EPR registration for plastic packaging imports requires certificate verification, with one-year certificates accepted as non-renewable one-time registrations.
Registration on the Centralized EPR Portal is mandatory for importers of plastic packaging, packaged commodities, plastic raw materials, and intermediate materials used for plastic packaging. Customs officers are to verify EPR registration certificates and facilitate clearance of covered import consignments. Certificates stating one-year validity are to be treated as one-time Registration Certificates not requiring renewal under the amended Plastic Waste Management Rules, and are valid proof of EPR registration for import clearance.

Section 49 storage facilitates delayed air-cargo clearance, with timely importer intimation, expedited processing, and legally admissible waiver certification.
Imported air cargo delayed by Customs or statutory processes may be considered for storage under Section 49 of the Customs Act, 1962. Officers should promptly notify importers or authorised Customs Brokers of this facility, while Custodians must issue reminders where cargo remains uncleared and maintain communication records. Complete storage applications should ordinarily be processed within three working days, subject to necessary consultation and legal, operational, revenue, security and regulatory considerations. Detention or demurrage waiver certificates may be issued only where legally admissible, after verification, and must specify the relevant waiver period and process details.

Import container scanning exclusions apply to empty and international transshipment containers, subject to intelligence-based examination.
Import container scanning requirements exclude empty containers manifested by shipping lines at import and international transshipment containers carrying cargo not intended for clearance in India. Examination, including scanning, may still occur on specific intelligence from revenue intelligence or field formations. These excluded categories are not to be scanned even if selected through the National Committee for Targeting Cargo, subject to applicable central indirect-tax and customs instructions. Stakeholders must ensure compliance.

Customs-area de-notification confines cargo custodian and service-provider status to retained freight-station premises while existing conditions continue.
Partial de-notification of the Customs Area reduces the Customs-notified premises of the Container Freight Station from 94,325 square metres to 82,800 square metres. The revised layout plan identifies the excluded portion and retained area. Custodianship under the Customs Act and approval as a Customs Cargo Service Provider under the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009 are confined to the retained area. Existing validity, terms, conditions and obligations otherwise remain unchanged.

National Assessment Centre Portal centralises customs assessment information to promote consistent decisions, informed compliance, transparency and trade facilitation.
National Assessment Centre (NAC) Portal creates a common digital repository for customs assessment information, including NAC decisions, legal precedents, CAAR rulings, advisories, audit observations, and material on classification, valuation and related matters. The portal supports transparent access, consistent assessment practices, informed compliance and trade facilitation. Each NAC has role-based access to upload, update and manage information within its allocated functional domain and must regularly update the repository. Commodity issues raised for guidance or assessment uniformity before CCFC or PTFC require priority updating.

Pre-clearance verification for regulated health imports requires licences, matching records, labelling, shelf-life compliance, and referral where discrepancies arise.
Customs officers must verify prescribed licences, permissions, registration records, invoices, packing lists, origin certificates, labels, storage licences, quality certificates and importer undertakings before granting out-of-charge for regulated cosmetics, drugs and medical devices. Documents must correspond with the imported product, manufacturer, licence holder, pack size and authorised quantity. Cosmetics, drugs and devices are subject to category-specific labelling and shelf-life requirements. Imports for personal use, testing, clinical investigation, small quantities and medical-device manufacture require the applicable permissions or manufacturing licences. Discrepancies or doubts require referral to the concerned CDSCO port office.

EMI scheme documentation rationalisation reduces application disclosures while retaining financial certification, eligibility declarations, and compliance safeguards.
The EMI Scheme application process reduces data disclosures and mandatory uploads while retaining core eligibility, financial and compliance checks. Applicants must provide identity and manufacturer or job-work particulars, disclose GST collection liabilities, financial solvency, insolvency status, net worth, net current assets, prosecutions and prior EMI applications. Mandatory uploads are limited to the applicable UDYAM certificate, a UDIN-bearing Chartered Accountant certificate and authorised-signatory authorisation. The certificate must explain negative net worth or net current assets. Applicants remain responsible for accurate declarations, tax-deposit undertakings and notification of changes affecting eligibility.

Sea cargo manifest compliance begins through phased electronic message filing, with stakeholder onboarding and no penalties during transition.
Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations, 2018 become operational through phased implementation of prescribed electronic messages in the Customs Automated System across ports. Stakeholders are expected to file applicable messages for cargo processing and clearance. SEZ units may onboard during the transition period, while field formations must conduct outreach, issue public notices, and coordinate resolution of system and policy issues. No penal action is to be taken during the implementation phase.

Brand rate drawback applications require risk-based verification, prescribed certifications, and final approval for determining the drawback rate.
Brand Rate of Drawback applications must be scrutinised by the Brand Rate Fixation Cell, supported by verification where required, and submitted with a clear recommendation for final rate determination. Original duty-paid documents are generally not required for post-facto endorsement, subject to risk-based random cross-verification. Sanction requires timely filing, completed exports, positive value addition, prescribed professional certification, shipping-bill declaration of the drawback code, compliance with applicable input-output and market-value conditions, and a verified drawback calculation worksheet.

Customs-controlled cargo movement extends to an additional rail operator, subject to segregation, verification, reconciliation, and indemnity safeguards.
The procedure for movement of domestic containers/customs-cleared cargo together with EXIM cargo between JNPT port terminals and hinterland ICDs/CFSs applies to Container Rail Road Services Pvt. Ltd. (DP World Group), subject to Customs control. Domestic and EXIM cargo must be segregated, container and seal details verified, and discrepancies immediately reported without further processing unless permitted. EXIM cargo must comprise at least 50% of outbound cargo, reconciliation must be maintained, and an indemnity bond or undertaking must safeguard revenue against misuse.

