Form 50 procurement Procedure For Importing/Shipping items into West Bengal

slashragnarok

In the zone
Form 50 is a way bill for importing items into West Bengal. Recently I bought NZXT Tempest Evo cabinet from Itwares, Mumbai and I was required to send them this way bill as the courier company they ship through do not ship large packages to West Bengal without this.

Firstly I required the invoice or bill for the item from the dealer(ITwares). Make sure the way bill contains your address (Kolkata, West bengal is sufficient), the dealer's name and address, name, quantity and price of item inclusive of all taxes and shipping cost.

Then I went to the dreaded Directorate of Commercial Taxes at Beleghata, Kolkata.There are regional offices for each region in West Bengal and the job may get done there but there is a risk of being referred to the Head Office. Also the top officials have their offices at the Head Office so better go there and save yourselves a ton of harassment.

Now my father is a trader and he knows the Sales Tax department inside out. I was accompanied to the office by one of his employees who knows a fair bit of the place. However we did not have to use any of his contacts there.

We went to the Joint Commissioner's office situated on the 6th floor and asked him the procedure. he was a nice man and told us to get a form 56, fill it in, attach with it a copy of the invoice, a copy of Photo ID and go to the 7th floor to the top official there (Senior Commissioner I think, not sure).

We did that and went to the Boro Babu. He was an equally pleasant man to deal with and he asked us what we wanted to import etc. An important thing to note here is that I specifically told him that the PC was for educational purposes. So I was required to show them some proof of my "studenthood". Luckily I had my College ID card with me. So along with the items mentioned before I also attached a copy of my College ID along with a declaration stating that the item to be imported was for personal, non commercial use only.

Then the Senior Commissioner signed my FORM 56 and scribbled some notes all over my invoice copy, declaration of Student status and the form. Then we made our way to the Unregistered Way Bill office. This is where individuals like us who are not registered traders get their Form 50s. Oh and by the way this is where I initially got the Form 56. I was made to sit at a bench while I submitted the Form. The people there were not too happy with the fact that I had not traversed the gauntlet of harassment and had got my form signed directly by a top official. :p

Then the actual Form 50 arrived. It is like a page from a fee book if you know what I mean. There was a white first part and two exact colorful copies with it. All the 3 parts had to be filled in with the same things. On the part where one had to write their VAT no etc was stamped across with a big "UNREGISTERED" sign. The colorful parts look much like judicial stamp papers. I filled this in, submitted it and sat down again while a man took it away to get signed by someone.

When it finally came back it had transparent stickers on the parts where I had written commodity name, quantity, price etc. obviously so they couldn't be changed. The man took note of everything in a register and then flashed an obliging smile at us. My dad's employee loudly suggested we pay him rs 50 but the man quickly took us to one side and in a hush hush tone told us to settle it at Rs 100. I gave it to him and mind you this is the least you can expect to pay. If you approach the wrong persons expect having to pay Rs 300+.

Tomorrow I will courier the form to the ITwares and get my cabby.

This is a rough draft by the way and I shall be editing this post as and when my detail memory serves me.
 

Skud

Super Moderator
Staff member
Very well written, slashragnarok. Your efforts are truly priceless for lots of people. :)
 

Tech&ME

Banned
Yes Its true, Govt. Office(s) works like this only atleast in India.

OP should join Anna Hazare, and run a anti-corruption drive in that Office. :) :-D
 

Skud

Super Moderator
Staff member
As if the persons who are making all these noises are all "dudh ke dhule huye". ;)
 

nginx

In the zone
Wow man so much BS just to import a paltry PC cabinet. This is why West Bengal never makes any progress compared to other metros. Its like the government can't do without knowing the details of every little thing we wanna import. Unless and until this FORM 56 and 50 thing is gotten rid of, online shopping will never take off in this state. And to think, there is also bribe involved with the process since clearly there is no standard amount which you have to pay. I bet payment is not even necessary, its something they take as bribe.

But what happens if we don't fill up this FORM 50? We don't get our imported product? Did itwares specifically tell you to submit it? Also, for which items this form 50 is needed?

Btw, thanks a lot for the detailed procedure. Its gonna help a lot next time I buy online.
 

Tech&ME

Banned
Wow man so much BS just to import a paltry PC cabinet. This is why West Bengal never makes any progress compared to other metros. Its like the government can't do without knowing the details of every little thing we wanna import. Unless and until this FORM 56 and 50 thing is gotten rid of, online shopping will never take off in this state. And to think, there is also bribe involved with the process since clearly there is no standard amount which you have to pay. I bet payment is not even necessary, its something they take as bribe.

But what happens if we don't fill up this FORM 50? We don't get our imported product? Did itwares specifically tell you to submit it? Also, for which items this form 50 is needed?

Btw, thanks a lot for the detailed procedure. Its gonna help a lot next time I buy online.


It is required for all IT (Information Technology) products imported to state like WB / Assam and North-Eastern States. / Jammu&Kashmir.

