Sri Lankan Customs Clearance Issues

[Walter White]

What if someone sends me an Aipod? It's not direct buying but as a gift

Customs don't care about particular items gifted or not.
Either way approvals need to be obtain if required.

Please refer below.

Usually APPLE IPOD TOUCH / I-POD TOUCH 18 GB / APPLE iPOD TOUCH MP3 PLAYER declared under HS Code 84713090 and that HSC doesn't required ICL or TRC approval.

 

[Hunter4U]

Customs don't care about particular items gifted or not.
Either way approvals need to be obtain if required.

Please refer below.

View attachment 103853

Usually APPLE IPOD TOUCH / I-POD TOUCH 18 GB / APPLE iPOD TOUCH MP3 PLAYER declared under HS Code 84713090 and that HSC doesn't required ICL or TRC approval.

Thanks, bro, one more thing, Any idea how much will be the tax? (Item cost around 250USD)

 

[SadSandun]

Most of these custom guys earn through this type of work. But if you have documents they release. But most cases they dispute HS codes. Some of the HS codes used by Sri Lanka customer are very strange. Example. Solar Panels, they have HS codes under DC motors and generators.

 

[Skull2018]

Please advise the HS CODE or correct item name..

I can check with Customs today whether approvals required or not.

8471. 30.90 . ICL is not required.Import export department confirmed me via mail. So I’m gonna print this email an gonna submit to Customs. I don’t know what will their response .

 

[Walter White]

Thanks, bro, one more thing, Any idea how much will be the tax? (Item cost around 250USD)

CID : 0%
VAT : Ex
PAL : 5%

Then around LKR 3,500/- including CIF value.

8471. 30.90 . ICL is not required.Import export department confirmed me via mail. So I’m gonna print this email an gonna submit to Customs. I don’t know what will their response .

Get a print of that confirmation and visit to the detained branch. They will guide you. You can pay the relevant duty there and clear the goods over the counter.
Also tell them that these items only for the in-house use, not for the commercial purposes.

 

[Skull2018]

I want to give the update on this issue. I’ve Finally received my package. It took 35 days. I didn’t take ICL and not paid cent for TRCL. I got email confirmation from both department stated that ICL and TRCL approval is not required for custom clearance. Our dump Custom department/Officers may know this well. But they are trying rip off poor People and clearing Agents also so dump . They have zero knowledge on this clearance process. They should know what documents required to clear particular item from Customs. They may also delay this custom clearance to charge extra warehouse charges. In my case I got 19,000 LKR bill as warehouse charges. I never pay this as I imported from Amazon. No need to pay extra. If i import this through parcel forwarding companies, think about that. I never recommended fedex and Ups. DHL is fairly better I guess.

 

[pranathlcp]

I want to give the update on this issue. I’ve Finally received my package. It took 35 days. I didn’t take ICL and not paid cent for TRCL. I got email confirmation from both department stated that ICL and TRCL approval is not required for custom clearance. Our dump Custom department/Officers may know this well. But they are trying rip off poor People and clearing Agents also so dump . They have zero knowledge on this clearance process. They should know what documents required to clear particular item from Customs. They may also delay this custom clearance to charge extra warehouse charges. In my case I got 19,000 LKR bill as warehouse charges. I never pay this as I imported from Amazon. No need to pay extra. If i import this through parcel forwarding companies, think about that. I never recommended fedex and Ups. DHL is fairly better I guess.

LKR 19,000 as warehouse charges? Good that you got it directly from Amazon then. In that case, DHL is far better since they did not charge me a warehouse charge even though they also took 31 days to process the clearance and delivery. However, the TRCSL approval was required and the ICL was not required.

By the way, you will have to fill this form since the operators have now started sending out messages to people who do not have TRCSL approved devices. Apparently and as per the information given by TRCSL, the approaval which they given when clearing a phone is just an approval for the sake of clearance. In addition to that, we should also fill this particular form in order to ensure that the device stays usable within the Sri Lankan operators.

 

[TechnWeb]

2 yrs vage kalin phone ekak genath postal eken podi ganak dala ethaninma dunna. velava thama

 

[sandeepasa]

You don't need to have the shipping documents in your possession to apply for the TRCSL approval. The invoice provided by the seller and the airway bill number are sufficient for applying for the TRCSL approval. I don't know about the process of ICL though. In my case, the TRCSL delay was acceptable and the longest delay has been caused by the customs so far.

At the same time, we also need to understand the impact caused by the pandemic on the work-process of the customs. It must not be an easy task, but having to wait for almost a month to clear an item via an expedited shipping method (after paying $45 for shipping alone), is not an entirely acceptable scenario. I am all okay with paying taxes for these electronic items as long as there is a hassle-free process for clearing the items.

Can you share me the contact details (email and a phone number if you have) of TRCSL. A mobile phone sent for me as a gift is in-transit now. I think its better to apply for the approval now itself since it may take about a week. Do I need to to provide any information other than model, IMEI No, BL No to get the approval? Is custom accepting a printout as the approval?

