Jurisdictional reallocation: APEDA now authorised to issue RCMCs for cashew products, Cashew EPC powers suspended.
APEDA is designated to issue and renew Registration cum Membership Certificates for Cashew Kernels, Cashewnut Shell Liquid and Kardanol with immediate effect, and the Cashew Export Promotion Council's authority to issue/renew RCMCs for these products is suspended; RCMCs already issued by the Cashew Export Promotion Council remain valid for their residual validity.

Certificate issuance fee fixed for export-clearance certificates under Handbook of Procedure 2015-20; amendment notified by public notice.
Amendment replaces Para 2.108(c)(iv) of the Handbook of Procedure, 2015-20 to prescribe a fee of Rs. 200/- per certificate, thereby standardising the charge previously left subject to agency prescription; the Public Notice formally notifies this fee under powers conferred by the Foreign Trade Policy.

PAN validation service outage suspends IEC applications and Aadhaar e sign linking, requiring stakeholders to plan and contact helpdesk.
PAN validation services used by DGFT will be unavailable from 1 June 2021 to 6 June 2021, causing suspension of applications for new Import Exporter Codes, applications for amendments/modifications of IECs, and one time Aadhaar linking for e sign; stakeholders are advised to plan accordingly and may contact the DGFT helpdesk for queries.

DFIA transfer recording mandates online registration and OTP/e sign verification before transferees may use scrips.
Mandatory online recording of transfers of Duty Free Import Authorization (DFIA) scrips is required so transferees can apply for ARO/Invalidation only after the transfer is recorded. Paper copies for EDI ports are discontinued from the effective date while security copies continue for non-EDI ports; online recording is mandatory for applicable scrips. The transferor records the transferee's IEC and initiates OTP and Aadhaar e sign verification; the transferee must accept via OTP and e sign for the system to reflect the new current owner. Recorded transfers are irreversible and DGFT/Customs are not responsible for party disputes.

EPCG Committee online module enables electronic filing and processing of relaxation applications under FTP provisions.
Applications for relaxation under para 2.58 of FTP must be submitted exclusively through the e-EPCG Committee module on the DGFT portal; applicants must fill the online form, upload documents, pay the fee, obtain a system-generated file number for tracking, and respond to any deficiency letters electronically, with the Directorate issuing all communications and decisions via the module.

RCMC validity extension: expired certificates accepted for incentives and authorizations until 30 September 2021.
Regional Authorities of DGFT will not insist on a valid RCMC where the certificate expired on or before 31 March 2021 for applicants seeking any incentive or authorization; this concession applies until 30 September 2021. Export Promotion Councils will collect applicable RCMC fees for 2021-22 upon restoration of normalcy.

Export authorisation for restricted items must be filed through DGFT new online Restricted Exports module; pending applications migrated.
Authorisations for export of restricted items (Non-SCOMET) must be applied for, amended and re validated exclusively through the new online Restricted Exports module on the DGFT website; export authorisations will be issued centrally from the headquarters via this module, and all pending applications will be migrated and processed in the new system.

Pre-shipment inspection agency inclusion recognises Mats Fareast, adds instrument approvals and requires administrative updates with immediate effect.
M/s Mats Fareast PTE Ltd is included in Appendix 2G as a recognised Pre Shipment Inspection Agency authorised to issue Pre Shipment Inspection Certificates, with PSIA approval valid for three years or until further notice; the annexure lists approved instruments and highlights calibration non compliance. Existing agency Marine Inspection and Logistics International (Rotterdam) B.V. may add specified instruments, Ravie Energie Inc.'s head office address change is notified, and all notified PSIAs must update membership certificates and contact details within 30 days.

Fee per certificate increased under Handbook amendment, requiring agencies to apply the revised prescribed charge.
Amendment revises the fee per certificate in Para 2.108(c)(iv) of the Handbook of Procedure, 2015-20, increasing the prescribed per-certificate fee by notification. The change is effected under powers granted by the Foreign Trade Policy and communicated via Public Notice No. 3/2015-2020, requiring concerned agencies to apply the enhanced prescribed fee for issuance of certificates.

COVID-19 Helpdesk operationalisation enables exporters to register licensing, customs and documentation grievances for coordinated resolution.
Operationalisation of COVID-19 Helpdesk to address international trade disruptions, including import/export licensing, customs clearance delays, documentation and banking issues; DGFT will collate matters involving other government departments and coordinate resolutions. Stakeholders must submit requests via the DGFT Helpdesk Service on the website selecting the Covid-19 category, or use the designated email or toll-free line; status can be tracked through the Helpdesk status tracker with email and SMS updates.