This is because this states share international boarder of neighbouring countries, like Pakistan, Bhutan, China, Nepal, etc.

This insures that the goods comes to INDIA through proper channel and are not smuggled into INDIA.

Also, there is NO fee for such FORM 50 / Road Permit for Educational Purpose but some little charge is there for Traders. Traders are required to give VAT, TIN and other numbers and documents while they import this items.

Some goods comes under CUSTOMS and can only be imported through customs.

Manufacturers like NZXT, Lian-Li, are thus not able to quote lower pricing in India due to customs duty and other chargers they incur en-route to India.

WB Form 50 Sample

WB Sales Tax Department
 
Last edited:

tkin

Back to school!!
Nice post, can't believe its such a hassle, I'll just stick with local shops I think.
 
OP
slashragnarok

slashragnarok

In the zone
It is required for all IT (Information Technology) products imported to state like WB / Assam and North-Eastern States. / Jammu&Kashmir.

This is because this states share international boarder of neighbouring countries, like Pakistan, Bhutan, China, Nepal, etc.

This insures that the goods comes to INDIA through proper channel and are not smuggled into INDIA.

Also, there is NO fee for such FORM 50 / Road Permit for Educational Purpose but some little charge is there for Traders. Traders are required to give VAT, TIN and other numbers and documents while they import this items.

Some goods comes under CUSTOMS and can only be imported through customs.

Manufacturers like NZXT, Lian-Li, are thus not able to quote lower pricing in India due to customs duty and other chargers they incur en-route to India.

WB Form 50 Sample

WB Sales Tax Department

For registered traders the process is very very simple. They have to apply for the Form online and they get it delivered to them via Registered Post. No hassle at all. But they have to sell the item and show proof of sale.

Wow man so much BS just to import a paltry PC cabinet. This is why West Bengal never makes any progress compared to other metros. Its like the government can't do without knowing the details of every little thing we wanna import. Unless and until this FORM 56 and 50 thing is gotten rid of, online shopping will never take off in this state. And to think, there is also bribe involved with the process since clearly there is no standard amount which you have to pay. I bet payment is not even necessary, its something they take as bribe.

But what happens if we don't fill up this FORM 50? We don't get our imported product? Did itwares specifically tell you to submit it? Also, for which items this form 50 is needed?

Btw, thanks a lot for the detailed procedure. Its gonna help a lot next time I buy online.

Payment is not necessary. It's just a bribe which you pay after you get your services. (which is odd as bribes are paid beforehand)

If you don't fill this form the dealer may refuse to ship your product. ITWares specifically told me to give them the form. They don't need it. Their courier service (DTDC/TNT) needs it. Smaller couriers may not ask for it. This form is needed mainly for large items like cabinet an TV.
 
OP
slashragnarok

slashragnarok

In the zone
One question: what about purchases from ebay?

Mitashi HT 50FU 5.1 Home Theatre Speaker System - 1YR | eBay

This is a link to a seller who requires you to provide them Form 50 and the following is an extract from the same link for people who are not interested in reading the whole page.

"I do not ship to West Bengal. Buyers from West Bengal, Please do not buy this item. Incase you send payment it will be refunded minus refund cost, if any. Why I do not ship to West Bengal? Buyers from West Bengal have to provide a Form 50 which has to obtained from the Sales Tax dept. and send it to the seller. This form has to be attached to the goods while sending them to West Bengal. No buyer till date has sent the from and goods are seized by sales tax and seller have to pay penalties / loose the goods. Till laws in West Bengal are changed, I will not be able to ship any product to West Bengal. Octroi if applicable in your city will have to be paid by the BUYER. Couier may also levy service charge on Octroi Payment. Octroi is levied in certain cities of Maharashtra, Thane etc. & Not in pooper Mumbai as seller is also based in Mumbai. It is the duty of the buyer to ascertain the rate of Octroi and other formalities relating to Octroi in their cities."
 

Skud

Super Moderator
Staff member
Thanks for the info. Laws will never change, so we have to bear with this.
 

topgear

Super Moderator
Staff member
@ slashragnarok - thanks for sharing your experience with us.

The procedure is not a walk in the park and is full of annoying complications and about the 100INR - it made me uncomfortable and I think it's better to stick with local shops ;-)

BTW, for what items we need this Form 50 exactly - can anybody list them - is there any rule like weight, size etc - looks like even importing for a small item such as a cpu Tim we have to go through the complications of form 50 and add 300 INR to the price of the TIM but if you are lucky you will get it even without form 50 ;-)
 

nginx

In the zone
@ slashragnarok - thanks for sharing your experience with us.