 

[pranathlcp]

Can you share me the contact details (email and a phone number if you have) of TRCSL.

Call either 1900 or 0112689345 and after they answer, dial the extension 4123. More information can be found in this link. Further, if you don't like to call, you can place an online appointment via Zoom or Phone. Just visit the website and the necessary steps are given there.

A mobile phone sent for me as a gift is in-transit now. I think its better to apply for the approval now itself since it may take about a week.

Yes, most probably the customs will require you to produce the TRCSL approval. You might also most probably need the Import Control License (ICL). To obtain the ICL, AFAIK, you need to have the TRCSL approval with you. Here's a link that explains how to get the ICL.

Do I need to to provide any information other than model, IMEI No, BL No to get the approval?

You will need to have the following list of items:

1. Application for Custom Clearance of RTTE for Personal Use <== Link
2. Seller's Invoice (I think that it's better if the letter is addressed to you and it's better to have the airway bill/tracking number mentioned in the invoice).
3. Scanned copies of either Driving License or NIC
4. Specifications of the Device

IMEI is not necessarily required.

Is custom accepting a printout as the approval?

They will send you a CC email with the required approval. The approval is also sent to the customs and the Department of Imports/Exports. DHL did the clearance on behalf of me and they were happy with the printout of the approval-email.

 

[DJnet]

Call either 1900 or 0112689345 and after they answer, dial the extension 4123. More information can be found in this link. Further, if you don't like to call, you can place an online appointment via Zoom or Phone. Just visit the website and the necessary steps are given there.



Yes, most probably the customs will require you to produce the TRCSL approval. You might also most probably need the Import Control License (ICL). To obtain the ICL, AFAIK, you need to have the TRCSL approval with you. Here's a link that explains how to get the ICL.



You will need to have the following list of items:

1. Application for Custom Clearance of RTTE for Personal Use <== Link
2. Seller's Invoice (I think that it's better if the letter is addressed to you and it's better to have the airway bill/tracking number mentioned in the invoice).
3. Scanned copies of either Driving License or NIC
4. Specifications of the Device

IMEI is not necessarily required.



They will send you a CC email with the required approval. The approval is also sent to the customs and the Department of Imports/Exports. DHL did the clearance on behalf of me and they were happy with the printout of the approval-email.

This is gold. Thanks for sharing bro. WIll be useful to many people. I was planning to get a Pixel 5 but this seems like too much work. WIll probably wait till the phone becomes available here.

 

[IMMuhandiram]

Good

 

[Skull2018]

Importing phone is not a good idea unless you have contacts in Customs. Otherwise too much approval required to release your device. The delay definitely cost you. That’s depend on your clearing agent. You need to get TRCL approval first then ICL. Once you received the shipping documents, you can apply for TRCL approval via email. Need airway bill , duly filled form ( download from their site) , commercial invoice. They will arrange you payment via online or bank deposit. Once you received TRCL , you can apply for ICL. Check ICL website. They posted notice recently how to get ICL for mobile import for personal use. You can directly get from their Colombo 1 office or via email. Email take 3-5 business day.

 

[sandeepasa]

Call either 1900 or 0112689345 and after they answer, dial the extension 4123. More information can be found in this link. Further, if you don't like to call, you can place an online appointment via Zoom or Phone. Just visit the website and the necessary steps are given there.



Yes, most probably the customs will require you to produce the TRCSL approval. You might also most probably need the Import Control License (ICL). To obtain the ICL, AFAIK, you need to have the TRCSL approval with you. Here's a link that explains how to get the ICL.



You will need to have the following list of items:

1. Application for Custom Clearance of RTTE for Personal Use <== Link
2. Seller's Invoice (I think that it's better if the letter is addressed to you and it's better to have the airway bill/tracking number mentioned in the invoice).
3. Scanned copies of either Driving License or NIC
4. Specifications of the Device

IMEI is not necessarily required.



They will send you a CC email with the required approval. The approval is also sent to the customs and the Department of Imports/Exports. DHL did the clearance on behalf of me and they were happy with the printout of the approval-email.

Thanks brother. This is really helpful.

 

[pranathlcp]

This is gold. Thanks for sharing bro. WIll be useful to many people. I was planning to get a Pixel 5 but this seems like too much work. WIll probably wait till the phone becomes available here.

No problem mate! It's not going to be too much if you're going to bring it through DHL. They'll do all the hard work for you and in my case though, they misplaced my bank statement twice and it certainly delayed everything. That was probably a one-time case and unfortunately, I was the victim. Other than that, there's nothing to worry about.

Since Pixel 5 is not officially imported to Sri Lanka, I don't think that it will be available in the gray-market either because of all these TRCSL regulations and everything. In that case, personally importing the device is the only feasible and safe option.