KARACHI: With the year drawing to close, the Licensing Section has directed proprietor/partner/director of clearing companies to appear in person so that the Custom House Agents License could be renewed in time.
Sources informed Customs Today that the Licensing Section is approaching the clearing companies, either in writing or by phone, informing them that the proprietor, partner or director should appear in person so that the license could be issued.
Under the Custom House License Rules, 2009 the Customs agent License for clearing and forwarding of goods and baggage is issued to all the clearing agents who provides an important service as a link between the Customs, port operators and the importers.
According to sources, the Licensing Section has already conducted hearings of more than half of the 122 clearing companies whose licenses are due to expire on the December 13, 2014. The hearings of these companies have been concluded and the Licensing Section is contacting the remaining companies asking them that their proprietor/partner/director, as the case may be, appear in person so that the license should be issued timely.
The Customs Agent License is issued to the clearing agent companies for a period of two years and failure to get it renewed results in blocking of accounts so they are not allowed to conduct ther clearing and forwarding business; they could neither file the Good Declarations (GDs) through the online WeBOC automated clearance system of the Pakistan Customs nor get the goods cleared.
The Customs Agents whose licenses were due to expire of December 31, 2014 were asked to apply for the renewal by October 31, 2014. They were asked to submit a number of documents including an affidavit that no court of law or tribunal had finalized fraud or criminal case agaist licensee or any of the partners; total number of declarations, both import and export, they had filed and details of any case registered against them and the copy of latest Sales Tax refund filed and the copy of CNIC of proprietor, partners, directors.
