Severe penalties will be imposed on plane passengers if they provide false information about their luggage or try to bring in undeclared goods into the country.
Now air passengers will have to face penalties ranging from Tk 50,000 to Tk 1 lakh if they violate the law.
In addition, customs officials will seize any undeclared goods as per new Customs Act-2023 which will come into effect from June 6 this year.
In a notification, signed by NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Munim on May 30, states the provisions of Section 154 under the Customs Act.
According to this section, plane passengers arriving from abroad are required to declare their baggage contents to customs officials either verbally or in writing and must respond to any questions posed by customs officers. “Failure to do so will result in penalties,” the notification reads.
“If a passenger fails to provide accurate information about goods before a baggage search and undeclared items are found during the search, the customs officers are authorized to impose fines ranging from Tk 50,000 to Tk 1 lakh. Additionally, concerned goods will be confiscated,” it stated.
The Customs Bill-2023, which was passed by the Parliament on October 31, 2023, has replaced the old Act of 1969. The amended law has 269 sections but old law has 223 sections.
The new Act aligns with international agreements and conventions endorsed by the World Customs Organization (WCO), along with global best practices for revenue collection and trade facilitation.
Key measures included are authorized economic operators (AEOs), mutual recognition agreements (MRAs), electronic declarations, risk management, post clearance audits (PCAs), and so on.
Under the previous Customs Act of 1969, passengers providing false information or failing to answer customs queries could be fined up to three times the value of goods.
The new law aims to enhance compliance and streamline customs procedures in alignment with global best practices for revenue collection and trade facilitation.
To prevent any complications with container entanglement under the recently implemented customs legislation, it is imperative to settle the duty and tax obligations and retrieve goods from the port within 10 days of customs clearance. Failure to do so will result in a 10 percent interest charge on the outstanding amount.
