Govt. notifies Aadhaar, PAN mandatory for Customs Broker License [Read Notification]

The Central Government has notified Aadhaar and Permanent Account Number ( PAN ) mandatory for Customs Broker License. In a notification issued by CBIC, Aadhaar and PAN mandatory for persons seeking a customs broker license.

‘Customs broker’ is a person licensed to act as an agent on behalf of importer/exporter for the transaction of business relating to entry or departure of conveyances or goods at any customs station, including audit. The licence issued under the regulations is valid for 10 years.

The Government also issued following conditions to be fulfilled by the applicants;

a. he is a citizen of India;

b. he is a person of sound mind;

c. he is not adjudicated as insolvent;

d. he holds an Aadhaar number;

e. he holds a valid PAN card;

f. he has not been penalised for any offence under the Act, the Central Excise Act, 1944 (1 of 1944), the Finance Act, 1994(32 of 1994), the Central Goods and Services Act, 2017 (12 of 2017) and Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (13 of 2017);

g. he has neither been convicted by a competent court for an offence nor any criminal proceeding is pending against him in any court of law;

h. an individual applicant or in case the applicant is a firm, its partner or in the case of a company, its director or an authorised employee who may handle the Customs work shall—

1. be a graduate from a recognized University; and

2. possess a professional degree such as Masters or equivalent degree in Accounting, Finance or Management, CA/CS/MBA/LLM/ACMA/FCMA or Diploma in Customs Clearance work from any Institutes or University recognised by the Government oris having at least two years’ experience in transacting Customs Broker work as G-Card holder;

(i) the applicant has financial viability as evidenced by a certificate issued by a Scheduled Bank or such other proof acceptable to the Principal Commissioner of Customs or Commissioner of Customs, as the case may be, in terms of possession of assets of value of not less than five lakhs rupees.