Export obligation regularisation: pay customs duty and interest, obtain RA closure letter to regularize adjudicated or appealed cases; reporting required
Applicants must pay outstanding customs duty and interest to Customs and submit evidence to the Regional Authority, which may close the export obligation default and issue a closure letter. The closure letter is to be presented to the Adjudicating Authority or Appellate Authority as applicable for final action. Regional Authorities must submit a monthly proforma report to DGFT recording authorization details, duty and interest paid, and dates of request and closure.

Correction of import description updates SION A-3504 chemical nomenclature under the Handbook of Procedures for trade compliance.
Amendment corrects the description of an import item in the Handbook of Procedures Vol II by revising the chemical nomenclature in the Standard Input-Output Norms entry at SION A-3504, replacing the previously listed name with the corrected chemical name for import item no. 1; the change is an administrative textual correction to the published SION entry.

Standard Input Output Norms revision alters leather input specifications and technical descriptions under SION entries G 7 and G 46.
Revisions amend Standard Input Output Norms (SION) entries G 7 and G 46 for leather products by deleting some inputs, changing descriptions and specifying technical details. Annex I and Annex II prescribe revised input lists and allowable quantities per 1,000 sq. ft. of finished leather, covering tanning agents, chemicals, dyes, finishing materials, transfer foil and miscellaneous items. The Notice states export product descriptions and permissible input quantities remain unchanged except where inputs are deleted, and imposes Actual User restrictions and prohibitions on specified substances.

Re-fixation of Annual Average Export Obligation allowed where sectoral export decline exceeds threshold; regional offices must amend EPCG licences.
Para 5.11.2 permits re-fixation of Annual Average Export Obligation where a sector/product group shows specified export decline; Regional Offices must re-fix the obligation for EPCG Authorisations for 2012-13, endorse reductions in licence files, issue Amendment Sheets to holders, and consider prior policy circulars under Para 5.11.2 before issuing demand notices, incorporating this requirement into the EODC check-sheet. A list of affected product groups is enclosed.

Primary packaging designation: mono cartons treated as primary packaging and require GS1 Data Matrix barcodes encoding GTIN, batch, expiry, serial.
The DGFT amendment requires 2D (GS1 Data Matrix) barcodes on medicines at strip, vial or bottle (primary pack) level encoding GTIN, Batch Number, Expiry Date and Serial Number, and clarifies that mono cartons containing strips, vials or bottles are to be treated as part of primary packaging for export consignments of pharmaceuticals and drugs.

Suspension of SIONs under Foreign Trade Policy powers; specified SION entries suspended via Public Notice by trade authority.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, invoking Paragraph 2.4 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2009-2014 and Paragraph 1.1 of the Handbook of Procedures (Vol. I), issues a Public Notice suspending SION A1143, A1170, A3627 and K134, thereby removing those specified SIONs from operative effect pending further action.

Import item description amendment replaces monomer term with polymer term, clarifying coating material and keeping quantities unchanged.
Import Item No. 2(b) description is amended to replace "Aqueous Dispersion of Vinylidene Chloride (Total solid content 60+/-1%)" with "Aqueous Dispersion of Polyvinylidene Chloride (Total solid content 60+/-1%)", reflecting that the polymer, not the monomer, is used for coating; export product descriptions, other import items and permitted import quantities are unchanged.

Incremental export scrutiny tightened; enhanced documentation, CA certification and specific filing timelines required for high growth claims.
Claims under the Incremental Exports Incentivisation Scheme with growth beyond prescribed thresholds will face enhanced Regional Authority scrutiny requiring evidence of manufacture or purchase, verification of suppliers' export performance, and any other evidence to justify growth and entitlement. The amendment applies Handbook procedural rules to affected claims for the specified benefit year, prescribes use of the revised ANF 3F, requires Chartered Accountant certification of exports and quarterly incremental figures, and confirms filing timelines and late cut applicability.

Border trade commodity description corrected; three wheelers and cars reclassified to include vehicles below one thousand cc.
The DGFT amends Sl. No. 22 of Para 2(iii) of Public Notice No. 30(RE-2012)/2009-2014 to correct a typographical error: the item is to be read as Three Wheelers/Cars below 1000 CC in place of the incorrect description Three Wheelers/Cars below 100 CC. All other provisions of the Public Notice remain unaltered.

Pre-Shipment Inspection Agency delisting renders the firm immediately ineligible to issue inspection certificates under trade policy.
Under authority of the Foreign Trade Policy, M/s. Geo Chem Far East Pte. Ltd. has been deleted from the roster of Pre Shipment Inspection Agencies and is immediately ineligible to issue Pre Shipment Inspection Certificates; the amendment updates the Appendix listing in the Handbook of Procedures and references prior public notices that had listed the agency.

