ICE Gate and How Does it Work?

ICE gate

The Indian Customs Electronic Commerce or Electronic Data Interchange (EC/EDI) Gateway (ICE GATE) is a government facility that allows trade and freight carriers, as well as other Customs Department clients, to file electronic documents. ICE GATE connects 15 different types of partners with Customs EDI via message exchanges, resulting in speedier Customs clearance and easier EXIM trade.

Advisories

In April and May of 2019, two alerts will be issued.

April 2019 Advisory: According to an alert issued on April 13th, 2019, ICEGATE customers can now amend their registered email ID using the Portal. Please download the Email Change Advisory by clicking here.

In May 2019, an advisory was issued: According to the advise issued on May 3, 2019, a digital signature is not necessary for registration on www.icegate.gov.in. IEC holders (importers and exporters) can now register at ICEGATE without using a digital signature. Registration is permitted with IEC and any GSTIN associated with it. Please consider the IEC while selecting a GSTIN. To access the advice, please click here.

Overview of ICEGATE

ICEGATE is an infrastructure project designed to meet the Department’s EC/EDI and data transmission needs. The Department provides services such as Shipping Bills (export goods declaration), electronic filing of the Bill of Entry (import goods declaration), and related electronic messages between Customs and Trading Partners via internet communication facilities (Email, Web-upload, and FTP). This facility is used by airlines and shipping agencies to file manifests, while custodians and cargo logistics operators interface with Customs EDI via ICEGATE for cargo and logistics-related information. Furthermore, data is shared between Customs and other regulatory and licencing bodies such as the DGFT, RBI, Ministry of Steel, and DGCIS. The Directorate of Valuation uses the Export Commodity Database (ECDB) and the National Import Database (NIDB).

Every electronic document and communication handled by ICEGATE is processed at the Customs level by the Indian Customs EDI System, which is now operational at 134 customs stations. The Department has begun to centralise its infrastructure, and all customs sites have been migrated to converged infrastructure housed at the Data Centre over an MPLS-based WAN.

Other Providers

• In addition to e-filing, ICEGATE offers e-payment, online IPR registration, online verification of DEPB/DES/EPCG licences, Document Tracking status at Customs EDI, IE code status, PAN-based CHA data, and links to other important websites/information about the Customs business.
• It offers a 24-hour helpline to its commercial partners.
• To ensure safe filing, the system employs digital signatures on the Bill of Entry as well as other documents and messages handled by the Gateway.

ICE GATE Advantages

• The ICEGATE Portal allows customs to respond to exporters and importers after assessing shipping bills and bills of entry. 
• It ensures that the declaration filed through digital signatures is allocated by customs, acting as a Certification Authority under the IT Act, 2000, and will not be rendered invalid.

Registration for ICE GATE

invoices of Entry, shipping invoices, and other papers can be filed through ICEGATE. Log in to the ICEGATE portal and then click on the registration link on the home page. The registration form displays on the screen, and the applicant must fill it out in order to register in the Portal. Following enrollment in the Portal, the following transactions are possible.

• Exports 
• Imports 
• Import General Manifest (IGM) 
• Export General Manifest (EGM)

To become an ICEGATE member, the CHA/importer/exporter must fill out the membership form in Annexure B online. To complete the registration processes, members must file and receive papers online via the Gateway 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The transaction fee structure, information, and mechanism of collection.

Authorized Banks

Given below are the authorized banks to make E-payments through ICEGATE.

1. State Bank of India
2. Punjab National Bank
3. Bank of India
4. Indian Bank
5. UCO Bank
6. Union Bank of India
7. Bank of Maharashtra
8. Corporation Bank
9. IDBI Bank
10. Bank of Baroda
11. Canara Bank
12. Indian Overseas Bank
13. Central Bank of India
14. Vijaya Bank

Document Storage Facility

This Portal is available to all exporters/importers, Custom House agencies, airlines, shipping agencies, and trade members. For the time being, trade members can submit documents through service centres and floppy discs.

Users of RES

The National Information Centre Portal hosts the RES package. The RES package’s operation, known as the technique to construct B/E and S/B, is the same as filing on the ICEGATE. The filing of papers, however, differs from ICEGATE. If trade members do not want to utilise the RES package provided by NIC and instead want to construct their own software to prepare Shipping Bills/Bills of Entry for filing on ICEGATE, they can refer to the Message Implementation Guidelines provided in the Portal.

Non-RES Customers

The trading partners must develop their communications in accordance with the messaging criteria. These recommendations provide trade partners with information on message construction, validation procedures, and directory information. The message format provided here is comparable to that provided in the Message Implementation Guidelines. The recommendations include a few sample messages to help with comprehension. The created file must be delivered to the appropriate Custom Houses.

Mechanism of Transmission

Annexure A describes the transmission system for submitting electronic and associated messages to the Custom House. Trade members have two choices for sending papers to the relevant Custom House utilising ICEGATE. For their convenience, the trade partners select one of the possibilities.

How to Get Digital Signature Certificates

Certificates for digital signatures are no longer necessary. However, DG Systems intends to use digital signatures in messages with trade partners.

ICE GATE has simplified auto registration.

The government’s official web gateway is called ICEGATE. It provides numerous services to importers and exporters. Regular ICEGATE registration, on the other hand, necessitates a digital signature, PAN verification, and extra approval.

A new streamlined auto registration tool is now available to help simplify ICEGATE registration and entice more importers/exporters to register on ICEGATE. Registration on ICEGATE can be accomplished via the streamlined approach without the need of a Digital Signature Certificate or the submission of any extra documents.

The current article discusses the technique for auto registration on ICEGATE as well as the disadvantages of auto registration on ICEGATE.

ICEGATE auto registration procedure

The simple auto registration method on ICEGATE is described below-

1. Go to https://www.icegate.gov.in/index.html.
2. Under Simplified Registration, click ‘Click Here’.
3. Provide the following details:

• Enter the IEC (Import Export Code).
• Type in your GSTIN (Goods and Services Tax Identification Number).
• Enter Password (please note that an ICEGATE temporary password will be given).
• Fill in the Captcha and click Submit.

A collection of facts and things to consider when submitting data is provided below-

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