Harsh Clearing & Forwarding Pvt. Ltd.

Harsh Clearing & Forwarding Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai based expert Customs House Agent (CHA) & Freight Forwarder. Ensuring smooth import & export cargo clearance at Nhava Sheva, Mundra & Chennai Ports.

Monsoon is active. Port congestion at JNPT builds through July.For importers and exporters with shipments in the next 45...
19/06/2026

Monsoon is active. Port congestion at JNPT builds through July.

For importers and exporters with shipments in the next 45 to 60 days — this is the window where preparation matters most.

What pre-prepared shipments look like:

For importers:
✅ HS Code confirmed before PO
✅ ADD, CVD, BIS, CDSCO compliance verified
✅ BOE pre-filed on ICEGATE before vessel arrival
✅ Duty fully computed including EPCG

For exporters:
✅ Shipping Bill documentation ready in advance
✅ Factory stuffing scheduled before vessel cut-off
✅ Inland transport booked early
✅ LEO timeline factored into dispatch plan

The shipments that clear without extra cost during monsoon are almost always the ones where none of this was left for the last minute.

We handle import and export clearances at Nhava Sheva, Mundra, and Chennai — Machinery, EV Components, Solar, Polymers, Scrap, Steel, Medical Devices, Electronics, and Textile Machinery.

Shipment in the next 45 days? Reach out now for a free pre-shipment document review.

You import machinery components in bulk. Payment from your buyer is staggered over three months. But customs duty on the...
18/06/2026

You import machinery components in bulk. Payment from your buyer is staggered over three months. But customs duty on the full consignment has to be paid upfront the moment it clears at JNPT.

That upfront duty outflow on working capital is avoidable — and most importers don't know it.

A Bonded Warehouse (licensed under Section 58 of the Customs Act) lets you store imported goods without paying duty at the time of import. Duty is paid only when goods are actually removed for use or sale.

When this helps:

✅ Bulk imports with gradual consumption — pay duty only on what you clear at a time, not the full consignment upfront
✅ Re-export scenarios — goods moved out for export from a bonded warehouse don't attract import duty at all

What most importers get wrong:

❌ Duty is deferred, not eliminated (except for re-exported portions)
❌ The warehouse must be customs-bonded — a regular private warehouse does not qualify
❌ Warehousing rent and interest costs need to be weighed against the working capital benefit

If you import in large volumes with a staggered consumption pattern, this is worth evaluating before your next shipment — not after duty has already been paid in full.

📩 DM us or reach out via our website.

Customs Dictionary, Part 2 — Charges & Costs.Four charges that show up on your port bill — often confused as one combine...
17/06/2026

Customs Dictionary, Part 2 — Charges & Costs.

Four charges that show up on your port bill — often confused as one combined "port charge." They are not.

💰 Demurrage — charged by the shipping line. Container sitting AT the port beyond free days.

💰 Detention — also charged by the shipping line. Container sitting OUTSIDE the port (at your factory/warehouse), not returned in time.

💰 Ground Rent — storage charge for occupying space at the port, terminal, or CFS. If your cargo moves to a CFS for examination, the CFS charges its own ground rent — separate from the port. Paid to whichever facility is physically holding your cargo, not the shipping line.

💰 THC (Terminal Handling Charges) — fee for moving the container within the terminal. Applies to every shipment, no delay needed.

Each has a different payee, a different trigger, and a different way to reduce it.

Save this for reference. Part 3 next week — duty types: BCD, IGST, ADD, CVD, Cess.

A container reaches JNPT two days late. The exporter assumes it was a customs delay.The real reason — cargo left the fac...
16/06/2026

A container reaches JNPT two days late. The exporter assumes it was a customs delay.

The real reason — cargo left the factory late. Customs had nothing to do with it.

Here is where inland movement actually breaks down:

🚛 Trailer availability — factories in clusters like Pune, Vadodara, Ludhiana compete for the same trailer pool during peak periods. Book too late, wait for the next available trailer.

🛣️ Route and permit restrictions — heavy vehicles have time-of-day restrictions on certain urban routes. Miss the window, wait for the next one — sometimes a full day lost.

📦 Empty container availability — an empty container of the right size and type has to be picked up from the depot before factory stuffing can begin. Not available = stuffing schedule shifts.

⚖️ Weighbridge mismatch at the factory gate — declared weight (VGM) must match actual weight. A mismatch means re-weighing before the trailer even leaves.

None of this is a customs problem. All of it affects whether your cargo makes the vessel cut-off.

A missed cut-off means rolling over to the next vessel — far more costly than any clearance delay.

We coordinate inland transport alongside export documentation — so your factory-ready date and vessel cut-off stay connected.

📩 DM us or reach out via our website.

New series starting today — Customs Dictionary.Every week, we decode terms from your shipping and customs paperwork. Sho...
15/06/2026

New series starting today — Customs Dictionary.

Every week, we decode terms from your shipping and customs paperwork. Short, practical, no jargon left unexplained.

Part 1 — Import and Export use different words for the same thing. Here's the side-by-side:

📥 Import: Bill of Entry (BOE) → 📤 Export: Shipping Bill (SB)
Both are the declaration filed with customs.

📥 Import: Importer → 📤 Export: Exporter
The party responsible for clearance.

📥 Import: IGM (Import General Manifest) → 📤 Export: EGM (Export General Manifest)
Carrier's cargo manifest.

📥 Import: Out of Charge (OOC) → 📤 Export: Let Export Order (LEO)
Final customs clearance order.

