Airlines to mandatorily share international passenger data with Customs from April 1
The Hindu
Airlines must share foreign travellers' details with Indian Customs by April 1, 2025, or face penalties.
Airlines will have to mandatorily share details of foreign travellers with the Indian Customs authorities from April 1, 2025, and non-compliance can attract penalties.
All air transport service providers operating flights to/from India will have to register with the National Customs Targeting Centre-Passenger (NCTC-Pax) by January 10, 2025, in order to comply with the requirement, according to a communication issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
Details ranging from mobile number, and payment mode to travel itinerary need to be shared with the authorities 24 hours before the departure of an international flight.
On August 8, 2022, the CBIC notified the ‘Passenger Name Record Information Regulations, 2022’ under which airlines were required to share passenger name record (PNR) details of foreign travellers with the Customs department.
This system is intended to enhance interdiction capabilities of authorities as well as risk analysis of passengers.
In case an airline fails to share the data, the Customs department can impose a fine ranging from ₹25,000-50,000 for every act of non-compliance, as per the regulations.
The CBIC, in the communication issued last week, said the system to implement the regulation is being developed by NCTC-Pax and the latter's phased rollout is envisaged from January 2025.
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