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SaarthiCredit
Rows of gantry cranes working container ships on both sides of a harbour channel
How it works

From your call to cargo released

Master arrangements with the container freight stations, shipping lines and our banking partners are already in place. Everything on your shipment is an annexure to paper that exists — which is why this runs at the speed the cargo needs.

The sequence

What happens, and when

  1. Day 0
    hours 0 to 4

    Verify and sanction

    We pull the Bill of Entry from ICEGATE and confirm the assessment is complete and the duty payable. We check that your GST registration is live and filings are current, and match container and seal numbers against the shipping documents.

    You know your limit before anything is committed

  2. Day 0
    hours 4 to 12

    Paperwork

    Facility documents are signed. For Duty Finance this includes the pledge over the consignment and an insurance endorsement covering the stock where it stands.

    One set of documents, digitally signed

  3. Day 1
    morning

    Arrangements activated

    For Duty Finance, we issue the shipment annexure to the container freight station and the shipping line so the release is routed correctly.

    Your CHA is copied on everything

  4. Day 1
    same day

    The challan is funded

    Payment is made against your Bill of Entry. You receive the payment reference. Out of charge follows from customs in the ordinary course.

    Cargo cleared to move

  5. Day 2

    Release

    For Duty Payment, the consignment goes straight to you. For Duty Finance, it moves to the managed stack at the CFS and is released as you sell.

    Free days stop burning

  6. Day 3 onward
    to day 45

    Repayment

    Duty Payment settles the same day it is advanced. Duty Finance repays as the goods sell, with stock released against each payment received.

    You pay as you turn the cargo

What we need

Have these ready

Most of this is already with your customs house agent. Nothing here requires a new bank relationship or a property valuation.

The shipment

  • Bill of Entry number and port code
  • Bill of Lading and packing list
  • Commercial invoice
  • Container and seal list

The business

  • IEC and GST registration
  • PAN and company incorporation documents
  • Last six months of bank statements
  • Last two years of financials, where available

For Duty Finance only

  • Name of your CHA and the CFS holding the cargo
  • Details of the onward buyer, if the sale is already agreed
  • Existing cargo insurance policy
Questions

What importers usually ask

Do you become the importer of record?
No. The Bill of Entry, the assessment and the out of charge stay entirely in your name. We never sign as importer. That also means your input tax credit on the import IGST is unaffected — it runs off your Bill of Entry as it always has.
What if my ICEGATE registration is not active?
That is one of the most common reasons importers come to us, and it is exactly what Duty Payment is for. A dormant registration, an expired digital signature or an unlinked bank account will stop a clearance even when you have the money sitting ready.
How is Duty Finance secured?
On the consignment itself. The goods are held at a container freight station under an arrangement where they are released against our written consent. We do not take a charge over your property or ask for a personal asset as primary security.
How quickly can this move?
Where the Bill of Entry is already assessed and your documents are in order, the challan is usually funded within one working day of sanction. First-time borrowers take longer because the facility documents and the CFS arrangement have to be set up once.
Which ports do you cover?
We are live at Mundra and Kandla, and can consider consignments at Nhava Sheva and Chennai case by case. Tell us where your cargo is and we will confirm.
Can my CHA arrange this on my behalf?
Yes, and most of our business comes that way. Your CHA already has the file and knows the timeline. We work alongside them rather than around them.
Container terminal at night, seen from above, with a vessel alongside under floodlit gantry cranes

Cargo waiting at the port?

Send us the Bill of Entry number and we will come back the same working day.

Apply now