Certificate of Origin Non-Preferential: address of Bharat Chamber of Commerce updated in official list, affecting issuance records.
The Director General of Foreign Trade amends Appendix 2E of the Handbook of Procedures to replace the address and contact details for Bharat Chamber of Commerce at Sl. No. 7 under West Bengal, updating the authorised agency entry for issuance of Certificate of Origin (Non-Preferential) and making the new address the operative contact for future issuance.

Tariff Rate Quota allocation allows additional sugar exports to UK under notified TRQ conditions and certification requirements.
Allocation of an additional quantity of raw/refined sugar to the United Kingdom for the 2020-21 TRQ cycle permits export under the Tariff Rate Quota mechanism subject to the Foreign Trade Policy and existing TRQ notifications; the allocation is to be operated through the designated implementing agency and exporters must follow the notification-specific reporting framework and prescribed certification protocols.

Late cut relief for MEIS applications: no late cut for eligible 2019-20 export claims filed by the prescribed deadline.
The Handbook of Procedures is amended to permit MEIS applications for shipping bills with Let Export dates in the 2019-20 financial year to be submitted up to a prescribed deadline without any late cut; applications submitted after that deadline will be subject to the standard late cut rules and the normal last-date mechanism for belated claims.

Change of office address: Regional Authority Ahmedabad notified with new contact details and territorial jurisdiction for Gujarat.
Change of office address of the Regional Authority, Ahmedabad is notified under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020 by amendment to Appendix 1 of the Handbook of Procedure. The office is designated at 3rd floor, HUDCO Bhavan, Ishwar Bhuvan Road, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380009 with telephone and email provided, and territorial jurisdiction covers Gujarat State excluding areas under Rajkot, Vadodara, Surat and the Development Commissioner, KFTZ.

Electronic issuance of Preferential Certificate of Origin via e CoO requires DSC registration and enables electronic and wet ink certified copies.
Electronic issuance of Preferential Certificates of Origin for exports to Mauritius under IMCECPA will be implemented via the DGFT e CoO platform from 1 April 2021, producing Original, Duplicate, Triplicate and an electronic copy with the officer's image signature and issuing agency stamp; exporters may obtain wet ink signed paper copies. Use requires registration and a Class III Digital Signature Certificate embedding the exporter's Importer Exporter Code, with IEC details auto populated from the DGFT database and maintainable via IEC Profile Management; platform guidance and helpdesk support are provided.

Certificate of Origin (Preferential) updated: specified agencies authorised to issue CoO under India-Mauritius CECPA.
Director General of Foreign Trade amends Appendix 2B of the Foreign Trade Policy to list the agencies authorised to issue Certificate of Origin (Preferential) for the India-Mauritius CECPA, naming product specific certification authorities (export inspection agencies, marine products authority, textile and silk bodies, spices and coir boards, tobacco board, APEDA), specified SEZs and EOUs within their jurisdictions, and regional certification offices as authorised issuers.

Import quota allocation for pet coke imports requires environmental compliance, licensed application, and strict utilisation and reporting obligations.
Procedure establishes annual import quota allocation and application mechanism for Calcined Pet Coke for aluminum and Raw Pet Coke for CPC manufacturing for 2021-2022, subject to environmental guideline compliance, submission of pollution control board capacity and consent certificates, timely online application with fee, allocation by the designated committee, issuance of authorizations by regional licensing authorities valid till fiscal year end, mandatory reporting of consignments and consolidated post period reports, surrender or notification of unutilised quantity by prescribed cut off, and disqualification or deduction for failure to surrender or utilise allocated quantities.

Annual updation of IEC now exempt from application fee when filed during the April-June updation window each year.
An insertion in Appendix-2K provides that annual updation of IEC submitted during the April-June updation window, pursuant to the Handbook of Procedures provision on updation, shall attract nil application fee; consequently no fee will be charged for updation applications filed in that period under the Scale of Application Fee.

Extension of Handbook of Procedures validity to 30 September 2021 prolongs operative FTP provisions accordingly.
The Public Notice amends the Handbook of Procedures (HBP) 2015-20 by substituting references in para 1.01, para 3.20(a), and the first sentence of para 4.12(vi) to change the operative cut-off date to 30th September, 2021, extending the HBP's validity until that date and taking effect immediately under paragraph 2.04 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020.

Advance Authorizations closure requires online submission, linked repositories, auto-fetched EDI documents, and limited physical filings.
DGFT requires online filing for closure and Export Obligation fulfilment of Advance Authorizations, enabling Redemption, Surrender, Duty Paid Regularization, Bond Waiver and Clubbing via a licence closure application linked to online Repositories. EDI Shipping Bills and e-BRCs are auto-fetched; Non-EDI bills, GST invoices, CA/CE/CS certificates, TR Challans and BG/LUT must be uploaded by applicants. Certifying authorities may onboard to digitally sign certificates, and TR Challans and Bank Guarantees/LUT/Corporate Guarantees remain subject to limited physical submission recorded and linked by the Regional Authority.