ITC(HS) code harmonisation expands MEIS coverage for exports by correcting classifications and preserving benefit eligibility.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade corrected and amended Table 2 of Appendix 3B of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 to align ITC(HS) codes and product descriptions with ITC(HS) 2017, addressing bifurcations and description changes so that products eligible under earlier codes retain coverage; these corrections make clear MEIS benefit availability (subject to export policy restrictions) and apply to exports w.e.f. 01.01.2017.

Export/import of Sandalwood and Red Sanders requires SEZ units to use notified ANF forms to obtain an environmental NOC.
DGFT requires SEZ units to use two notified proforma application forms to obtain a No Objection Certificate from the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change via DGFT for import of Sandalwood and export/import of Sandalwood and Red Sanders. The forms record applicant identification, submission and fee particulars, item descriptions with ITC(HS) codes, value and origin details, COO and CITES certificate fields as applicable, three-year trade history, purpose and end-use, and carry declarations that the entity and principals are not penalized, not on denied/caution lists, and will comply with FT(D&R) Act, FTP, HBP and related rules; submission guidelines require two signed hard copies and proof of fee payment.

Country specific import-export restrictions introduced via Appendix 2X, notifying prohibited items and their governing notifications.
The Director General of Foreign Trade notifies Appendix 2X for insertion into Appendices and Aayat Niryat Forms under the Foreign Trade Policy, providing a consolidated list of Country Specific Restrictions/Prohibitions on import and export and citing the notifications that impose those controls. The appendix identifies, by country, the goods subject to prohibition-e.g., milk and milk products from China (Notification No. 10) and all items of gold and silver from South Korea (Notification No. 25)-to guide trade documentation and compliance.

BIS registration requirement extended; only licensed refineries eligible for gold dore import authorizations; NABL accreditation accepted.
BIS registration requirement for gold dore import authorizations is extended: existing authorizations must obtain a valid BIS license by 31.5.2018, and from 1.6.2018 only applications from refineries with a valid BIS license will be considered. First time applicant refineries may submit NABL accreditation to DGFT for initial consideration and are allowed one year from the date of DGFT authorization to obtain a BIS license.

De-listing of Pre-Shipment Inspection Agency renders the specified firm ineligible to issue Pre Shipment Inspection Certificates.
The Annexure to Public Notice No.15/2015-2020 is re notified and replaced with a revised list of approved spectrometers and survey meters for issuance of Pre Shipment Inspection Certificates, and M/s SNG Inspection Services, UP (with branches in Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia) is de listed from Appendix 2G and made ineligible to issue Pre Shipment Inspection Certificates.

Entitlement to export freely exportable items free of cost revised, with new annual limits and pharma exceptions.
Amendment revises Para 2.84 to entitle Status Holders to export freely exportable items (excluding gems and jewellery, articles of gold and precious metals) free of cost for export promotion subject to an annual limit of Rupees One Crore or 2% of average annual export realization during the preceding three licensing years, with pharmaceutical companies and supplies to international or government health programmes subject to separate higher percentage limits; such free supplies are not eligible for Duty Drawback or other export incentives.

MEIS Schedule harmonisation aligns omitted ITC(HS) 2012 codes with ITC(HS) 2017, fixing classifications and MEIS rates from 01.01.2017.
The Director General notifies harmonisation of the MEIS Schedule in Appendix 3B (Table-2) to align omitted ITC(HS) 2012 codes with ITC(HS) 2017 classifications, prescribing corresponding descriptions and MEIS rates in an Annexure. The notification, issued under paragraph 1.03 of the Foreign Trade Policy (2015-2020), makes the revised list effective for shipments made on or after 01.01.2017 and rectifies omissions from the earlier Public Notice.

Miscellaneous fee payments restricted to NEFT or Treasury Receipt Challan; demand drafts are no longer accepted.
Regional authorities require that miscellaneous fees, including composition fees and fees for excess utilization of EPCG authorizations, shall not be accepted by demand draft and must be paid only through NEFT or by depositing cash or cheque to obtain a Treasury Receipt Challan at an authorized branch of the Central Bank of India.

Import restriction on pigeon peas: quota exhausted, no new authorisations will be issued; pre-existing LCs remain permitted.
Import of Pigeon Peas (Toor Dal) has been made restricted subject to an annual quota; because the fiscal year quota is already exhausted, no further import procedures or authorisations will be issued, but imports under irrevocable Letters of Credit opened before 5 August 2017 and duly registered with jurisdictional RAs are permitted under the Handbook of Procedures and Foreign Trade Policy registration provisions.

Amendment to Foreign Trade Policy updates Appendix entries, revising chamber name and council address for administrative records.
Amendment to the Foreign Trade Policy updates Appendix - 2E by changing the recorded name "Indian Merchants' Chamber" to "IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry" for Mumbai and New Delhi entries and by revising the Trade Promotion Council of India's address and contact details to the Connaught Circus location; the notice is issued under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy to effect these administrative corrections.

