Export Obligation relaxation: targeted fee free EO extensions and EO waivers for specified EPCG authorisations amid COVID 19 disruption.
One-time relaxation of Average Export Obligation and extensions of Export Obligation (EO) periods are provided for specified EPCG authorisations due to COVID-19. Hotel, Healthcare and Educational sector authorisations are exempt from Average Export Obligation for 2020-21 and 2021-22 and qualify for fee free EO extensions equal to days within the COVID window, with prior extensions deducted; paid composition fees or other payments are not refundable. For other sectors, fee free EO extensions are available for a narrower period but carry a 5% additional EO in value terms on the balance EO, and the paid composition fee option remains available where eligible.

Composition fee for export-obligation extensions revised, introducing fixed fee slabs, capped extension limits, and automatic ban-period extensions.
Para 4.42 is amended to replace ad valorem monthly composition fees with prescribed fixed composition-fee slabs for extensions of Export Obligation periods under Advance Authorisations; RAs may grant one six month extension on payment of the prescribed fee and self declaration of unutilised inputs, a second six month extension is permissible on payment of higher prescribed fees with the same self declaration, only two such extensions (maximum 12 months beyond EO expiry) are allowed, bans automatically extend EO without fee, and the new fee regime applies to requests made on or after 19.01.2023 while pending matters follow earlier rules.

Halal certification for meat exports now requires NABCB-accredited i-CAS certification and APEDA monitoring for compliance.
Halal export certification for meat and meat products will require production, processing and packing under a valid certificate issued by a Certification Body accredited by NABCB under the India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS) - Halal. APEDA is designated as the monitoring agency; NABCB accreditation follows ISO/IEC procedures with staged assessments, surveillance, and defined suspension/withdrawal processes. Exports to countries that do not recognize i-CAS must hold importing-country approved Halal certificates; i-CAS is voluntary in such cases. Existing Halal Certification Bodies and export units must register under i-CAS within the transitional period.

Stock and Sale export authorisation for SCOMET items requires specified end use certificates and IMWG approval before re export.
Amendments permit bulk export of SCOMET items from an Indian exporter to a foreign stockist (a foreign principal/subsidiary) on the basis of prescribed applications and End-Use/End-User Certificates; IMWG grants export authorization to the stockist and in-principle approval for re-export to specified countries, while transfers within the stockist's country and re-exports to pre-approved countries require post-transfer reporting to DGFT and re-exports to other countries require separate IMWG consideration with full end-use documentation.

EODC monitoring: legacy portal withdrawn and redemption status to be confirmed via revamped online services.
The legacy eodc.online portal is withdrawn; redemption and closure details for Advance/EPCG authorisations are available on the revamped DGFT Services. Exporters may upload closure/redemption letters via Services AA/DFIA/EPCG 'Manual EODC Update' where online status is incorrect, and Regional Authorities must verify submissions and update authorisation status from their records.

Tariff Rate Quota discontinuation for crude soya bean oil ends TRQ allocations from April, affecting import validity rules.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade discontinues Tariff Rate Quota allocations for crude soya bean oil for FY 2023 24 and revises TRQ validity: TRQs issued in FY 2022 23 for crude soya bean oil (ITC(HS) 15071000) require Bill of Lading dated on or before 31.03.2023 to allow import under those TRQs until 30.06.2023; TRQs for crude sunflower seed oil retain their stated one year/30.06.2023 validity and FY 2023 24 sunflower TRQs remain valid for clearance until 31.03.2024.

Registration authority inclusion: MEDEPC now authorised to issue RCMC for specified mobile and electronic device items.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade amends Appendix 2T to add Mobile and Electronic Devices Export Promotion Council (MEDEPC) as an authorised body to issue Registration Cum Membership Certificates (RCMC) for a specified list of final products and parts, including smartphones, mobile phones, smart watches, displays, multifunction devices, ADP machines and related parts, batteries, PCBAs, semiconductors and other electronic components; RCMCs issued by the Telecom Equipment and Services EPC or Electronics & Computer Software EPC remain valid until expiry.

Pre-shipment inspection: mandatory inspector photographs and upload requirement, PSIC verifiable by issuing IP address for agencies.
Amendments require inspectors to be physically present for pre-shipment inspections and to capture specified photographs: an inspector with an empty container showing the container number on a single closed door, the same inspector with the sealed container showing the same container number, and the inspection instrument with the container seal showing instrument serial and seal numbers. The PSIA must upload these photographs and/or videos to the DGFT portal when issuing the PSIC, and the PSIC must include a declaration that it was issued by the inspector from the country of inspection verifiable by IP address.

Tariff rate quota rules updated: electronic TRQ authorisations and specific eligibility and procedural conditions for gold imports under 7108.
Annexure IV to Appendix 2A governing TRQ imports under the India UAE CEPA has been amended: TRQ applications are electronic and authorisations will be issued electronically and transmitted to Customs; imports require a UAE Certificate of Origin and compliance with the Customs CEPA notification; TRQ accounting follows the Indian fiscal year and annual allocation/last date application rules apply. Special additional eligibility, documentation, turnover composition, and procedural conditions apply for gold imports under tariff heading 7108, including exclusion of gold dore, use of nominated agencies, IEC recording, audited turnover evidence, and application of the IGCR procedure with electronic debiting in ICES.

