MANU/CUCR/0007/2023

Ministry : Ministry of Finance

Department/Board : Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs

Circular No. : 07/2022-Customs

Date : 07.03.2023

Notification/Circulars Referred : Circular No. 36/95-Cus dated 10.04.1995 MANU/CUCR/0205/1995

Citing Reference:
Circular No. 36/95-Cus dated 10.04.1995 MANU/CUCR/0205/1995  Referred

To,

All Principal Chief Commissioners/Chief Commissioners (Customs/Customs
(Preventive)/Customs & Central Tax)
All Principal Commissioners/Commissioners of Customs/Customs (Preventive)
All Principal Directors General/Directors General, under CBIC.

Madam/Sir,

Boarding functions- Improving transparency using boarding Jacket fitted with Body Worn Camera (BWC) having video/audio recording facility by Boarding Officer

Kind attention of field formations is drawn to relevant instructions in the Customs Preventive Manual 1987, Circular No. 36/95-Cus dated 10.04.1995 and 25/2016-Customs dated 23.06.2016 whereby Board had issued guidelines relating to boarding of vessels by Customs Officers.

2.1 It is well known that all vessels arriving into the country report their arrival to the Customs and Port authorities. The Boarding Officer/s are usually the first to set foot on any vessel entering the Indian frontiers and they are the cutting-edge functionaries of the Customs Service whose visibility extends to the shipping lines, terminal operators, logistic partners, custom brokers, businessmen, crew members/passengers, etc. The Boarding Officer acts as an ambassador of our country and is expected to seamlessly initiate and conduct customs formalities and procedures.