GUIDE — IMPORT CUSTOMS
How to check Bill of Entry status on ICEGATE
Three details, four clicks, and one status code that actually matters. Here is the process, what each status means, and why the Out of Charge date is the only one your detention clock cares about.
Running this by hand today? and we will show you the same thing on your own consignments.
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What you need before you start
A Bill of Entry is the customs declaration filed for goods arriving in India, submitted through ICEGATE before a consignment can clear. To look up its status you need three things, and all three have to match the filing exactly:
- Customs location code for the port or ICD handling the consignment
- Bill of Entry number
- Bill of Entry date
A wrong location code is the most common reason a search comes back empty. The BoE number on its own is not unique across customs locations.
Checking the status, step by step
- Get the three details you need. You need the customs location code for the port or ICD handling the consignment, the Bill of Entry number, and the Bill of Entry date. All three must match the filing exactly.
- Open the ICEGATE enquiry service. Go to icegate.gov.in and sign in with your ICEGATE credentials. From the dashboard open the Services panel, then Enquiries, then ICEGATE Enquiry Service.
- Choose Document Status and Bill of Entry. Select Document Status, then pick Bill of Entry as the document type.
- Enter the location, number and date. Fill in the customs location code, the Bill of Entry number and the Bill of Entry date, then search.
- Read the status against the lifecycle. Match what you see to the status codes below. Until the Out of Charge date is populated, the goods are not released, whatever else the screen shows.
Bill of Entry status codes, in order
A BoE moves through a fixed lifecycle. Knowing which stage you are at tells you whether to wait or to act.
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Filed | The BoE is submitted and waiting to be processed. Nothing to do yet. |
| Under Assessment | A customs officer is reviewing the declaration. |
| Query Raised | Customs has flagged a problem with the documents or the declaration. This one needs action from you — it will not move on its own. |
| First Check Order | Customs has ordered a physical examination of the goods before assessment. |
| Second Check Order | A re-examination has been ordered after the first check. |
| Duty Paid | Payment is recorded. Clearance is pending. |
| Out of Charge | Cleared. This is the only status that allows the cargo to move, and the date on it is what stops the detention clock. |
| Recalled | The BoE has been pulled back for re-assessment. |
| Cancelled | The BoE is cancelled. A fresh filing is required. |
Only Out of Charge releases the goods. Every other status, however encouraging it reads, means the container is still sitting somewhere and still accruing charges.
Why a Bill of Entry gets held
Most delays trace back to a small set of causes, and all of them are found at the desk rather than at the port:
- HS code on the declaration does not match the goods
- Assessable value disagrees with the commercial invoice
- Bill of lading number entered incorrectly
- A supporting document is missing or does not match the filing
A query raised for any of these stops the clearance until somebody answers it. Detention and demurrage keep running while that happens, and in India both clocks can run at the same time, which is why the gap between “query raised” and “somebody noticed the query” is the expensive part.
On the export side, the equivalent milestone is the Let Export Order — see checking Shipping Bill status.
Questions
What details do I need to check Bill of Entry status?
Three: the customs location code for the port or ICD handling the consignment, the Bill of Entry number, and the Bill of Entry date. All three have to match the filing exactly, and a wrong location code is the most common reason a search returns nothing.
Can I check Bill of Entry status without logging in to ICEGATE?
Some basic status checks are available through ICEGATE's public enquiry service without authentication. The full document status view, including query details, requires signing in with your ICEGATE credentials.
What does Out of Charge mean on a Bill of Entry?
Out of Charge means customs has cleared the consignment and the goods can move. It is the only status that permits delivery, and the Out of Charge date is the one that matters for calculating detention and demurrage.
Why is my Bill of Entry showing Query Raised?
Customs has flagged something in the filing. The usual causes are an HS code mismatch, an assessable value that does not agree with the invoice, a wrong bill of lading number, or a missing supporting document. A query does not clear itself — someone has to respond before the BoE moves on.
How long does Bill of Entry clearance take?
It depends on the channel. A BoE that is system appraised and not selected for examination can clear the same day. One that draws a query or a first check order depends on how fast the query is answered and the examination is scheduled, which is where most delay and most detention cost comes from.
What is the difference between a Bill of Entry and a Shipping Bill?
A Bill of Entry is the customs declaration for goods coming into India. A Shipping Bill is the declaration for goods leaving. Both are filed through ICEGATE, and the export equivalent of Out of Charge is the Let Export Order (LEO).
Checking this by hand does not scale
One consignment is a lookup. Forty in a week is somebody’s morning, every morning, and a query nobody spots for two days is a detention bill you cannot argue with.
Ahjam Cargo keeps customs status on the consignment itself, alongside the documents, the container movement and the invoice, so the desk sees a query when it is raised rather than when someone next thinks to look.