Import quota allocation for rough marble and travertine blocks set with conditional authorisations and mandatory monthly reporting.
Allocation of import quantities of rough marble and travertine blocks is announced with a detailed Annexure of 539 applicants; RAs may issue import authorisations within a limited window, subject to verification. Applicants who submit false or erroneous information will forfeit the allocation, be debarred from future allocations and face penal action. Licence holders must file monthly import returns by the 15th of the succeeding month. Firms marked deficient must cure deficiencies within one week to DGFT (Hqrs) before licences will be issued by RAs.

Importer-Exporter Code misuse warns of suspension or penalty under the foreign trade regulatory framework for unauthorized use.
Use of Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) by any person other than the IEC holder is prohibited; Section 7 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act and Rule 12 of the Foreign Trade (Regulation) Rules together with Para 2.9.2 of the Handbook of Procedures confirm IEC validity for the holder (and its branches/divisions) only, with limited exemptions for entities using permanent common IECs. Unauthorized use attracts suspension, cancellation or penalty under the Act and Rules.

Proof of export relaxed for gold articles; gold consignments under customs bond may be released without bank realisation.
For exports of gold jewellery and articles of gold, the DGFT relaxes the requirement to insist on the bank certificate of realisation for proof of export; if the E.P. copy of the shipping bill and a customs attested invoice are produced and RBI/Ministry of Finance guidelines are observed, gold consignments under customs bond may be released without waiting for bank realisation. The three document proof requirement continues to apply to other exports, and the bank certificate remains necessary where export benefits are claimed.

Export through air ports permitted for finished leather, wet blue and EI tanned leather subject to sample testing.
Permission is granted to permit export of finished leather, Wet Blue and EI Tanned Leather through air ports in addition to previously authorised sea ports and ICDs. Customs may draw samples where required for certification and testing as per finished leather norms, and samples are to be certified by notified laboratories under the prescribed procedure.

Advance authorization redemption permitted based on spices sample analysis, with monthly reporting and sampling rules retained.
Regional Authorities may redeem advance authorizations for spices based on Sample Analysis Reports furnished by the spices testing board, applying to pending and future cases; RAs must submit a consolidated monthly report of such redemptions to the Norms Committee-IV, while sampling and analysis provisions remain unchanged.

e-BRC mandatory: backdated manual BRCs with amended issuance dates after the mandatory date are not acceptable.
DGFT requires electronic Bank Realization Certificates (e-BRCs) as mandatory proof of export proceeds per Policy Circular No.6. Manual BRCs bearing amended or backdated issuance dates will not be accepted where the original issuance falls on or after the mandatory effective date, to protect issuance date integrity and authenticity of bank-issued realization evidence for DGFT applications.

Export controls on finished leather: permit through specified ports subject to laboratory sampling and certification.
Export of Finished Leather, Wet Blue and EI Tanned Leather is permitted only through notified sea ports and ICDs; officials of the Central Leather Research Institute at those ports/ICDs will draw samples in the presence of Customs where required. Samples will be tested and certified by CLRI or other approved laboratories in accordance with the finished leather norms prescribed in the earlier Public Notice, with additional ports/ICDs to be notified by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade as necessary.

Closure of export obligation defaults by payment of customs duty with capped interest, interest payable in cash, deadline imposed.
An option is provided to regularise past defaults in Export Obligation by payment of the corresponding customs duty for the shortfall together with interest calculated from the date of import to date of payment, with interest capped so it does not exceed the customs duty payable. Customs duty may be paid in cash or by debiting valid duty credit scrips, but the interest must be paid in cash. Payment must be completed by 31 March 2014 and separate procedural and reporting instructions will be issued.

SION notification adds Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate export entry with specified input allowances under Foreign Trade Policy.
Notification establishes a new SION entry for Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate (Active Matter 69% min.) and specifies permitted input items and their authorized input-to-output quantities per kilogram of export product: Palm Kernel Fatty Acid Distillate, Copper Chromite Catalyst, Ethylene Oxide, Caustic Soda Flakes, and Sulphur, thereby incorporating the SION into the Chemicals and Allied Products Group under the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures.

Status recognition certificate authority clarified: RA and DC roles defined; existing certificates retained and renewals governed by prescribed authority.
Clarifies issuing and renewal authorities: IECs with both DTA and SEZ units-RA issues and renews Status Recognition and Nominated Agency Certificates; SEZ/EOU-only IECs-DC issues and renews Status Recognition Certificates and are not eligible for Nominated Agency Certificates; DTA-only IECs-RA issues and renews both certificates. Existing certificates will not be withdrawn; renewals after expiry must follow the prescribed authority.