The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) released the National Time Release Study (NTRS) 2024 report on Friday. The Time Release Study (TRS) is a performance measurement tool designed to quantify cargo release times.
Cargo release time is defined as the duration from the cargo’s arrival at the customs station to its clearance for domestic use for imports and from arrival to the carrier’s departure for exports.
For imports, the study revealed that of the 15 ports analyzed, 9 saw a reduction in average release time in 2024 compared to the previous year. Additionally, there was a significant 50% reduction in release time for Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) and a 6% reduction for Airport Cargo Complexes (ACCs) in 2024 compared to 2023.
On the export side, the study highlighted that the time from cargo arrival at the customs station or port to its regulatory clearance, marked by the grant of a Let Export Order (LEO), has decreased for Inland Container Depots (ICDs) and ACCs in 2024 compared to 2023.
In absolute terms, the average release time for export customs clearance in 2024 was 22 hours and 49 minutes for seaports, 30 hours and 20 minutes for ICDs, 3 hours and 50 minutes for ACCs, and 5 hours and 28 minutes for ICPs.