Authorized bank branch added to permit collection of foreign trade application payments for the Jaipur office.
Pursuant to paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy, the Director General amends the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I) by adding the Bhilwara Branch of Central Bank of India to Appendix-3, authorising that branch to receive payments towards application fees and related sums payable to the Office of the Joint Director General of Foreign Trade, Jaipur.

Inspection requirement for metallic scrap: Customs to apply 100% inspection where bill of lading is on or before December first and certificates issued.
Consignments of Metallic Scrap with a Bill of Lading dated on or before 1 December 2005 and for which certificates have been issued by the specified agencies shall be cleared by Customs subject to 100% inspection, in accordance with the procedures set out in the applicable customs inspection circular. The instruction amends the closing provision of the earlier policy circular and is issued with DGFT approval.

Temporary suspension of pre-shipment inspection agencies: certificates from listed firms not accepted pending investigation and full inspection.
Temporary suspension of specified Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) agencies is imposed because reports indicate issuance of false certificates and recovery of ammunition in some imported metal scrap consignments. Certificates from those agencies will not be accepted by Customs pending a thorough investigation and conclusions through due process. Existing consignments with certificates from the listed agencies meeting the bill of lading condition will be cleared only after full physical inspection under applicable Customs procedure.

Advance licence tie-up agreements allow intermediate supply applications; e commerce exports accepted from EDI file with hard copy deadline.
Applications for grant of an advance licence or DFRC for intermediate supply may be made based on a tie-up agreement with an exporter or deemed exporter holding an advance licence or DFRC, and the licensing authority shall consider such requests. For e-commerce applications, exports or supplies made from the date of the EDI-generated file number for an advance licence may be accepted provided the hard copy is submitted within three months.

Certificate of Origin authorization expanded to add specified agencies for non preferential issuance, including tea export inspectors.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I) to add specified entities to the list of agencies authorised to issue Certificate of Origin - Non Preferential, including two Maharashtra trade associations for general certification and multiple laboratories, research bodies and inspection firms authorised specifically to issue non preferential origin certificates for export of tea in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

EDI filing requirements require specific software and drivers to be installed for successful application submission.
Filing through EDI requires installing Microsoft Data Access Components to create MSADO15.DLL in the System\ado directory, installing the latest Java Virtual Machine, placing NCODEFS.DLL and CAPICOM.DLL in the Exim folder, and optionally updating digital signature token drivers; a system restart is recommended. Exporters should follow these steps and may contact the NIC officer at JDGFT Pune for assistance if problems continue.

Document requirement change for Vishesh Krishi Upaj Yojana: Bill of Export accepted for land exports instead of Shipping Bill
Amendment to Sl. No. 2 of Sub-Section VIII of the Aayaat Niryat Form modifies the documentary requirement for Vishesh Krishi Upaj Yojana: the Export Promotion (EP) copy of Shipping Bill(s) remains required, but a Bill of Export may now be accepted in lieu of a Shipping Bill for exports through land Customs generally, broadening acceptable documentation for land-based shipments when claiming scheme benefits.

Office relocation suspends public dealing; electronic filings allowed and hard copies accepted after reopening.
Office relocation requires dismantling and reinstallation of V-SAT and LAN, causing an operational interruption; public dealing will be closed for four days. Electronic filing of applications may continue during the shutdown while hard copy submissions are suspended until the office reopens at the new premises, with new telephone numbers to be published subsequently.

Digital filing incentives: fee deductions encourage digitally signed applications and electronic fund transfers for fee payment.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade offers fee deductions to encourage electronic filing: applications signed with a digital signature and applications with fees paid by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) qualify for reduced application fees, and combined use of both electronic signature and EFT yields a larger aggregate deduction. The measure aims to promote automated filing, standardized document exchange, and greater use of information technology in trade procedures.

State Trading Enterprises Policy exempted for SEZ manufacturing and certain SEZ trading fuel imports, subject to other import permissions.
Sub para 7.20.12 is amended to provide that the State Trading Enterprises Policy does not apply to SEZ manufacturing units, and, subject to any other statutory import permissions, also does not apply to SEZ trading units importing fuel for supply to EOU or SEZ manufacturing units.

