Import, Export, Trade for MSMEs: To boost MSME exports in the country, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has notified Postal Export (Electronic Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2022 that will allow exporters to deposit the export parcel at any nearby post office instead of visiting a foreign post office, as per a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI). 

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Currently, an exporter or his agent is required to file the export declaration at one of the 28 Foreign Post Offices (FPOs) and hand over the consignment for export while sending it through the postal route. 

The CBIC’s new automated system will make postal export convenient for the exporters as they will not be required to visit a foreign post office (FPO). Further, it will simplify the processing of commercial postal exports by automating the entire procedure and connecting the postal network to the notified FPOs. 

“In order to leverage the vast network of post offices across the country and enable MSMEs to export to global markets using e-commerce or other regular channels, the CBIC in collaboration with DoP (Department of Post) has developed a dedicated Postal Bill of Exports automated systems for postal exports,” informed CBIC. 

The new system would enable exporters to get the Postal Bill of Exports (PBE) online and deposit the export parcel in a nearby post office. The export parcel deposited by the exporter will be moved by the DoP to an FPO for customs clearance.

“The system of export clearance will operate on a digital platform while harnessing the existing post office network spread across the country and will be amenable to being scaled up to cover small exporters/producers located in remote areas,” the CBIC added.

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The regulations also suggest that the exporter or his agent retain and safekeep records of postal exports for the period up to five years. 

The Udyam portal for MSMEs had 1.48 lakh exporting units registered with an export value of Rs 9.55 lakh crore as per the statistics shared by the government, last month.