Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, on Friday released the fifth edition of the National Time Release Study (NTRS) during the CBIC Conclave held in the national capital. This flagship performance measurement tool, developed by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), offers a quantitative assessment of the time taken for cargo release, enabling evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of India’s clearance processes.
Since its inception in 2019, the Time Release Study has covered 15 key locations, including seaports, Air Cargo Complexes (ACCs), Inland Container Depots (ICDs), and Integrated Check Posts (ICPs). A distinguishing feature of India’s TRS is its use of high-quality data sourced directly from the Customs Automated System, managed by the Directorate General of Systems and Data Management.
Over the years, the TRS has evolved in both scope and methodology. Initially limited to assessing release times at gateway ports, it now includes transit cargo, courier shipments, and commodity-specific evaluations. The fifth edition has introduced advanced stage-wise and process-specific assessments, further enhancing the granularity and reliability of its findings. Notably, this year’s edition expanded its geographical reach with the addition of Kochi Seaport, Garhi Harsaru ICD, and Jaigaon Land Customs Station (LCS).
In terms of import performance, the study reported a decline in Average Release Time (ART) between 2023 and 2025 at several major gateways. Seaports saw a reduction of approximately six hours, ACCs by five hours, and ICPs by 18 hours. However, ICDs experienced an increase of around 12 hours. Performance against the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan (NTFAP) 3.0 targets was also evaluated. The data showed that 93.33% of import cargo at ICPs met the 48-hour release target. This was followed by air cargo complexes with 55.03% of cargo released within 24 hours, seaports at 51.76%, and ICDs at 43.70%.
The improvement in timelines is largely attributed to the “Path to Promptness” framework, which promotes advance filing, risk management system (RMS)-based facilitation, Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) accreditation, and Direct Port Delivery (DPD). However, certain bottlenecks were identified, including delays in duty payment, query resolution, Partner Government Agency (PGA) interventions, and post-clearance logistics.
The study also examined export cargo timelines from arrival to final departure. Air cargo complexes and ICPs demonstrated the fastest regulatory clearance times, under four hours and approximately six hours respectively. In contrast, seaports averaged nearly 30 hours for regulatory clearance, with post-Let Export Order (LEO) logistics stretching up to 158 hours. ICDs showed regulatory clearance times of about 30 hours and improved post-LEO logistics to around 100 hours.
Facilitation levels were high across the board, ranging from 87% to 93%. The report noted that cargo characteristics played a key role in determining release times. For example, refrigerated goods moved faster through air cargo facilities, and factory-stuffed containers were cleared more quickly than those stuffed at ICDs.