📥 Import: Duty paid (BCD/IGST) → 📤 Export: Drawback / RoDTEP claimed
The financial outcome.

📥 Import: Destuffing → 📤 Export: Stuffing
Container unloading vs loading.

Save this for reference — Part 2 next week covers demurrage, detention, and other charges terminology.

Halfway through the year — a good time to ask: how is your import clearance actually performing?Most companies do not me...
12/06/2026

Halfway through the year — a good time to ask: how is your import clearance actually performing?

Most companies do not measure this. Shipments clear eventually, so nobody looks closer.

We are offering a free Mid-Year Clearance Audit for your last 5-10 shipments at JNPT, Mundra, or Chennai. We will review:

✅ Average clearance time + how many shipments faced examination
✅ Total demurrage and detention paid this year
✅ HS Code consistency across shipments
✅ ADD, CVD, EPCG — were duty benefits correctly claimed
✅ Recurring documentation issues

This is not about criticising your current CHA. It is about giving you visibility into a part of your operations most companies run without ever measuring.

We are a licensed CHA and NVOCC at Nhava Sheva, Mundra, and Chennai — handling Machinery, EV Components, Solar, Polymers, Scrap, Steel, Medical Devices, Electronics, and Textile Machinery.

Share your last 5-10 Bills of Entry — we will turn the audit around within a week. No cost.

You can also follow on Instagram to see more.
11/06/2026

You can also follow on Instagram to see more.

One of the most overlooked causes of import delays at JNPT is not a compliance issue — it is a document consistency prob...
11/06/2026

One of the most overlooked causes of import delays at JNPT is not a compliance issue — it is a document consistency problem.

Here is what happens repeatedly.

Supplier sends a commercial invoice with a vague description — "Industrial Equipment" or "Machine Parts." CHA files the Bill of Entry using that description. Customs officer finds it too vague to justify the HS Code. Query raised. Shipment held.

Now the importer has a second problem — the bank processed the LC against the original invoice. The customs query changes the document picture. The bank set and customs set no longer align.

What causes this:

❌ Commercial invoice description not reviewed for customs adequacy before shipment
❌ Product description commercially convenient but not technically precise
❌ Value stated in wrong Incoterms basis — CIF vs FOB mismatch between invoice and BOE
❌ Nobody checked consistency across invoice, packing list, BL, and BOE before filing

The fix is simple — review the commercial invoice before the shipment departs origin. One hour of preparation eliminates this entirely.

A customs-ready invoice has:
✅ Description specific enough to justify the HS Code
✅ Value in correct Incoterms basis
✅ All fields aligned with what will be declared in the BOE

Shipment coming up with LC or advance payment? Send us the draft invoice before it is finalised. We will check it for customs adequacy.

📩 DM us or reach out via our website.

Rubber imports look straightforward. They are not.Chapter 40 covers everything from natural latex to synthetic EPDM to s...
10/06/2026

Rubber imports look straightforward. They are not.

Chapter 40 covers everything from natural latex to synthetic EPDM to silicone rubber — and each has a different duty rate, different origin rules, and different valuation benchmarks at JNPT.

Three things to get right before the PO is placed:

✅ Classification — natural vs synthetic, and correct sub-heading
Natural rubber and synthetic rubber are classified differently. EPDM, SBR, NBR, silicone — each has its own 8-digit ITC-HS sub-heading. Using a broad or incorrect heading triggers a customs query at assessment.

✅ Certificate of Origin — ASEAN FTA benefit
Rubber from ASEAN countries can attract concessional duty under the ASEAN FTA. But the CoO must be in the correct format and the Rules of Origin criteria must genuinely apply. A rejected CoO at assessment means reverting to standard duty — with no recourse after arrival.

✅ Declared value benchmark
Synthetic rubber from China is frequently flagged for undervaluation at JNPT. A pre-shipment value check avoids an enhanced duty demand at assessment.

All three are checkable before the shipment departs origin.

Importing rubber or rubber products at Nhava Sheva, Mundra, or Chennai? Send us your product and origin details before finalising the order.

📩 DM us or reach out via our website.

Electronic component imports are growing fast at JNPT. So are customs holds on this category.Two issues cause most of th...
09/06/2026

Electronic component imports are growing fast at JNPT. So are customs holds on this category.

Two issues cause most of the problems.

Problem 1 — Wrong sub-heading in Chapter 85

Chapter 85 is one of the most detailed chapters in the Indian Customs Tariff. PCBs, semiconductors, capacitors, connectors, LED modules — each has its own 8-digit ITC-HS sub-heading with different duty rates.

Filing with a broad heading instead of the correct sub-heading triggers a customs query. The importer then has to provide technical literature that should have been ready at the time of filing.

PCB assemblies are particularly prone to this — classification differs depending on whether they are complete assemblies, bare boards, or individual components.

Problem 2 — BIS certification missing

Several electronics categories fall under mandatory BIS certification under the Electronics and IT Goods Order — including LED products and certain power supply units.

A BIS certificate that does not cover the specific model being imported is treated the same as no certificate at all.

🔴 Shipment held at JNPT until compliance is sorted
🔴 Certificate cannot be arranged after the container arrives

Both problems are avoidable before the PO is placed.

Importing electronic components or PCBs at Nhava Sheva? Send us your product details for a classification and BIS status check before you finalise the order.

📩 DM us or reach out via our website.

Address

Mayuresh Chambers, 4th Floor, Office No. 402, Plot-60, Sector 11, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai
Belapur
400614

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