Gulf Mitra – Terms of Service

1Definitions

• "User" refers to any individual who accesses or uses the Platform, including both Requesters and Travelers.
• "Requester" refers to a verified user who wishes to have a personal item transferred via a Traveler's spare baggage space.
• "Traveler" refers to a verified user who offers to carry personal items for Requesters while traveling — whether by air, rail, road, or any other mode of transport.
• "Platform" refers to Gulf Mitra, including its website, progressive web application, and all associated services.
• "Services" refers to the peer-to-peer matching, verified connection facilitation, messaging, and community tools provided by Gulf Mitra.
• "Delivery OTP" refers to the one-time password used as a digital handover confirmation between peers — it is a community trust mechanism, not a commercial courier tracking tool.
• "Crowdshipping" refers to the practice of leveraging existing travel plans and spare carrying capacity to help peers transfer personal items — distinct from commercial courier or logistics services. This includes both cross-border (international) transfers and city-to-city (domestic/intercity) transfers.
• "Travel Mode" refers to the method of transport used by the Traveler, including but not limited to: commercial flights, trains, buses, private vehicles, ferries, and any other lawful means of transport.
• "Cross-Border Transfer" refers to the transfer of personal items between two different countries, subject to the customs and import/export regulations of both the origin and destination nations.
• "Domestic Transfer" refers to the transfer of personal items within the same country, between different cities, towns, or regions, subject to applicable local and national regulations.

2Legal & Platform Role Clarity

3Eligibility

• Minimum Age: You must be at least 18 years old to use the Platform.
• Legal Capacity: You represent and warrant that you have the legal authority to enter into binding agreements under the laws of your country of residence.
• No Restrictions: You are not prohibited by any applicable law, regulation, sanction, or embargo from using the Platform.
• Truthful Information: All information you provide during registration and verification must be accurate, current, and complete.

4User Registration & Verification

4.1 Account Creation

• Users must sign up with a valid email, verified phone number, and create a secure password.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
• You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to your account.

4.2 Mandatory Verification

• Requester Verification: Government-issued ID upload, phone OTP, and email verification.
• Traveler Verification: All requester requirements plus proof of travel (PNR/ticket) and live selfie liveness check.
• Gulf Mitra reserves the right to reject, suspend, or revoke verification at its sole discretion.

5Prohibited Items & Activities

You must not use the Platform to exchange:

• Narcotics, controlled substances, or illegal drugs of any kind
• Weapons, firearms, ammunition, or explosives
• Hazardous materials, flammable substances, or radioactive materials
• Undeclared cash, currency, or monetary instruments exceeding legal limits
• Gold, precious metals, or gemstones exceeding customs duty-free allowances
• Alcohol or tobacco products (where restricted by law)
• Counterfeit goods, pirated content, or items infringing intellectual property
• Perishable goods, live animals, or biological specimens
• Pornographic, obscene, or illegal content
• Any item prohibited by the customs regulations of the origin or destination country
• Commercial goods intended for resale (this platform is for personal items only)

All items must comply strictly with the customs and import/export regulations of both the origin and destination countries. Users bear full legal responsibility for the items they send or carry.

6Responsibilities of Users

6.1 Requester Responsibilities

• Ensure all items are legal, properly declared, and comply with applicable customs regulations.
• Provide accurate descriptions and photographs of items being sent.
• Package items safely and securely for travel.
• Meet the Traveler at mutually agreed locations for item handover.
• Never pressure a Traveler to carry items they are uncomfortable with.

6.2 Traveler Responsibilities

• Thoroughly inspect every item before accepting it — you are the legal bearer at customs.
• Refuse any item that appears suspicious, improperly described, or potentially prohibited.
• Report any attempt to send prohibited items to Gulf Mitra immediately.
• Safely transport and deliver items to the Requester at the agreed destination.
• Maintain reasonable and fair pricing — Gulf Mitra is a community cost-sharing platform, not a commercial service.

Note: The "Delivery OTP" is a digital handover signature used exclusively to verify that personal items were successfully transferred between peers. It is a community trust mechanism, not a commercial courier tracking tool.

7Platform Fees

Gulf Mitra is a 100% free connection platform. We do not charge any fees, commissions, subscriptions, or hidden charges. The platform facilitates verified peer-to-peer connections only. Any financial arrangements between Requesters and Travelers (such as delivery charges or cost-sharing) are made directly between the parties. Gulf Mitra does not process, hold, or facilitate any payments between users.

8Anti-Money Laundering & Anti-Smuggling

Gulf Mitra maintains strict compliance with international Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) standards. The Platform must not be used for money laundering, terrorism financing, tax evasion, sanctions evasion, smuggling, or any other financial crime. We cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies, customs authorities, border control agencies, and financial intelligence units worldwide. Users found engaging in or facilitating financial crimes will be permanently banned, reported to relevant authorities, and may face criminal prosecution.

9Dispute Resolution

• Users are encouraged to resolve disputes directly through the Platform's messaging system.
• If unresolved, disputes may be escalated to Gulf Mitra support for mediation and review of the digital audit trail.
• Gulf Mitra is not responsible for issuing refunds and does not guarantee any financial outcome.
• Users who violate agreements may be suspended or permanently banned.
• For disputes that cannot be resolved through mediation, users agree to binding arbitration under the rules of the jurisdiction specified in Section 15.

10Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Gulf Mitra, its founders, officers, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) your use or misuse of the Platform; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any applicable law, regulation, or third-party rights; (d) any items you send, carry, or facilitate the transfer of; (e) any customs duties, taxes, fines, or penalties arising from your activities; (f) any dispute between you and another User.

11Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Gulf Mitra shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or related to:

• The use or inability to use the Platform
• Any failure, loss, damage, delay, or theft of items transferred between Users
• Actions of customs authorities, border control, or law enforcement
• Customs duties, taxes, import fees, fines, or penalties incurred by Users
• The conduct, actions, or omissions of any User or third party
• Any unauthorized access to or alteration of your data
• Service interruptions, errors, or security breaches

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

12Intellectual Property

All content, features, functionality, design, trademarks, logos, and source code of the Platform are the exclusive property of Gulf Mitra and are protected by international copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works from, publicly display, or exploit any Platform content without our prior written consent. The "Gulf Mitra" name, logo, and brand identity are registered trademarks.

13User-Generated Content

By posting reviews, messages, trip descriptions, or any other content on the Platform, you grant Gulf Mitra a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute that content in connection with operating the Platform. You represent that you own or have the rights to share any content you post and that it does not infringe any third-party rights.

14Termination

Gulf Mitra may suspend or terminate your access to the Platform immediately, without prior notice, if:

• You violate any provision of these Terms
• Your account is involved in fraudulent, illegal, or suspicious activity
• You fail to complete or maintain verification requirements
• We receive a valid legal or regulatory request to do so
• We determine, at our sole discretion, that your continued use poses a risk to the community

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings. Certain data may be retained as described in our Privacy Policy.

15Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. For Users located outside India, these Terms shall also be subject to the mandatory consumer protection laws of your country of residence to the extent they cannot be waived. Any disputes arising under these Terms that cannot be resolved through arbitration shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in New Delhi, India.

16Force Majeure

Gulf Mitra shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing obligations due to causes beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to: natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, wars, terrorism, government actions, sanctions, embargoes, strikes, power outages, internet failures, cyberattacks, or acts of God.