Standard Input Output Norms updated, adding chemical, food and plastic SIONs and revising numerous product input allowances.
The Public Notice amends the Handbook of Procedures (Vol.2) by updating Standard Input Output Norms, adding new SION entries for Chemical, Food and Plastic products and making numerous sector-specific amendments, corrections and deletions to existing norms, quantities, descriptions and footnotes; it requires compliance with specified input items and documentary conditions under the Handbook framework.

RCMC requirement expanded to mandate Shellac Export Promotion Council registration for minor forest produce exporters.
Amendment requires exporters of minor forest produce and their value added products to obtain a Registration cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) from the Shellac Export Promotion Council, supplementing paragraph 3.12 of the Handbook of Procedures and coexisting with the existing RCMC requirement for drugs and pharmaceuticals.

Coal input classification under DFRC clarified transferable when used in manufacture, not for power generation.
Coal that appears as an allowed input in the Standard Input Output Norms and is consumed directly in the manufacture of the export product shall be treated as a transferable input under the DFRC scheme rather than being subject to an Actual User restriction, which applies only where coal is used as fuel for energy production.

DEPB schedule amendment assigns specified export entitlement rate and value cap to machine cut glass chatons.
Amendment to the DEPB schedule replaces the Sl. No. 13 entry for Product Group Miscellaneous, Product Code 90, specifying that Machine Cut Glass Chatons shall have a prescribed export entitlement rate and an associated value cap per kilogram, effected under powers of the Foreign Trade Policy and the Handbook of Procedures.

Free Sale and Commerce Certificate available for non drug medical exports, valid normally for a two year period.
DGFT will issue, on application, a Free Sale and Commerce Certificate for export of items not covered by the Drugs & Cosmetics Act and used for medical or surgical purposes, subject to exportability; such certificates are normally valid for two years. Applications must use Appendix 39 with Annexure A and a self certified export order; items under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act require application to the Directorate General of Health Services.

Advance licence record keeping: mandatory Appendix 23 submission, three year retention and licensing authority action for noncompliance.
Advance licence holders must maintain and submit records of consumption and utilization of duty free inputs in the format of Appendix 23; such records are required for licences issued on or after 13.05.2005 and for licences redeemed in the previous licensing year, to be preserved for at least three years. Licensing authorities shall act against licensees for non submission, mis representation, mis declaration or defaults detected in Appendix 23 and must endorse such action on the redemption certificate. A Chartered Accountant/Cost & Works Accountant certificate and documentary evidence are required.

Certificate of Origin Non-Preferential: additional regional agencies authorised to issue these export certificates under trade policy.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I) to add specified regional agencies to Appendix 4-C as authorised issuers of Certificate of Origin-Non Preferential, expanding the entities permitted to certify non preferential origin for export documentation under the Foreign Trade Policy.

Alternative inputs under SION permitted for DFRC duty free import when usable in the exported product's manufacture.
Exporters may import alternative inputs listed in the SION on a duty free basis under the DFRC scheme so long as those alternatives are capable of being used in the manufacture of the exported product; difficulties in implementation should be reported to the DGFT.

One time exemption for exporters; unshipped goods must be surrendered to state Chief Wildlife Wardens after expiry.
Amendment to Public Notice No. 58 (RE-2004) revises paragraph 1(ii)(iv) to provide a one time exemption that is time limited; after the exemption period ends, exporters must surrender any unshipped quantity to the Chief Wildlife Warden of the relevant State under powers conferred by paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy.

Electronic DEPB registration removes pre-import shipping bill verification for exports transmitted electronically from EDI ports.
Paragraph 4.49 requires licensing authorities to endorse Shipping Bill numbers and dates, FOB value in Indian rupees and export description on DEPBs for non-electronic records, with Customs verification before imports. For EDI shipping bills transmitted electronically from EDI ports to DGFT, DEPBs will be sent to Customs at the Port of Registration via electronic messaging and registered electronically, and no verification of the underlying Shipping Bills will be required before allowing imports against such electronically registered DEPBs.