The Ministry of Steel has introduced a simplified registration facility called ‘SARAL SIMS’ under the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS), effective from November 21.
The new system is designed to simplify the process of registration for imports of small consignments pertaining to iron and steel items classified under Chapters 72, 73, and 86 of Indian Trade Classification (Harmonized System), 2022 by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and other small importers, and the units importing steel for export purposes under Advance Authorisation, Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and Export Oriented Unit (EOU) schemes.
What did the ministry say?
Under SARAL SIMS, eligible importers can now obtain a single annual registration number by declaring only the total intended import quantity on the dedicated portal. This one-time SARAL SIMS number allows unlimited steel consignments to be imported throughout the financial year and up to April 30 of the following year without the need for consignment-wise registration, the ministry said.
“The facility is available in two categories: ‘SARAL SIMS for small imports’ for consignments of 10 MT or less, subject to an annual cap of 500 MT for the current financial year 2025-26 (rising to 1,000 MT from 2026-27 onwards), and ‘SARAL SIMS for export purposes’ under Advance Authorisation/SEZ/EOU routes with no quantity ceiling. Importers availing the facility must file an annual return detailing actual imports by April 30 of the next financial year. If the 500 MT/1,000 MT threshold for small imports is breached in a year, the importer must switch to the regular SIMS process for the remainder of that financial year and cannot revert to SARAL SIMS during the same year,” the ministry said.
What else is new?
In addition to SARAL SIMS, the regular SIMS registration process has been streamlined by reducing mandatory fields from 56 to just 20. The earlier requirement of obtaining clarification or No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Steel for non-Quality Control Order (non-QCO) steel grades has also been completely removed, enabling instant generation of SIMS numbers for such items directly on the portal.