SIMS is a licensing program applicable to steel importers. The Government felt the need to introduce a licensing program which would enable the maintenance of a statistical database recording of all the steel imports entering into the country.

Accordingly, SIMS was introduced with effect from 1st November 2019 through Notification no.17/2015-2020 dated 5th September 2019.

Any company importing steel items covered by the licensing programme must get a licence for those imports. This licence is available to importers, importing agencies, and brokers.

Iron and non-alloy steel cast ingots and semi-finished stainless steel goods, as well as ferrous products obtained from iron ore reduction and other iron-based items Rails, rack-rails, switchblades, crossing-frogs, point rods, sleepers and crossties, fishplates, chairs including chair wedges, plates and base-plates, rail-clips and bedplates, ties, and other material specially deployed for the purpose of jointing or mending rails are examples of railway and tramway track construction material made of iron or steel.

SIMS is a fully electronic procedure. Details have to be updated by the assessee in the website of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The relevant information should be registered with the SIMS whenever a shipment of steel is imported. There is no need for sending any physical documents.