Tariff Rate Quotas allocation under India Australia trade deal: new TRQ procedures require export certificates and electronic DGFT authorisations.
Amendments add annual Tariff Rate Quotas under Ind Aus ECTA into the Handbook of Procedure, prescribing that Australia allocates TRQs via Export TRQ certificates which must be shared with DGFT; Indian importers apply on the DGFT portal referencing the Export TRQ. DGFT issues electronic TRQ authorisations naming importer, IEC, tariff item, quantity and validity and transmits them to the Customs EDI System. Imports are permitted only upon electronic debiting in ICES, counted by calendar year; DGFT will monitor cumulative issuance, stop issuance when quota is reached, and may amend allocation modalities, subject to the Ministry of Finance customs notification.

EPCES jurisdiction updated to cover SEZ products and EOU services; spices require Spices Board registration.
The jurisdiction of the Export Promotion Council for EOU and SEZ (EPCES) is revised to cover all products and services by SEZs and all products and services by EOUs except spices; spice-producing units must register with the Spices Board. The amendment is made under paragraph 2.04 of the FTP 2015-2020 and takes immediate effect.

Electronic Preferential Certificate of Origin: eCoO introduced for India Australia trade with QR verification and DSC-based filing.
The eCoO platform will issue a single electronic Preferential Certificate of Origin for India-Australia trade, bearing the issuing officer's image signature and agency stamp, with authenticity verifiable by QR code or the portal's Verify Certificate function. Electronic submission requires a Digital Signature Certificate, preferably Class III with the exporter's IEC embedded; new exporters must register, receive credentials at the IEC holder's email and mobile, and ensure IEC branch details in the DGFT database are current. Help materials and helpdesk channels are provided on the portal.

Certificate of Origin (Preferential) agencies listed to allocate issuance by product and SEZ jurisdiction under the trade agreement.
Amendment designates agencies authorised to issue Certificate of Origin (Preferential) under the India Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement by listing issuing agencies and assigning product scope: central export inspection authorities for all products; sectoral export authorities for marine products, handicrafts, spices and cashew, coir, textiles, silk, tobacco and agricultural products; and special economic zone jurisdictions for all products manufactured by units and EOUs within their respective territories, with the foreign trade directorate and regional offices authorised generally.

Import of pet animals: DGFT authorisation and quarantine NOC govern permitted permanent and temporary entries.
Import of pet animals (cats and dogs) is a restricted category subject to wildlife/CITES rules; commercial breeding imports are prohibited while pet dogs, R&D institutions with CPCSEA recommendation, and security forces qualify for exemptions. Permanent and temporary imports require DGFT authorisation except where baggage rules permit import of up to two pets on change of residence after two years abroad. Applications follow ANF-2M, must include vaccination/pet passport and supporting documents, and require Advance NOC from the Regional/Quarantine Officer with exporting-country health tests; designated ports and quarantine facilities apply.

Import eligibility change: exclusion of shea nut and shea butter from specified Appendix entry alters pre-import export obligations.
Amendment excludes Shea Nut or Shea Butter from Serial No. 10 of Appendix 4J. Serial No. 10 now applies to import items (except Shea Nut or Shea Butter) as allowed under notified SION or prior fixation of norms by the Norms Committee for export of items under Chapter 7 and Chapter 15 of ITC(HS). Export Obligation Period with pre-import condition is ninety days from date of clearance of each import consignment by Customs Authority.

Certificate of Origin (Non preferential) authorization expanded; additional agency authorized to issue certificates under FTP public notice.
Authorization under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015 2020 adds an agency to the FTP appendices as an authorized issuer of Certificate of Origin (Non Preferential), enlisting the chamber to issue non preferential Certificates of Origin for its territorial jurisdiction and updating the official list of authorized issuers.

Quota allocation eligibility revised: cooperatives and dairy organisations designated while several CPSEs are excluded from allocation framework.
Para 2.61 of the Hand Book of Procedure 2015-20 now confines quota allocation for milk powder and milk fats to national dairy cooperative organisations and national agricultural cooperative marketing federations; maize quota to national agricultural cooperative marketing federations and State cooperative marketing federations; and crude sunflower/safflower and specified refined rape/colza/canola/mustard oils to national dairy cooperative organisations, national agricultural cooperative marketing federations, the central warehousing corporation and State cooperative marketing and civil supplies corporations. Four central public sector enterprises have been denotified and are no longer eligible for allocation.

State Trading Enterprises list revised, altering eligibility for Tariff Rate Quota import allocations under the foreign trade framework.
The Director General of Foreign Trade notifies a revised Appendix listing State Trading Enterprises recognised for Foreign Trade Policy purposes and eligible for allocation of import quota under the Tariff Rate Quota. The Public Notice updates Appendix 2J by adding and removing entities as STEs and identifies those eligible to receive TRQ import allocations, with one entity's eligibility limited to a specified transitional period.

Extension of PSIA recognition validity to a later date under Foreign Trade Policy provisions notification.
The public notice administratively extends the recognition validity of Pre Shipment Inspection Agencies listed in the A&ANF appendix by moving their original three year expiry from an early December date to a later date at the end of December, invoking powers under the Foreign Trade Policy and a relaxation of the Handbook of Procedures; the extension preserves existing recognition status for the intervening period without altering substantive recognition criteria.

One-time relaxation for TMA physical submissions permits delayed filing of hard copies; RAs must examine and dispose promptly.
Exporters who submitted online applications under the foreclosed TMA for Specified Agricultural Products for exports up to 31.03.2021 may submit printed ANF 7(A)A and prescribed documents with designated RAs by 31.12.2022; RAs shall examine complete applications per prescribed policy and dispose of them within 30 days of physical submission.