Exemption from Azo dye testing extended to include textile imports from Australia Canada Japan and South Korea under FTP.
Testing for Azo Dyes will not be required for textile and textile article imports originating from the European Union, Serbia, Poland, Denmark, China, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea. The amendment adds Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea to Appendix 2X, thereby extending the exemption from sample testing for presence of Azo Dyes to imports from those countries under the Foreign Trade Policy authority.

Declaration of intent for MEIS: EDI 'Y' tick suffices to claim scheme rewards; 'N' denotes no claim.
Marking 'Y' in the reward column of EDI shipping bills serves as a declaration of intent to claim MEIS rewards, with 'N' indicating no intent; this tick-box is mandatory for applicable export schemes. Non-EDI shipping bills must carry the explicit written declaration "We intend to claim rewards under Merchandise Exports From India Scheme (MEIS)" to be eligible.

Product classification: Silico manganese treated as Ferro-silico-Manganese under ITC (HS) 72023000 and eligible for FPS benefits.
Silico Manganese is chemically Ferro-silico-Manganese and both names denote the same product classified under ITC (HS) Code 72023000. Exports of this product are eligible for FPS benefits under Sl. No. 249 of Appendix 37D (PN 6) and Sl. No. 282 of Appendix 37D (PN 52), as clarified by the Directorate and consistent with the DEPB Committee decision.

EPCG Authorisation forms amended to mandate revised application, redemption, clubbing and certification procedures for export obligation compliance.
Immediate amendments notify revised ANF 5A, ANF 5B, ANF 5C and Appendix 5C for the EPCG scheme: ANF 5A prescribes on line application fields and declarations for issuance of EPCG/Post Export EPCG Authorisations including capital goods particulars, duty and EO calculations, and documentation requirements; ANF 5B prescribes redemption/post export duty credit scrip procedures, required export evidence and attestations; Appendix 5C sets out the CA/Cost Accountant/Company Secretary certification and checklist for EO verification; ANF 5C governs clubbing of multiple authorisations and resultant EO aggregation.

Acceptance of Export Obligation Discharge Certificates: customs must accept DGFT-issued EODCs, only limited verification in specified cases.
Customs must accept Export Obligation Discharge Certificates issued by the trade directorate, limiting detailed verification to a defined minority of cases and investigations, and may not request routine information available in the customs EDI. For EPCG and Advance Authorizations, a copy of the EODC is sent to customs while the original authorization in duplicate is retained by the issuing office, obviating the need for the original at customs.

Incremental export incentive cap removal allows full claim processing but requires stringent due diligence by authorities.
RAs shall process IEIS claims without imposing the earlier cap on incremental growth, while applying enhanced scrutiny per Public Notice and policy provisions. Transfer of export performance between IEC holders and certain disclaimer provisions are not admissible. Doubts about authenticity of increments must be referred to investigating agencies and claims finalized after their report. All cases require Head of Office approval and RAs may scrutinize small-value claims where prima facie irregularities exist; no right vests where impropriety or fraud is detected.

Deemed foreign exchange: specified maritime services paid domestically may be treated as foreign receipts and eligible for SEIS rewards.
Appendix 3E notifies that specified maritime and ancillary services rendered in Customs Notified Areas to foreign liners or procured by foreign entities, when paid domestically, shall be treated as deemed to be received in foreign exchange and thus eligible for rewards under the Services Exports from India Scheme in accordance with paragraph 3.08(c) of the Foreign Trade Policy, subject to the exclusion of vessel related charges for coastal and inland vessels and cargo related charges for coastal movements.

MEIS scheme amendment: numerous HS lines assigned new market designations; landing certificate removed and separate applications required.
Amendments to MEIS Table 2 add market designations against numerous ITC(HS) code lines and adjust reward rates by country group; exporters must file separate applications for exports before and after the notice, and Landing Certificate submission is no longer required for lines that previously required proof of landing.

EDI Helpdesk contact update: revised helpdesk number and designated EDI and departmental contact points are provided.
Amendment revises the EDI Helpdesk Number and E-mail ID, provides the toll free helpdesk number and EDI helpdesk email, and lists designated EDI Section officers with board numbers, extensions, and email addresses. It further identifies senior departmental contacts with direct and board numbers, extensions, and email addresses to be contacted if EDI Section queries remain unresolved.

Export house recognition requirements expanded: amended ANF 3C mandates online filing, multi year export data and specified declarations.
Amendment updates ANF 3C for online filing of the Grant of Status Certificate to require applicant details, selection of export house category, and detailed multi year schedules of exports, deemed exports and foreign exchange earned by services with prescribed currency conversion, single counting for double weightage shipments, supporting document upload, applicant declarations regarding penal history and realization of proceeds, and an independent CA/ICWA/CS certificate with Formats A-D to verify and compute eligible export values.

