TRQ gold import eligibility requirements modified; manufacturer condition waived, aligning import procedure with finance notification.
Amendments to Annexure IV of Appendix 2A change Condition (g) for Gold TRQ under HS 7108 by listing six eligibility criteria for jewellery manufacturers-manufacturer status, engagement in specified ITC(HS) codes, an average turnover threshold, turnover composition or quantity linked to HS 7113 relative to TRQ bids (capped by annual allocation), GST registration with up to date filings, and CA certified audited financial statements-and the Public Notice waives the manufacturer requirement in Condition (g) to align with the Department of Revenue notification.

Extension of validity of ANFs and Appendices allows continued use pending notification of replacements under the new policy.
Extension of validity is granted for ANFs and Appendices issued under the Foreign Trade Policy (2015-20), permitting their continued use until replaced by forms notified under the Foreign Trade Policy 2023. The extension applies only where such older ANFs and Appendices are not inconsistent with FTP 2023 and HBP 2023, creating a temporary transitional regime for existing trade documentation.

Registration Certificate requirement for IPA imports imposes country-wise quantitative restrictions and quarterly allocation controls.
The Public Notice imposes country-wise quantitative restrictions on Isopropyl Alcohol imports for 2023-24 and prescribes online application procedures for Registration Certificates (RCs) valid to year-end, with a filing deadline of 20 April 2023 and disclosure of past imports. RC utilization is subject to quarterly review and adjustment: quarterly imports cannot exceed that quarter plus the next; over-utilisation is deducted from the following quarter while unutilised QR rolls forward; exhausted country-specific QR may be met from residual allocations of other countries. The Directorate may cap any single RC and modify allocation modalities.

EODC online issuance requires portal-based closure and RA updates; manual issuance prohibited, with automatic transmission to customs.
Issuance of EODC for AA and EPCG must be processed via the DGFT portal: AA closures may be submitted with validation (complete transactional documents) or without validation; EPCG closures may be submitted without validation. RAs may update licence status and generate EODC letters online, and holders may apply for EODC status updates on the portal. Online EODCs are transmitted to the Customs ICEGATE system in near real time. Manual issuance or issuance through legacy IT systems is prohibited; RAs must generate MIS reports from portal data.

Track and Trace system implementation extended for pharmaceutical exports; exporters must maintain parent child packaging relationship and upload data.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends Para 2.90A (vi) and (vii) of the Handbook of Procedure to substitute the earlier implementation date with a later date, extending the deadline for implementation of the Track and Trace system for export consignments of drug formulations. The extension requires maintenance of the parent child relationship in packaging levels and uploading of such data on the Central Portal, and applies to both SSI and non SSI manufactured drugs.

Amnesty scheme for export obligation defaults: settle by paying exempted customs duties plus capped interest to obtain EODC.
Amnesty scheme allows holders of Advance Authorisations and EPCG authorisations (subject to specified vintage coverage) to regularise EO defaults by registering on the DGFT website and paying customs duties exempted proportionate to unfulfilled EO plus interest, with interest capped at 100% of the customs duty liable for interest (excluding Additional Customs Duty and Special Additional Customs Duty). Upon submission of payment proof and prescribed documents to the Regional Authority, an Export Obligation Discharge Certificate may be issued; exclusions apply for fraud and related cases, and duties paid under the scheme are not eligible for CENVAT credit or refund.

Notification of Handbook of Procedures establishes the procedural framework under the Foreign Trade Policy and gives it operative effect.
Notification of the Handbook of Procedures, 2023 invokes powers under paragraphs 1.03 and 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy and, by Public Notice No. 1/2023, places the Handbook into operative effect as the binding procedural framework for foreign trade compliance.

Mandatory electronic filing transition for Non Preferential Certificate of Origin extended, online use optional until the extended deadline.
Extension of the mandatory electronic filing transition for Non Preferential Certificates of Origin on the Common Digital Platform to 31 December 2023; use of the e CoO system remains optional until that date and manual/paper processing is permitted. Designated issuing agencies must sensitize and encourage exporters to register for and use the online platform; guidance and Help Manual & FAQs are available on the e CoO landing page.

Export conditions for wheat flour now allow multi grain and fortified atta subject to composition requirements and proportionate wheat import entitlement.
SION E-136 is amended to allow export of Multi Grain Atta, Fortified Whole Wheat Atta, and Wheat Flour with Millets subject to composition thresholds (at least 80% Whole Wheat Flour for multi-grain/fortified atta; at least 65% Wheat Flour and 15% Millets for atta with millets), domestic sourcing of added ingredients, proportional import entitlement of Wheat under Advance Authorisation based on percentage of Whole Wheat Flour exported, and clear percentage disclosure in the shipping bill; all other SION E-136 conditions remain in force.

Registration Certificate for imports without Minimum Import Price enables controlled import authorisation and quarterly reporting requirements.
Procedure established permitting imports of marble and fresh areca nut from Bhutan without a Minimum Import Price (MIP) subject to prior online application for a Registration Certificate (RC) on the DGFT portal. Applicants must disclose prior imports under any earlier RC; the Directorate will determine maximum quantity caps per RC and RCs remain valid until the financial year end. RC holders must submit quarterly import statements and surrender quantities to designated emails, and DGFT may change allocation modalities or deadlines as required.