The procedure is not a walk in the park and is full of annoying complications and about the 100INR - it made me uncomfortable and I think it's better to stick with local shops ;-)

BTW, for what items we need this Form 50 exactly - can anybody list them - is there any rule like weight, size etc - looks like even importing for a small item such as a cpu Tim we have to go through the complications of form 50 and add 300 INR to the price of the TIM but if you are lucky you will get it even without form 50 ;-)

As slashragnarok said, FORM 50 must only be required for large items like cabinet and TV. I recently purchased my keyboard online from flipkart and didn't have to go through with this crap. The question is how do they define large items? Is there any exact size or weight of the product beyond which one has to go through all this hassle?


Mitashi HT 50FU 5.1 Home Theatre Speaker System - 1YR | eBay

This is a link to a seller who requires you to provide them Form 50 and the following is an extract from the same link for people who are not interested in reading the whole page.

"I do not ship to West Bengal. Buyers from West Bengal, Please do not buy this item. Incase you send payment it will be refunded minus refund cost, if any. Why I do not ship to West Bengal? Buyers from West Bengal have to provide a Form 50 which has to obtained from the Sales Tax dept. and send it to the seller. This form has to be attached to the goods while sending them to West Bengal. No buyer till date has sent the from and goods are seized by sales tax and seller have to pay penalties / loose the goods. Till laws in West Bengal are changed, I will not be able to ship any product to West Bengal. Octroi if applicable in your city will have to be paid by the BUYER. Couier may also levy service charge on Octroi Payment. Octroi is levied in certain cities of Maharashtra, Thane etc. & Not in pooper Mumbai as seller is also based in Mumbai. It is the duty of the buyer to ascertain the rate of Octroi and other formalities relating to Octroi in their cities."

I don't blame the seller or the buyer. Can't expect buyers to go through all that crappola for an online purchase. Defeats the purpose of online purchase in most cases if you can't make the purchase sitting at home.

If FORM 50 law is actually necessary for smuggling reasons, then the government should atleast provide a way for us to complete the formality online in real time. We can always scan our IDs and documents & upload them as necessary.


For registered traders the process is very very simple. They have to apply for the Form online and they get it delivered to them via Registered Post. No hassle at all. But they have to sell the item and show proof of sale.



Payment is not necessary. It's just a bribe which you pay after you get your services. (which is odd as bribes are paid beforehand)

If you don't fill this form the dealer may refuse to ship your product. ITWares specifically told me to give them the form. They don't need it. Their courier service (DTDC/TNT) needs it. Smaller couriers may not ask for it. This form is needed mainly for large items like cabinet an TV.

Well there you go. I knew it!! Nothing gets done in this shoddy state without bribe. My dad had to pay a hefty bribe to get the passport done for my bro too. Wonder if this bribe culture will ever end :evil:


It is required for all IT (Information Technology) products imported to state like WB / Assam and North-Eastern States. / Jammu&Kashmir.

This is because this states share international boarder of neighbouring countries, like Pakistan, Bhutan, China, Nepal, etc.

This insures that the goods comes to INDIA through proper channel and are not smuggled into INDIA.

Also, there is NO fee for such FORM 50 / Road Permit for Educational Purpose but some little charge is there for Traders. Traders are required to give VAT, TIN and other numbers and documents while they import this items.

Some goods comes under CUSTOMS and can only be imported through customs.

Manufacturers like NZXT, Lian-Li, are thus not able to quote lower pricing in India due to customs duty and other chargers they incur en-route to India.

WB Form 50 Sample

WB Sales Tax Department

Thanks for the clarifications man.
 

tkin

Back to school!!
@ slashragnarok - thanks for sharing your experience with us.

The procedure is not a walk in the park and is full of annoying complications and about the 100INR - it made me uncomfortable and I think it's better to stick with local shops ;-)

BTW, for what items we need this Form 50 exactly - can anybody list them - is there any rule like weight, size etc - looks like even importing for a small item such as a cpu Tim we have to go through the complications of form 50 and add 300 INR to the price of the TIM but if you are lucky you will get it even without form 50 ;-)
Got the cooler from itwares, no form 50 was needed, its just that when I received it it said "Dead computer parts" on declaration form, how interesting :lol:

Why this form 50 thing ?
Its a form needed to ship anything to west bengal from any other part of India.
 

Skud

Super Moderator
Staff member
I know that but what is the reason for this ?

Answer is here:-

It is required for all IT (Information Technology) products imported to state like WB / Assam and North-Eastern States. / Jammu&Kashmir.

This is because this states share international boarder of neighbouring countries, like Pakistan, Bhutan, China, Nepal, etc.

This insures that the goods comes to INDIA through proper channel and are not smuggled into INDIA.

Also, there is NO fee for such FORM 50 / Road Permit for Educational Purpose but some little charge is there for Traders. Traders are required to give VAT, TIN and other numbers and documents while they import this items.

Some goods comes under CUSTOMS and can only be imported through customs.

Manufacturers like NZXT, Lian-Li, are thus not able to quote lower pricing in India due to customs duty and other chargers they incur en-route to India.

WB Form 50 Sample

WB Sales Tax Department
 
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