Paper or paperboard made mainly of mechanical pulp (for example, newspapers, journals and similar printed matter)
Recovered waste paper made mainly of mechanical pulp
HSN 4707 30 00 (recovered paper or paperboard made mainly of mechanical pulp) is subject to import controls under Part D of Schedule III of the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016, administered by State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) authorised under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). Import is permitted only to actual users or to traders acting on behalf of actual users with a one-time SPCB authorisation, subject to document verification under Schedule VIII of the HWM Rules, 2016.
- One-time authorisation from SPCB
- Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate from SPCB
- Schedule VIII documents from MoEF&CC
- 1Obtain a one-time import authorisation from the State Pollution Control Board covering the quantity and category of recovered paper. The import is restricted to actual users or traders acting on behalf of actual users; consignments without a current SPCB authorisation are not permitted entry under Part D of Schedule III of the HWM Rules, 2016.Part D of Schedule III, Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 · Para 8(B) of General Notes of Import Policy · Rules 12 and 13 of HWM Rules, 2016
- 2Ensure the Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate (document code 856001) is uploaded in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. The customs proper officer will verify that document code 856001 is present in e-Sanchit prior to granting out-of-charge, including on PGA-facilitated bills not routed through the PGA for NOC.Schedule VIII, HWM Rules, 2016 · e-Sanchit document code 856001
- 3Verify that the waste paper consignment conforms to the revised guidelines and specifications for non-paper materials in waste paper consignments issued by MoEF&CC vide O.M. dated 10-01-2023 (F.No. 23/107/2022-HSMD). Non-conforming consignments containing prohibited non-paper materials are liable to re-export or confiscation.MoEF&CC O.M. dated 10-01-2023, F.No. 23/107/2022-HSMD
The most common error on this tariff line is treating the SPCB authorisation as a standing import licence reusable across multiple shipments. The authorisation is issued on a one-time basis per consignment; attempting to re-use a previously issued SPCB authorisation for a subsequent shipment constitutes an unauthorised import under the HWM Rules, 2016 and exposes the consignment to detention and the importer to prosecution. The non-paper material specification under the MoEF&CC O.M. dated 10-01-2023 must also be checked at source before dispatch, as contaminated waste paper consignments face re-export.