Deemed foreign exchange receipts: specified rupee paid maritime services now count toward EPCG export obligation discharge.
Payments received in Indian Rupees for specified maritime and port services rendered in customs notified areas to foreign liners or their agents, or payments that would otherwise have been received in foreign exchange but paid in rupees out of amounts remittable to overseas principals or buyers, are deemed to be received in foreign exchange and shall be counted towards discharge of export obligation under the EPCG scheme from 1 April 2015; coastal/inland vessel charges and coastal cargo related charges are excluded.

IEC online filing requirement: applications must be submitted with digital signature to central DGFT server; regional offices cannot intervene.
Applications for issuance or modification of Importer Exporter Code (IEC) must be filed exclusively through the centralized online portal with a digital signature to the DGFT New Delhi server; Pune JDGFT cannot access or intervene until the application is successfully submitted. Technical issues during filing-such as token generation, digital key submission, record updates, or attachment uploads-must be raised with the DGFT EDI Helpdesk in New Delhi, which the notice identifies by toll free number and EDI contact details for escalation.

Track and Trace: exporters may follow importing country mandates and seek barcode exemption via Pharmexcil, subject to tertiary packaging barcode rule.
Exporters may follow an importing country's mandated packaging or identification requirements instead of certain Indian bar coding stipulations, and may apply to Pharmexcil for exemption from the Government of India's bar coding requirement; Pharmexcil will decide applications case by case with prior Government approval. Notwithstanding any exemption, tertiary level packaging must include additional barcode printing as required by Para 2(i)(c). All other terms of the earlier Public Notice remain unchanged.

ILC registration deadline extension allows late registration for pre-notification letters of credit with prescribed ANF-2D and fee.
Under the FTP hardship mechanism, the Directorate relaxed the registration of ILCs within 15 days requirement for importers who finalised ILCs before the notification date and allowed these importers to register with their jurisdictional Regional Authorities by 30 April 2016 upon submission of ANF-2D with the prescribed fee.

MEIS eligibility: Tamarind Kernel Powder is classified under 13023290 and not eligible for MEIS benefits.
Clarification that Tamarind Kernel Powder is classifiable under ITC(HS) Code 13023290 and is not eligible for MEIS benefits; Regional Authorities and Customs are directed not to grant MEIS on this product and to review and recover any wrongly allowed benefits.

Pre-shipment inspection recognition: new agencies added to FTP appendix granted limited-term certification under HBP provisions.
Nine Pre Shipment Inspection Agencies have been added to the Foreign Trade Policy list of recognised PSIAs and authorised to issue Pre Shipment Inspection Certificates under the Policy framework. Recognition is granted for a three year period from the date of the Public Notice pursuant to the Handbook of Procedures provision. An annexure specifies approved models of spectrometers and survey meters, with make, model, serial numbers and calibration/purchase dates, linked to the recognised agencies for technical compliance in issuing inspection certificates.

Liquid glucose classification as sugar renders it ineligible for Focus Market Scheme duty credit benefits.
Liquid glucose is classified within the Harmonized System sugar heading and is therefore treated as "Sugar"; consequently, exports of liquid glucose are not eligible for Duty Credit Scrip benefits under the Focus Market Scheme of the Foreign Trade Policy. This clarification excludes all items falling under that HS sugar heading from FMS benefits.

Open House meetings: weekly stakeholder forum for office-level procedural issues with advance proforma submission required.
Open House Meetings will be held weekly on Wednesdays (except public holidays) at the CLA office to address procedural issues within the office's jurisdiction. Participation is restricted to one representative per applicant; issues must be submitted in advance by email in the prescribed proforma. Submissions received by Monday 5:00 pm will be considered at the following Wednesday meeting. Delay-in-disposal complaints will be taken up only after the time limit set out in paragraph 9.10 of the Handbook of Procedures (2015-20) has expired.

Textile specification tolerance allows limited flexibility in fabric GSM and blended fabric count, avoiding norm amendments for authorisations.
The amendment authorises tolerances in textile imports/exports by allowing flexibility in fabric GSM and in blended fabric Count, and it provides that where blended fabric Count variation is within the authorised tolerance, existing norms (SION/Ad-hoc) against Advance Authorisation/Duty Free Import Authorisation will not require amendment.

Open house for applicants provides weekly in-person access to officers to address pending trade-related concerns promptly.
An open house session will be held weekly on Wednesdays between 3.00 PM and 4.00 PM in the RA office Conference Room where officers will be physically available to receive and address applicants' concerns; this facility supplements the existing open interview process and is invited for use by trade and industry members.