Sample drawl and testing procedures standardized, requiring sealed triplicate samples and strict chain-of-custody in import inspections.
Uniform procedure requires inspectors to draw representative samples in triplicate in the presence of the CHA/importer's representative after Bill of Entry registration; samples must carry full identifying particulars, be signed, Customs-sealed, accompanied by product literature, and sent with triplicate test memos-entries of dispatch and receipt must be recorded and test reports forwarded to the assessing group within 24 hours. Specialized referral to Drugs Controller or Wildlife Authority applies where available, and samples for the central laboratory must be sent only via the EDI CRCL module; designated custody, storage, and fortnightly review of pending tests are required.

Electronic transshipment module implemented; cargo CTM and TP must be filed and validated electronically before movement.
Electronic implementation of a transshipment module in ICES 1.5 requires airlines/agents to file Cargo Transfer Manifests (CTM) at Service Centres and Transshipment Agencies to file Transshipment Permit (TP) requests, with AC/DC Transshipment officers (ACT) authorised to approve or cancel CTMs and TPs after system validations. Preconditions include prior IGM filing, non-filing of Bills of Entry for transshipped lines, custodian and agency registration, and sufficient bond/PLA balances; approvals generate CTM/TP numbers, debit bonds/fees, enable loading reports, and permit Gate-In tallying and destination BE regularization upon reconciliation.

Mandatory compliance with Indian Standards for imported steel: non conforming imports must be prevented under quality control orders.
Imports of steel and steel products must comply with the Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order, 2012 and the Second Order, 2012 as amended; Indian Standard numbers in the schedule determine product coverage and ITC (HS) codes are indicative. Customs officers are directed to ensure strict compliance and to prevent clearance of substandard or non conforming steel imports, with any difficulties reported to the Board.

Misuse of exporter/CHA credentials prompts strict verification of CHA passes, Shipping Bills and container seals to prevent smuggling.
Fraudulent exports of Red Sanders wood exploited misuse of IECs/CHAs and forged Shipping Bills, including alteration of genuine Shipping Bills and presentation of fake manual bills to obtain port entry. Containers declared as factory stuffed were also physically tampered with during transit by removing and re fixing latches and seals, enabling replacement of genuine cargo with contraband. The notice prescribes safeguards: accept only documents signed by authorised CHA pass holders with cardex numbers; verify submitter passes linked to the CHA; capture full signature and cardex on hard copies; confirm LEO and Shipping Bill authenticity via EDI/intranet; verify container marks/seals against examination reports; check CFS gate passes and transit timing; and escalate suspicious cases to senior customs officers.

Vessel name amendments prohibited: shipping bills must use vessel details from export general manifests, so amendment requests unnecessary.
Amendment requests for Vessel Name/Rotation No. on Shipping Bills are unnecessary because those particulars are automatically sourced and updated from the Export General Manifest; stakeholders should not approach officers for such amendments and should report any difficulties to the issuing office.

Export promotion bodies must submit Jan-Mar 2015 cost, input and duty data for AIR drawback by April 30, 2015.
Authorities require Export Promotion Councils, Commodity Boards and Trade and Industry Associations to submit prescribed four part proforma data for January-March 2015 to compute All Industry Rates of duty drawback: Part I (input quantities and duties), Part II (unit cost and FOB realizations), Part III (service tax on inputs) and Part IV (captive power). Data must be representative, cover at least five certified manufacturer/exporter units with supporting duty paying documents, consent to inspection, and be routed through jurisdictional Central Excise authorities for verification before submission to Drawback Division.

AIR duty Drawback data request: Central Excise must supply export input and invoice data by 15 April 2015.
Commissionerates must collect and forward, by 15 April 2015, export product wise Annexure 1 data for selected representative manufacturers (small, medium, large) covering January-March 2015, including quantities, FOB and assessable values, detailed major input breakdowns (locally procured and imported), duty paying document status, input services and total tax paid, together with supporting Bills of Entry, Shipping Bills and invoices; legible hard copy wholesale invoices for goods listed in Annexure 3 for January-March 2015 must also be submitted.

Customs data request for AIR duty drawback: submit bills of entry and shipping bills for specified goods by 15 April.
Customs formations must send legible, complete hard copies of selected bills of entry for imports of goods in Annexure A (commercial quantities, Jan-Mar 2015) and selected shipping bills for exports of goods in Annexure B to which LEO was granted (Jan-Mar 2015) where AIR drawback is claimed (standalone or with other schemes), with submissions due by 15 April 2015; suggestions with justification for the AIR drawback exercise are invited.

Re-export of warehoused goods: procedure requires NOC, shipping bill filing, assessment and bond cancellation upon export.
Re-export requires the bonder-exporter to apply to the Import Bond Section, which verifies stock and may grant permission conditioned on foreign exchange realisation and lawful original import. A provisional bond register entry is made and permission is sent to the Export Section and warehouse bond officer. The exporter files a Shipping Bill for assessment; after assessment the Bond Superintendent authorises removal, the warehouse officer records Shipping Bill and quantity and allows movement to port. Post-examination, final Shipping Bill and documents are returned for bond cancellation or debit.