Tariff Rate Quota discontinuation for crude sunflower seed oil: imports under TRQ end and no allocations in next financial year.
Discontinuation of Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) for crude sunflower seed oil effective 01.04.2023: no TRQ allocations for Financial Year 2023 24; validity of TRQs for FY 2022 23 revised so imports under TRQ must have Bill of Lading dated on or before 31.03.2023 and such shipments may be cleared until 30.06.2023; duty exemption under existing TRQs continues as per the Ministry of Finance notification; deletion of the provision requiring deduction of un utilised quantities from future allocations.

Composition fee for Advance Authorization: prescribed slabs apply when extending export obligation period or regularising exports.
Amendment to Para 4.42 adds sub para (j) prescribing a Composition Fee regime for implementation of all PRC decisions that permit extension of the Export Obligation Period and/or regularisation of exports under the Advance Authorization Scheme, with tiered fees by CIF value of licences and a no refund rule for earlier paid fees, applied uniformly to past and future decisions to promote transparency and reduce transaction costs.

One-time relaxation for additional fee under EPCG scheme permits fee submission with EODC application to regularize excess duty.
A one-time procedural relaxation allows Regional Authorities to accept an additional fee to cover excess duty utilization under the EPCG Scheme at the time of application for the EODC, limited to cases where excess duty utilized does not exceed ten percent of the duty saved value; the measure is extended to EPCG authorizations issued under Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14.

Reopening of pending export incentive applications: authorities must re-examine merits, allow hearings and remand transfers to regional offices
Regional Authorities must re-open MEIS/SEIS applications pending for jurisdictional deficiency under Para 3.06 and re-examine them on merits with any additional documents, since both schemes are discontinued and file transfer is not feasible. RAs should afford personal hearings before rejecting cases, and requests for transfer of applications from DGFT headquarters are remanded to the RAs for necessary action.

Import quota restriction on pet coke imports enforced with environmental compliance and reporting requirements for licence allocation.
The notification implements judicially prescribed annual import limits for Calcined Pet Coke and Raw Pet Coke for 2023-24, requiring applicants to comply with environmental OM guidelines and to submit SPCB/PCC capacity and consent certificates specifying permitted monthly and annual quantities. Applications follow DGFT procedure with paid online submission by the deadline; unutilised prior-year quantities must be surrendered or will be deducted from future entitlements. Licences issued by DGFT Hqrs are valid only until fiscal year-end and imports must be completed and reported with consignment and bill of entry details; EFC will evaluate and allocate quota.

Pre shipment inspection agencies enlisted, equipment approved, and operational obligations set for PSIC issuance under trade policy.
Three agencies are newly included in Appendix 2G and recognised to issue Pre Shipment Inspection Certificates under Para 2.55(e) with a three year validity; annexed approved spectrometers and survey meters are specified. The notice also records additional areas of operation for four agencies and instrument additions for seven agencies, prescribes that notified PSIAs update membership and contact details within 30 days, and requires prior intimation to DGFT when inspectors are deputed to countries in an agency's area of operation as per Para 2.55(f).

Assistance in filing Standard Input Output Norms via daily VC facility enables trade to obtain guidance and expedite SION applications.
A permanent daily video-conference facility accessible via the DGFT website allows trade members to obtain guidance for filing Advance Authorisation applications for fixation/finalization of Standard Input Output Norms (SION); each RA session is attended by an officer not below Deputy DGFT to assist in ensuring application completeness and expediting SION fixation.

Nutraceuticals inclusion expands SHEFEXIL jurisdiction, making nutraceutical products fall under its export promotion remit for facilitation.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amended Appendix 2T to add nutraceuticals to the list of products under the Shellac & Forest Products Export Promotion Council's jurisdiction, thereby bringing nutraceutical products within the Council's export promotion and facilitation remit alongside shellac, lac-based products, guar gum, herbs and minor forest produce, effective immediately.

Advance Authorization conditions tightened for wheat flour exports, imposing pre import requirement, restricted sourcing, port and transfer limitations.
Advance Authorizations for wheat flour (Atta) under SION E-136 will be issued only to flour millers or exporters tied to flour millers as supporting manufacturers; exports are allowed subject to the pre import condition of wheat under the notified SION, with domestic sourcing, invalidation letters/ARO facility, and third party exports prohibited. Imports/exports must use EDI enabled ports; imported wheat is for actual user use only with no transfer permitted; a fixed Export Obligation period applies with no extension, and failure to meet export obligation or value addition targets attracts a penalty equal to five times the CIF value of the shortfall plus duty and interest, with Paragraph 4.49 inapplicable.

Paper import monitoring requirement: mandatory PIMS registration for notified paper imports, with narrow sample and non commercial exemptions.
Compulsory registration under the Paper Import Monitoring System (PIMS) applies to imports of notified paper products regardless of transportation mode, import purpose, or incentive scheme, including Advance Authorization, DFIA, IGCR, EOU and SEZ/FTWZ. SEZ/FTWZ/EOU units must register at import; DTA re-registration is not required on clearance if no processing has changed the HS code at 8-digit level. Limited exemptions include certain sample consignments meeting the prescribed FOB threshold and case-by-case non-commercial imports under a common IEC for individuals and government agencies.