New Delhi: India has removed the ₹10 lakh cap on export by courier firms and enabled the return of uncleared parcels to senders from 1 April, easing shipment constraints and improving turnaround times, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said on Tuesday.
The changes that were first announced in the FY27 Union budget are part of reforms to strengthen and streamline e-commerce exports and the broader courier-based cross-border trades, the CBIC said.
These changes aim to boost ease of doing business, reduce logistics inefficiencies and strengthen India’s global export competitiveness, particularly for small businesses, artisans and startups, it said.
Removing the existing value limit of ₹10 lakh for commercial export consignments through courier mode is expected to significantly boost exports, especially for e-commerce exporters. It eliminates the need to divert such shipments to conventional air or sea cargo solely due to value restrictions, the CBIC said.
Under the return to origin facility, goods that remain uncleared or unclaimed for more than 15 days and are not prohibited or restricted may be returned to the origin in order to ease congestion at courier terminals and improve logistics efficiency.
The government has also simplified the procedure for re-import of returned or rejected goods, including those relating to e-commerce exports.
Currently, to get exemption from customs duty on reimport of such goods, they were to be shown to be the same goods as exported. This made it challenging for both exporters, including e-commerce ones, and the customs department to verify each parcel.
These reforms are supported by system-based enhancements and process simplifications. The measures are expected to reduce dwell time, lower transaction costs and provide significant relief to exporters, logistics operators and other stakeholders involved in international courier trade, especially e-commerce, the CBIC said.
The measures strengthen India’s e-commerce export ecosystem and enhance the country’s competitiveness in global trade, it said.
Improving the competitiveness of cross-border trade is a priority for the government as it helps the country integrate better with global value chains and boosts domestic manufacturing.
