Liaison & Transit Office, Ministry of Finance

Following signing of the Trade and Transit Agreement between the Royal Government of Bhutan and Government of Republic of India in 1972, the Liaison and Transit Office (LTO) in Kolkata was established in 1972. The office was created primarily to implement activities stipulated within the Agreement. Ever since its inception, the LTO has played a vital role in facilitating import of goods from various parts of the world to Bhutan. While the volume of import started with modest figures in the 1970s, currently, the volume of import runs in billions of Ngultrum annually. The LTO facilitates clearances of in-transit Third Country origin goods bound for Bhutan from the Kolkata Port, Haldia Port, and the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, monitors the movement of in-transit goods bound to Bhutan through the Indian territories, carry out clearance procedures of third country goods from the sea ports and the airport in Kolkata. The office also makes purchases for the Royal Government and dispatches them to Bhutan. The LTO liaises with Indian Customs, Port Trust Authorities of SMP, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security of India.