The Government has introduced a Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) vide Notification dated 5th September, 2019 which has changed the import policy of specific iron and steel items appearing in Chapter 72, 73 and 86  of Indian Trade Classification (Harmonised System) [ITC (HS)], 2017, Schedule – I (Import Policy) from 'free' to 'free subject to compulsory registration'.  This will require importers of 284 tariff lines of iron and steel to submit advance information of their imports on an online system to get an automatic registration number.

An importer can apply for registration not earlier than 60th day and not later than 15th day before the expected date of arrival of the import consignment. The validity of registration will be for a period of 75 days. The only thing to be entered by an importer in the Bill of Entry is the registration number and expiry date of registration.

The purpose of SIMS is to gather advance information on important items of iron and steel and make it available to the stakeholders including Government and Indian domestic industry in responding to the market conditions in a more dynamic manner.

This information was given by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Steel import monitoring requires compulsory pre-arrival registration for specified iron and steel imports, with online advance submission. Specified iron and steel tariff lines have been changed to free subject to compulsory registration under the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS), obliging importers to submit advance arrival information online to obtain an automatic registration number, and to record only that registration number and its expiry date in the Bill of Entry; registration is applied for within a pre-arrival window and has limited validity.