Every Business Trader wanting to import pre-packaged goods for sales/distribution must apply for the import license in India to any of the following Authorities:
1.Director of Legal Metrology in the Central Government
2.Controller of Legal Metrology at the State Level
Suppose the Authority, such as the Director or Controller of Legal Metrology, accepts the importer registration application. In that case, it will register the designated Importer’s name and address and finally grant them an Importer’s LMPC certificate. This registration is valid for a minimum of one and a maximum of five fiscal years.
Therefore, if you are interested in selling pre-packaged goods in a state, then you must apply to the LM Controller of the corresponding state. The applicant must register with the LM Director at the Centre to sell the imported articles in multiple states.
𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞?
Some Indian States facilitate online LMPC importer registration. For instance, in Maharashtra, you can submit your import license application with the necessary documents on the Maharashtra Industries Department’s official portal.
Suppose the online facility for Importer’s registration is unavailable in your state. In that case, the applicant must visit the local LM Controller Department and submit his application in person. You can also hire a consultant to do the legal legwork for you. Find such third-party agents over the internet.
𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫
To receive the Importer’s LMPC certificate, the applicant must ensure the pre-packaged goods carry a necessary declaration with the following declarations:
1.Name of the Importer
2.Address of the Importer
3.Name of the Manufacturer
4.Address of the Manufacturer
5.The common name of the commodity in the package
6.Country of Origin of the pre-packaged commodity
7.Net Quantity of the item in terms of standard unit of weight, measurement, or number
8.Date of product’s Import
9.Date of product’s Manufacture
10.Maximum Retail Price of the commodity
11.Package Dimensions
12.Name, Residence, and Contact details such as contact number or email address of the person to be contacted in case of customer complaints
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The declaration on the package depends from product to product. The Importer must print the declaration on the package in Hindi or English. LMPC specifies rules on how the declaration must be displayed on the packaging. It also has detailed instructions regarding each information point.
𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐌𝐏𝐂 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚?
Suppose the import licensee does not possess the LMPC certificate or fails to comply with the LMPC declarations. In that case, the Authority can detain your imported packages. So, to save yourselves from the delays, expenses, and repercussions of a package’s seizure by Customs, attain your importer registration before the good’s arrival in India.
𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚
If the licensee violates any of the Legal Metrology Packaged Commodity rules, then the Authority can penalize them in any of the following manners:
1.If rules 27 to 31 of the LMA act are violated, then it will incur a fine is INR 4,000 to the licensee
2.For violation of rules for which no punishment can be employed as per the LMA Act, the LM department can slap a fine of INR 2,000 on the import licensee
3.If you apply for an Import LMPC certificate after 90 days of the business commencement, then the Authority will charge you a late fee of INR 5,000
The Authority can accompany the fine with legal action if the violation is not the first offense. Usually, it is the manufacturer who is liable.
However, suppose the name and address of the slated entity mentioned on the package’s label are not prefixed by the qualifying words ‘manufactured by’/’packed by,’ then the Authority will presume that the name and address belong to the manufacturer. The Authority will determine the liability accordingly.Learn more about manufacturing license certificate
To know more about Import License in India, connect with the Legal Metrology experts at the Registrationwala.
