Mandatory eSANCHIT document upload required in Bills of Entry with document code and IRN; physical copies disallowed.
Every Bill of Entry must include uploaded Invoice or Invoice cum Packing List and the applicable Transport Contract uploaded on eSANCHIT, with the prescribed document code and the eSANCHIT generated IRN referenced in the Bill of Entry; other supporting documents (e.g., COO, PGA licences/permissions) must be submitted only electronically by beneficiaries or Participating Government Agencies and physical copies should not be accepted.

PMLA reporting requirement: Customs must submit ML I and ML II monthly to Enforcement Directorate for predicate offences.
Instruction requires Customs formations to report predicate offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to the Enforcement Directorate monthly using prescribed ML I and ML II formats. It lists scheduled offences for Part A, identifies higher value Customs offences for Part B, and requires reporting of cross border predicate offences under Part C. ML II specifies detailed case particulars including FIR data, investigator contacts, accused and property details, and current case status.

Mandatory eSANCHIT upload requirement: invoices, transport contracts must be uploaded and document codes plus IRNs declared in Bills of Entry.
For every Bill of Entry the Invoice (or Invoice cum Packing List) and the relevant Transport Contract must be uploaded to eSANCHIT, with the prescribed document code and the eSANCHIT-generated Image Reference Number (IRN) declared in the Bill of Entry; all other supporting documents (e.g., Country of Origin certificates, PGA licences/permissions) must likewise be submitted electronically via eSANCHIT and physical copies are to be avoided.

Mandatory eSANCHIT uploading: invoices and transport contracts must include document codes and IRN in Bills of Entry.
Every Invoice (or Invoice-cum-Packing List) and every Transport Contract (Bill of Lading / Airway Bill) declared in the Bill of Entry must be uploaded to eSANCHIT and the Bill of Entry must record the prescribed document code and the IRN generated by eSANCHIT; the system mandates entry of those document codes and IRNs. Other supporting documents (e.g., COO, licences or PGA permissions) should be submitted only electronically via eSANCHIT by beneficiaries or PGAs and physical copies should not be submitted.

Hazardousness testing for off-specification oil imports requires parallel laboratory reports before final customs assessment can proceed.
Where hazardous or non-hazardous testing is prescribed for imported furnace oil, fuel oil or waste oil, the assessing officer must arrange three samples. The in-house laboratory tests the first sample for all Test Memo requirements except hazardous character, while the nominated external laboratory determines hazardous or non-hazardous status at the importer's or owner's cost. The third sample is retained. Assessment may proceed without the external report only where the in-house result shows that off-specification oil criteria are not met and hazardous-character testing is unnecessary; otherwise, both reports are required.

e-Sanchit RN requirement: provide reference for each Invoice and Bill of Lading when filing Bills of Entry.
Importers, exporters and customs brokers must quote the e-Sanchit reference number (RN) with the specified document code for every Invoice and Bill of Lading declared in the Bill of Entry at the time of filing, pursuant to the expansion of mandatory uploads to e-Sanchit and Board guidance; difficulties should be reported to the Customs office.

Mandatory e-document submission: invoices and transport contracts must cite eSANCHIT IRN and document code in Bills of Entry.
For every Bill of Entry, the Invoice or Invoice cum packing list and the relevant Transport Contract must be uploaded to eSANCHIT and the Bill of Entry must record the eSANCHIT IRN and prescribed document code; other supporting documents such as Certificates of Origin, licences and PGA authorisations must be submitted electronically via eSANCHIT and no physical copies should be presented.

Mandatory e-document submission on eSANCHIT requires invoice and transport document IRN references in every Bill of Entry.
Mandatory uploading to eSANCHIT requires that every Bill of Entry include the uploaded Invoice/Invoice-cum-packing list and the relevant transport contract, with the corresponding document code and IRN declared in the Bill of Entry; other supporting documents (e.g., certificates of origin, licences from Participating Government Agencies) must be submitted electronically via eSANCHIT by beneficiaries or PGAs and physical copies should not be accepted.

Clearance of metal scrap permitted pending scanner installation where EDI and RMS profiling is enabled; inspections may be ordered.
Clearance of imported metal scrap may proceed at ports that have not installed Radiation Portal Monitors or container scanners provided the customs formation is on EDI and enabled with RMS profiling; consignments should be scanned based on risk assessment where scanning exists, and commissionerates may order 100% examination where additional risks are present.

Auto Out of Charge for ECCS shipments allows automatic release after X ray clearance, reducing the manual Out of Charge step.
Auto Out of Charge will automatically release goods under facilitated Courier Bills of Entry that have been cleared by Customs X ray screening, eliminating the manual step of forwarding X ray cleared CBEs to the Shed Superintendent/Appraiser solely for an Out of Charge order. Implementation responsibility lies with the systems directorate, and Chief Commissioners must issue Public Notices and Standing Orders; any implementation difficulties are to be reported to the Board.

