS) to Town.

While this process ensured an additional verification layer, trade stakeholders reported operational delays and logistical challenges, especially when the cargo remained within the port precincts but had not yet been loaded onto the vessel.
In many cases, exporters faced detention and demurrage charges due to the time-consuming requirement of locating the Superintendent for manual endorsement.

3. Key Change Introduced by Public Notice No. 76/2025

To address these difficulties, JNCH has now discontinued the requirement for manual endorsement by the Superintendent in the Port area for containers that have not yet been loaded onto the scheduled vessel.

Instead, the responsibility for verification and endorsement has been transferred to the Preventive Officers (POs) posted at the terminal gates.

New Verification and Endorsement Process:

1. When a request for Back to Town (BTT) is made for a container still within the terminal:
   • The Gate Preventive Officer (Gate PO) will verify the relevant Shipping Bill details at the time of Gate-Out of the BTT container.
2. The Gate PO shall make the manual endorsement on the Shipping Bill noting the BTT approval.
3. Subsequently, the Gate PO will compile and forward a list of all such containers and shipping bills to the Boarding Officer on a fortnightly basis, for cross-verification against Export General Manifests (EGMs).

4. Fortnightly Reporting Format

For transparency and monitoring, the Gate PO must maintain and forward the following details in tabular format:

This dataset will serve as an audit trail for all containers allowed BTT and will be cross-checked by the Boarding Officer against corresponding EGMs to ensure proper closure and accountability.

5. Operational Implications

The revised procedure represents a major facilitation measure for exporters, Customs Brokers, and shipping lines. Key implications include:

• Faster turnaround: Eliminating the need for Superintendent-level endorsement reduces delays in processing BTT cargo.
• Improved monitoring: Fortnightly reporting introduces systematic cross-verification, preventing procedural misuse.
• Trade facilitation: Aligns with the CBIC’s emphasis on ease of doing business and automation of export clearance procedures.
• Reduced costs: Exporters may avoid unnecessary storage and demurrage charges due to faster approval and gate-out of unshipped cargo.

6. Scope and Continuity

• This Public Notice amends Public Notice No. 75/2023only to the extent specified above.
• All other provisions of the existing “Back to Town” (BTT) procedure remain unchanged and continue to be applicable.
• The present notice also operates as a Standing Order for all customs officers posted at terminals and gates under JNCH jurisdiction.

7. Compliance and Implementation

The notice directs all stakeholders—Customs Brokers, exporters, terminal operators, and preventive formations—to familiarize themselves with the revised procedure.
Any difficulty in implementation is to be reported directly to the office of the Commissioner of Customs, NS-II, JNCH for clarification or remedial action.

8. Conclusion

The issuance of JNCH Public Notice No. 76/2025 (03.10.2025) marks another step toward procedural simplification and digital governance in customs operations.
By delegating verification powers to the Gate Preventive Officers and introducing a transparent cross-verification mechanism, the Customs administration has effectively balanced trade facilitation with regulatory control.

The trade community is encouraged to update their internal SOPs and inform operational staff of this change to ensure seamless compliance with the revised Back to Town procedure.

Issued under the authority of:
Commissioner of Customs, NS-II, Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House (JNCH), Nhava Sheva.

***