SVB delivery is the industry shorthand for the final outcome the Special Valuation Branch delivers once it completes its investigation into a related-party import. Under Circular No. 05/2016-Customs dated 9 February 2016, what the SVB actually delivers is an Investigation Report, not an appealable order. That report goes to the customs formation that referred the case, which then finalises the provisional assessment. This distinction matters, because it determines where you appeal and when duty becomes payable or refundable.
In short, it ends the provisional assessment phase and gives related-party importers valuation certainty going forward.
When goods are imported from a related supplier as defined in Rule 2(2) of the Customs Valuation Rules, 2007, customs examines whether the relationship influenced the declared price. The SVB investigates and quantifies the extent of any influence, then delivers its findings as an Investigation Report to the referring customs station. Before 2016, the SVB passed its own order, which the assessing officer then mirrored in a second order. That two-order system was abolished precisely because it created multiple streams of appeal for the trade.
An SVB delivery resolves into one of two findings:
Note who does what. The SVB quantifies the influence. The customs station re-assesses and issues any notice.
The delivery brings the provisional assessment phase to an end, and the Bills of Entry are re-assessed on the finalised value. If the finalised value is lower than the provisionally assessed value, the excess duty paid becomes refundable, and the importer claims it under Section 27 of the Customs Act, 1962. If the finalised value is higher, a demand for differential duty is raised, payable with interest under Section 18(4). On finalisation the PD bond is cancelled and the importer is discharged from its obligations.
This is the practical value of a completed SVB delivery. The Investigation Report is valid at all customs ports across India, so subsequent consignments from the same related supplier clear without repeated valuation scrutiny. The finding has no fixed expiry. The three-year renewal requirement that existed under the older regime was abolished with immediate effect from 9 February 2016. The finding remains effective until the facts change, at which point the importer must declare the change in the prescribed format so the case can be re-examined if required.
Because the finding has indefinite validity, the obligation shifts to the importer to keep customs informed. You must intimate the department where the circumstances of sale change, where the terms and conditions of the agreement with the related seller change, where the product description or pricing changes, or where royalty and licence arrangements change. Failing to report a material change can undermine the protection the finding gives you. Details are published by CBIC.
At JPARKS INDIA, we take related-party importers through the SVB process to a clean outcome and beyond. We prepare the Annexure A questionnaire, assemble the Annexure B submission within the 60-day window, build the arm’s length pricing evidence, then handle re-assessment, the SVB refund claim where excess duty was paid, and bond cancellation. We also monitor for changes that must be reported. Having served 500+ importers and exporters since 2018, we make SVB outcomes predictable. Learn more about our SVB registration services or book a free consultation.
SVB delivery is the final outcome of a Special Valuation Branch investigation into a related-party import. Since Circular 05/2016, the SVB delivers an Investigation Report to the referring customs formation, which then finalises the assessment.
An Investigation Report. The older system, where the SVB passed an appealable order followed by a second order from the assessing officer, was abolished in 2016 to remove multiple streams of appeal.
Loading is the upward revision of the declared value where the SVB finds the related-party relationship influenced the price. The customs station redetermines the value and issues a show cause notice; the SVB itself does not load the value.
Yes. If the finalised value is lower than the provisionally assessed value, the excess duty is refundable under Section 27 of the Customs Act, 1962, once the assessment is finalised.
There is no fixed expiry. The three-year renewal requirement was abolished from 9 February 2016. The finding stays effective until the facts of the transaction change, which the importer must report to customs.