Certificate of Origin requirement for Muli-bamboo and bamboo products mandates legal sourcing verification and limited validity.
Exports of Muli-bamboo and bamboo products require a prescribed Certificate of Origin issued by the State Forest Department or Agriculture Department certifying that the material was obtained from a legal source. Certificates must record applicant and registration details, location, inspection and transit particulars, source location and quantity or product specifications. Finished products require certified photographs with a measuring scale. Each certificate is valid for two months from date of issue. Exclusions include bamboo charcoal, bamboo pulp and unprocessed bamboo shoots.

Tariff Rate Quota for refined sugar: exporters advised to secure a US applicant for first-come-first-served specialty allocations.
A non-country specific Tariff Rate Quota for refined sugar for US fiscal year 2018 allocates the WTO minimum plus an additional specialty sugar quantity, with organic and other specialty imports administered by US authorities on a first-come, first-served basis in five tranches. Due to high competition and rapid filling of specialty allocations, Indian exporters are advised to identify a US-based company to apply to the USDA to access the tariff-free quota and thus facilitate exports of specialty sugar to the USA.

Border haat trade permits specified local goods to be exchanged by residents within a radius, via barter or local currency.
Trade in designated Border Haats between India and Bangladesh is authorised under the Foreign Trade Policy and the bilateral MOU, identifying permissible classes of goods and allowing list amendments by the Joint Committee. Vendors and purchasers must be residents within a five kilometre radius and vendor numbers are capped. Commodities may be exchanged by barter or in local currency for bona fide personal consumption subject to a specified per day local currency purchase limit, and foreign exchange regulations are suspended for transactions in the Border Haats.

Bank guarantee monitoring: authorities must maintain BG registers and decide enforcement or revalidation before expiry.
Regional Authorities must monitor Bank Guarantees under the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures by maintaining a Bank Guarantee Register for BGs with outstanding export obligations or unredeemed status; the Register is to be reviewed monthly by supervisory officers. RAs must initiate extensions or enforcement of BGs well before expiry, and the decision to enforce or extend a BG-having revenue implications-must be taken by the Head of the Office. RAs must endorse authorisations to require Customs to release or redeem BG/LUT only after receipt of NOC or End Use Documentation and forward such endorsements to Customs at the port of registration.

Tariff Rate Quota allocation for raw sugar to USA allows limited preferential exports subject to export duty and certification.
Allocation of 8424 MT of raw sugar to the USA under the Tariff Rate Quota from the non levy (Free Sale) quota for the US fiscal year 2018 is authorised; exports are governed by the TRQ framework, remain subject to the 20% export duty on sugar w.e.f. 16 June 2016, and must meet certification requirements including Certificate of Origin issued by the Additional Director General of Foreign Trade, Mumbai, together with the reporting obligations prescribed in the cited notifications.

Import entitlement amendment increases raw cashew requirement for cashew kernel exports under FTP trade notification.
Amendment to SION entry E8 revises the input entitlement for cashew kernel exports in the Handbook of Procedure Vol. II, increasing the quantity of raw cashew required per unit of exported cashew kernel and thereby changing the import entitlement applicable at the cited serial item under the Foreign Trade Policy.

SCOMET export controls tightened: defined validity, revalidation limits, EFC/IMWG procedures and repeat order conditions enforced.
The Public Notice prescribes validity periods for various import/export authorisations, sets revalidation limits (six months per revalidation, DGFT control over atypical extensions), and bars revalidation of transferable scrips except when validity expired in custody of government authorities. It formalises EXIM Facilitation Committee procedures including technical comments, port specific import registration and ex post facto issuance on unanimous NOCs, and defines IMWG criteria and procedural requirements for export of SCOMET items, including end user certifications, additional assurances, category specific licensing, display exemptions, repeat order limits, and that SCOMET revalidation follows the general revalidation provision.

Exemption from trade rules: specified government, diplomatic, transit and bonded imports excluded from Rules subject to conditions.
The Order exempts specified categories of imports and exports from application of the Rules, including imports by Central and State Governments and their agencies, defence procurements, consignments placed through the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals, diplomatic and UN imports with duty exemptions, passenger baggage and tourist imports subject to re export obligations, postal and in transit consignments in custody of postal or customs authorities, and goods imported and bonded for re export, subject to prescribed conditions and penalties for failure to establish re export.

Implementation of GST prompts DGFT to open a trade call centre for queries upon commencement of the regime.
Goods and Services Tax implementation is effective from 1 July 2017; the DGFT regional office notifies trade that a GST Call Centre will operate from that date to address trade queries and provides a telephone contact for assistance.

GST on imports under FTP: IGST payable with input tax credit; Advance Authorisation exemptions limited to basic customs duty.
References to Central Excise Authority in the FTP are to be read as Jurisdictional Customs Authority; Duty Credit Scrips cannot be used for payment of IGST or GST compensation cess on imports or for CGST/SGST/IGST and GST compensation cess on domestic procurement. Advance Authorisation exemptions will not cover IGST or GST compensation cess; importers must pay IGST and may claim ITC. ARO facility is restricted to items in Schedule 4. EOUs must pay applicable GST on domestic procurements and on DTA clearances may need to repay customs exemptions; deemed export drawback and TED refunds are limited principally to basic customs duty except where Schedule 4 central excise exemptions apply.