Currency carriage limits expanded, governing how residents and visitors may carry Indian notes on air entry and exit.
Regulation prescribes per person limits on carrying Indian Government and Reserve Bank currency notes: residents may take out of India or bring into India on return currency notes up to the prescribed limit; nonresidents visiting India (excluding certain nationalities and routes) may carry Indian currency notes into and out of India only via airports and only up to the prescribed limit. Exclusions apply for travel involving Nepal and Bhutan and differentiated treatment for Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Re-export permissions delegated to adjudicating customs officers to expedite resolution of mistakenly imported goods.
Permission for the re-export of goods inadvertently imported may be granted on merit by the concerned Customs officer acting within adjudication powers, modifying Circular No.100/2003-Cus.; implementation is to follow the adjudication framework in Section 122 of the Customs Act and Circular No.24/2011-Cus., to expedite decisions and reduce delays in cases of bonafide mistaken imports.

Merged commercial invoice and packing list permitted, simplifying customs documentation while preserving option to submit separate packing list.
A commercial invoice cum packing list will be accepted for Customs purposes if it includes invoice details plus packing-specific fields: description of goods, marks and numbers, quantity, gross weight, net weight, number of packages and types of packages; Customs will not insist on a separate packing list when those fields are present, though traders may still submit a separate packing list if they wish.

Round the clock customs clearance extended for courier exports; manual filing, KYC and manifest accuracy required.
Extension of round the clock customs clearance at ACC, Ahmedabad permits 24x7 processing for courier exports while manual mode filing under the Courier Imports and Exports (Clearance) Regulations, 1998 continues until electronic systems are operational; import clearances without EDI/RMS are confined to normal office hours. Authorized Couriers must present CSBs and documents well before flight departures to allow mandatory screening, comply with KYC and qualified filer requirements, furnish complete itemised Courier Export Manifests, and meet custodian support and bond/security obligations. EXIM policy and perishables rules remain applicable.

Entry of factory-stuffed export containers: registration for Let Export Order now available at customs to ease port congestion.
Registration and issuance of Let Export Order for factory stuffed export containers of Star Exporters will be available at the Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House CMC Centre in addition to designated CFSs; the facility applies where shipments proceed directly to the port on the basis of invoice or examination report certified by the jurisdictional Central Excise Authority, and all other conditions and procedures in the prior public notice remain unchanged.

Finalization of provisionally assessed bills of entry in ICES triggers duty recalculation and electronic payment and closure procedures.
Finalization of Provisionally Assessed Bills of Entry has been moved into the ICES system: Assessing Officers finalize and forward BEs to Group DC/AC who complete finalization using specific system roles. If duty increases, ICES generates a challan, sends duty instructions via ICEGATE for e payment/branch payment, integrates the payment, and enables bond credit/closure; if duty is unchanged or reduced, bond credit/closure follows directly and refund procedures remain unchanged. Finally assessed BE copies are produced by the system.

Export compliance requirements: New online Referencer enables exporters to check compulsory regulatory obligations before shipment.
An online Referencer on the CBEC Customs Duty Calculator discloses Export Compulsory Compliance Requirements (CCRs) by IT CHS code or description, consolidating obligations under the Customs Act and allied export statutes so exporters and customs brokers can verify restrictions, prohibitions and conditions in advance and reduce clearance delays by encouraging voluntary compliance.

Centralized Receipt Section requirement mandates submission of written communications to CRS with Unique Receipt Number for tracking.
Requirement to submit all written communications to the Centralized Receipt Section (CRS) at JNCH; CRS will acknowledge receipt and allot a Unique Receipt Number to be quoted in future correspondence for tracking. Exceptions to CRS submission include refund claims; replies to queries in live bills of entry; documents at personal hearing; amendment-related documents for bills of entry, shipping bills, IGM and EGM; licence registration and verification correspondence; and live bill/shipping bill correspondence. Complaints of harassment relating to consignments, system processes or individuals must be addressed to the concerned Commissioner.

24x7 customs clearance operations permit off hour registration and out of charge for RMS no assessment imports and factory stuffed exports.
Continuous 24X7 customs clearance is introduced at specified CFSs/ICD under Chennai IV Commissionerate from 05.03.2015 for RMS facilitated self assessed import Bills of Entry requiring no assessment and no examination and for factory stuffed exports/free shipping bills; off hour Customs Officers will register BE/SB in the EDI system after mandatory pre clearances and the Proper Officer will grant Out of Charge/Let Export Order after ensuring adherence to RMS Compulsory Compliance Requirements, with custodians providing infrastructure and a designated nodal officer for coordination.

Access to FICS: Customs to download and distribute NOC/NCCs daily to enable direct import clearance.
Customs will receive a dedicated login to FSSAI's Food Import Clearance System to view and download NOC/NCCs; the A.C./D.C.(Docks Admin) will download certificates daily, e mail them to relevant appraising groups and CFS/Ports, and provide endorsed printed copies to importers or Customs Brokers, while registered importers/brokers can also view issuance in their FICS accounts and approach the concerned appraiser or CFS superintendent for clearance.

Customs and excise duty revisions: tariff and procedural amendments impose altered rates, exemptions and compliance measures effective immediately.
Immediate fiscal and regulatory adjustments under the Finance Bill, 2015 take effect largely by declaration under the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 1931, revising customs and central excise tariff and non tariff entries, altering selected duty rates, and modifying exemptions and concessional treatment subject to actual user conditions or certification. Central excise reforms remove education cesses on excisable goods while increasing the standard ad valorem CENVAT rate; specific measures rework valuation, compounded levy mechanics tied to packing machine speed, targeted duty changes for petroleum, tobacco and select industrial inputs, and procedural amendments to CENVAT Credit and dispatch rules are introduced.