IGST payment for raw sugar converted from Advance Authorisation to tariff quota requires Customs EDI reassessment and challan payment.
IGST on Raw Sugar imported under the Advance Authorisation Scheme and converted to the Tariff Rate Quota Scheme must be paid through reassessment of the bill of entry at the port of import. The existing out-of-charge order is cancelled, tax is paid through an electronic Customs EDI challan, and a notional out-of-charge order is issued for GSTN transmission. Interest on the IGST payment is waived, and the process is available once per bill of entry. Input tax credit remains subject to statutory eligibility conditions.

Customs custodianship for port cargo requires compliance with cargo handling rules until import clearance, warehousing, transhipment, or export.
M/s. Apollo World Connect Ltd. is appointed custodian of imported goods landed at Kamarajar Port, Ennore and received at its container freight station, until clearance for home consumption, warehousing, or transhipment. It is also custodian of export cargo brought into its premises until export from that port. The custodian must comply with section 45 of the Customs Act, 1962, the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009, and applicable instructions.

Customs-area designation enables handling of specified imported container cargo and export cargo under prescribed cargo-handling procedures.
Customs-area designation applies to the premises of M/s. Marine Infrastructure Developer Pvt. Ltd. at Kattupalli for handling imported FCL and LCL cargo arriving from Kamarajar Port, excluding passengers' unaccompanied baggage, and export cargo until export. Import and export cargo must be handled under the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009 and applicable customs public notices.

International transshipment safeguards permit diverted bulk cargo storage and re-export under continuous Customs control, anti-diversion conditions and custodian accountability.
International transshipment of FCL and LCL cargo is permitted through seaports, international airports and other Customs stations, subject to Customs compliance and priority verification. Diverted liquid bulk, break bulk and solid/dry bulk cargo may be temporarily unloaded, stored and onward transshipped or re-exported under Customs supervision, approved-custodian custody, inventory controls, testing, quantity verification and suitable bonds or undertakings. Such cargo must remain under Customs control and cannot enter home consumption or the Domestic Tariff Area. Multi-station movement requires prior consent, secure-storage verification and Customs-controlled transport.

Single electronic customs bonds enable nationwide obligation coverage, digital execution and bank guarantee linkage while restricting manual filing.
"Ekal Anubandh" enables importers and exporters to execute a Single All-India Multi-Purpose Electronic Bond through ICEGATE instead of separate transaction-wise customs bonds. Users may select applicable obligations, upload supporting documents, pay stamp duty electronically and complete Aadhaar-based e-signing through NeSL after customs approval. Electronic bank guarantees issued by NeSL-integrated banks may be linked to electronic or physical bonds after validation of the applicant, authorised signatory and bond reference. Manual bonds and guarantees remain an exceptional interim option for documented technical failures, subject to prior approval and limited permissions.

SCMTR-based manifest amendments become mandatory as supplementary import and export general manifest filings are permanently disabled.
Sea Cargo Manifest and Transshipment Regulations compliance requires all cargo and manifest amendments to be filed through prescribed SCMTR amendment messages from 12 August 2026. Supplementary Import General Manifest and Export General Manifest filings are permanently disabled from that date. Sea carriers, shipping lines, agents, transshippers, terminal operators, custodians, freight forwarders, importers, exporters and customs brokers must ensure that their systems and processes are enabled for SCMTR-based filing and amendment.

Compulsory registration for Television Sets under IS 18112:2022 receives an extended compliance implementation timeline.
Compulsory registration compliance for Television Sets under IS 18112:2022 under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021 has been deferred. The implementation date has been extended from 26 July 2026 to 26 January 2027. Customs formations are to sensitise officers regarding the revised timeline and report any implementation difficulties to the Board.

Customs-area and custodianship continuity follows the CFS name change, preserving prior cargo-handling duties, liabilities, and statutory obligations.
The Customs Area and custodianship status of the container freight station previously operating as M/s. APM Terminals India Private Limited continue under its changed name, M/s. Maersk Logistics & Services India Private Limited. The revised name must be used in Customs Department documentation. The existing Customs Area designation and custodianship for import and export cargo remain unchanged, and the custodian continues to bear responsibility for pending litigation, statutory obligations, tax disputes, show-cause notices, and arrears under its former name.

Risk-based postal import clearance requires electronic presentation, targeted examination, consolidated document requests, and duty-paid release through the FPO application.
Personal postal imports through Foreign Post Offices are processed through the FPO Import Application using risk-based assessment and system-based facilitation. Postal authorities must electronically present imported articles on arrival. Physical examination is limited to risk-selected or otherwise identified articles, with reasons recorded for examination of facilitated articles. Additional documents may be sought through a specific and consolidated Document Call Letter. Clearance is issued after assessment and Customs formalities, and delivery is prohibited until clearance is authorised and applicable Customs duty is paid or realised.

Standardised deficiency memos for customs drawback claims must follow the prescribed format, promoting uniformity, transparency and timely processing.
Deficiency memos for drawback claims under Section 74 of the Customs Act, 1962 must use the standardised format prescribed in Annexure-I to CBIC Circular No. 31/2026-Customs. Immediate adoption is required for all such claims to ensure uniformity, transparency and timely disposal. Supervisory officers must sensitise staff, ensure strict compliance and communicate the requirements through official channels.