Appointment of Common Adjudicating Authority permits Principal Director General to designate Commissioners to adjudicate DRI investigated cases efficiently.
The circular authorises the Principal Director General/Director General, DRI to appoint officers of the rank of Principal Commissioner or Commissioner of Customs as adjudicating authorities, in addition to Additional Director General (Adjudication). It prescribes that cases within a single commissionerate be assigned to the executive Principal Commissioner/Commissioner with jurisdiction, and that multi-commissionerate cases be assigned to the Principal Commissioner/Commissioner where the highest duty demand was made in the Show Cause Notice; operational difficulties are to be reported to the Board.

KYC verification for first-time importers streamlines document submission, mandates limited KYC documents and digital ID creation to ease imports.
KYC verification for first time importers creates a dedicated KYC cell to accept IEC plus specified Category I identity/entity documents and one Category II financial document, generate a unique digital ID, and coordinate verification with SIIB including address and bank checks; adverse findings trigger alerts against the IEC and supervisory escalation.

Steel Import Monitoring System registration required for iron and steel imports; obtain advance online registration and declare it.
Importation of certain goods under Chapters 72, 73 and 86 is made free subject to compulsory registration under the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS), requiring advance online submission and obtainment of an automatic registration number; ICES has been updated and Bills of Entry must include the SIMS registration number as mandated by the applicable ICES advisory.

Steel Import Monitoring System registration now required for specified iron and steel imports; advance online registration and SIMS number mandatory.
Import policy for specified iron and steel items under Chapters 72, 73 and 86 has been amended to require compulsory registration under the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS); importers must submit advance information online, obtain an advance automatic registration number on payment of the prescribed fee, and declare the SIMS registration number in Bills of Entry filed through ICES, while Customs officers shall not insist on further documentary proof of registration during verification.

Disaster Recovery Drill will temporarily suspend ICES document filing and set limited availability windows for transactions.
A Disaster Recovery Drill for the ICES customs system will suspend document filing at Service Centres and through RES at the drill start; users must stop or complete ICES work before suspension. ICES will be available only during prescribed operational windows, and officers and Service Centre Operators must be present during those availability periods to carry out transactions, requiring importers, exporters, customs brokers and trade formations to plan filings accordingly.

Steel import monitoring system requires advance online registration and declaration in import filings; certain exemptions apply.
Import classifications for certain items in Chapters 72, 73 and 86 have been amended to be free subject to compulsory registration under Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS). Importers must submit advance online information, obtain an automatic SIMS registration number on payment of the fee, and declare that registration in the Bills of Entry filed in ICES; Customs officers should not demand further documentary proof. SIMS excludes air freight consignments, covers multiple consignments per registration, applies to Advance Authorisation/DFIA/SEZ imports, and excludes temporary/FOC returnable steel racks.

Duty drawback on FOB allowed without deducting foreign bank charges, but deductions beyond allowed limit must be adjusted.
Duty drawback may be granted on the FOB value without deducting foreign bank charges; foreign bank service charges and agency commission are allowable only within an overall limit of 1.25% of the FOB value, and any amounts exceeding that limit must be deducted from the FOB value when granting duty drawback. Prior show cause notices and requests to regularise short realisation due to foreign bank charges, supported by documentary evidence, are to be considered on merit.

Import sample testing mandates designated laboratory testing for specified goods while external laboratories continue testing all other goods.
External laboratory testing of import samples continues for goods other than those falling under Chapter 27, through 31 December 2019. Bombay Test House Pvt. Ltd. and Paralab Pvt. Ltd. may test those non-Chapter 27 goods, while all Chapter 27 goods must undergo compulsory testing at the DYCC JNCH laboratory from 18 November 2019.

Customs laboratory sampling requirements prescribe sealing, labeling, and commodity-specific minimum quantities for testing at import clearance.
Customs laboratory sampling requirements prescribe commodities eligible for testing, minimum sample quantities, and handling procedures for complete analysis. Samples must be properly labelled, packed and sealed, and each sample must be accompanied by an individual test memo in duplicate. Only one sample may be sent with each memo, while the duplicate is retained by the Central Sampling Cell or investigating unit. Quantity requirements vary by commodity and physical form, including separate requirements for liquids, solids, textiles, ceramics, metals and base-metal articles. Liquid samples must be leak-proof and sealed in plastic containers of prescribed capacities.

KYC verification for first-time exporters streamlines identity and address checks and issues a unique digital identifier after SIIB verification.
KYC verification of first-time exporters is conducted by a dedicated KYC cell at ICD-Export TKD requiring an IDC Certificate plus prescribed Category-I identity/formation documents and one Category-II document (tax return or banker's certificate). The KYC cell opens individual files, records file numbers on shipping bills, and forwards lists for zonal upload. SIIB verifies details including address checks and bank confirmation; verified exporters receive a unique Digital ID and results are maintained in a register with adverse reports escalated for preventive action.