Faceless, contactless customs reform expands Turant Suvidha Kendras and digitises AD registration, bond debit and ICEGATE access.
Instituting a technology driven, Faceless, Contactless and Paperless customs regime by extending Turant Suvidha Kendra (TSK) to all formations, mandating electronic document submission via e Sanchit with physical submissions restricted to exceptional validation at TSKs, enabling online AD code and bank account registration through ICEGATE with same day approval when complete, automating bond debit after assessment if bond details are provided, and encouraging simplified ICEGATE registration for importers/exporters to access portal functionalities.

Contactless customs modernization enables faceless, paperless procedures to speed clearances and reduce physical contact for exporters.
Turant Suvidha Kendras (TSKs) are extended to all Customs formations as single point interfaces for phased pan India Faceless Assessment, relying on documents uploaded to e Sanchit for assessment and Customs Compliance Verification and restricting any exceptional physical submission to TSKs. ICEGATE enhancements permit online registration/modification of Authorised Dealer codes and bank accounts with electronic submission of passbook or bank authorisation, same day processing if complete, automated bond debit in ICES when bond details accompany the Bill of Entry, and simplified ICEGATE registration tied to GSTIN verification to enable access to portal functionalities.

Contactless customs: online AD code and bank account registration plus automated bond debit to reduce physical interactions.
Contactless Customs measures require exporters to use ICEGATE for online registration/modification of Authorised Dealer (AD) Codes and bank accounts with e Sanchit document submission; Customs officers must approve or report deficiencies the same working day if requirements are met. ICES will automatically debit bonds after assessment when bond details accompany the Bill of Entry, and traders are encouraged to use continuity bonds. Importers/exporters are advised to complete simplified ICEGATE registration based on GSTIN verification to access portal functionalities such as bank account management, ledger view and IGST refund status.

Contactless customs procedures: automated bond debits and streamlined electronic workflows to reduce physical visits and delays.
Implements Contactless Customs measures: ICES will automatically debit bonds when bond details and sufficient balances are provided at filing, eliminating physical bond debits; importers should use continuity bonds. Importers are urged to complete simplified ICEGATE registration to access electronic functionalities. First-check Bill of Entry workflow is streamlined so Bills automatically reach assessing officers after import-shed completion, allow return to examiners when incomplete, and handle CFS code routing by marking entries as 'NOCFS' for SUP correction.

Auto-debiting of bonds enables automatic debiting after assessment, reducing physical customs interaction and streamlining first-check routing.
System changes mandate auto-debiting of bonds declared in Bills of Entry after assessment, obviating manual debiting where a valid bond and sufficient balance are declared at filing; officer intervention is required only if no bond is declared or balance is insufficient. First-check Bills of Entry will automatically route to assessing officers after shed officers mark examination complete, with assessing officers able to return BEs to examiners by entering "N" until they enter "Y" to complete assessment. First-check BEs sent to the supervisor queue will carry a 'NOCFS' code so supervisors can enter the correct CFS code and forward to inspection.

Faceless contactless customs: Turant Suvidha Kendras and ICEGATE digital measures extended to streamline customs processes nationwide.
The Board requires establishment of Turant Suvidha Kendras at all Customs formations to handle exceptional physical document submission while relying on e Sanchit for ordinary verification, and directs wide publicity of TSK details. ICEGATE has been enabled for online registration/modification of Authorised Dealer codes and bank accounts with electronic submission and dashboard tracking, automatic ICES debit of bonds post assessment when bond details accompany the Bill of Entry, and promotion of simplified ICEGATE registration tied to GSTIN to unlock portal functionalities.

Grievance Redressal Committee for GST issues ensures structured referral, quarterly review and time bound IT resolution processes.
Constitution of a Grievance Redressal Committee for Lakshadweep to address GST taxpayer grievances: co-chaired by senior Central GST officials, including GSTN, trade and tax professional representatives; two-year terms; quarterly meetings; Secretary to place stakeholder grievances before the Committee and submit quarterly reports. Functions include resolving procedural and IT grievances, referring policy or legal changes to GST Council Secretariat/CBIC Policy Wing, and referring portal issues to GSTN. GSTN will provide a portal for recording and tracking grievances and disposals with time-bound resolution and public status display.

Paperless Customs enables electronic Shipping Bill and e-Gatepass transmission, replacing printed export documents and physical dockets.
Paperless Customs requires electronic transmission of the digitally signed PDF of the Shipping Bill bearing the Final LEO and an e-Gatepass PDF to registered exporters and customs brokers, replacing routine printing and physical dockets; PDFs include encrypted QR codes with key shipment data and a version number for authenticity verification, and custodians must integrate with ICEGATE for electronic LEO receipt while all supporting documents must be uploaded to e-Sanchit.

Customs port designation: ICD Sonepat permitted for import and export under export promotion schemes subject to scheme conditions.
Operations through ICD Sonepat (INBDM6) are permitted for imports and exports under the listed export promotion schemes, subject to fulfillment of conditions in the referenced notifications and the Handbook of Procedure/Foreign Trade Policy and departmental instructions, and the Commissioner's powers to notify additional ports remain applicable.

AEO certification validity extension grants a uniform renewal deadline for certificates affected during the COVID disruption period.
The Board directed that all AEO certificates expired or expiring between 01.03.2020 and 30.09.2020 are extended in validity to 30.09.2020 to facilitate renewals, except for entities against which a negative report is received; the measure amends Circular No. 27/2020 and requires publicity via Trade/Public Notices and reporting of implementation difficulties.

Customs EDI centralization enables electronic filing, assessment, bonds and licence management, standardizing import export clearances under ICES 1.5.
Centralized ICES 1.5 implementation at the specified ICD enables electronic filing and automated processing of Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills, integration with ICEGATE for remote filing and digital signatures, designation of banks for duty and drawback transactions, service centre data entry and charge schedules, and connectivity to CBIC National Data Centre for workflow, assessment, audit and release procedures.

Investigation timelines require staged document collection, escalation, security deposit and CRD registration to ensure timely SVB case processing.
Procedural guidelines divide SVB work into four groups-Preliminary Scrutiny, Documents Collection & Follow up, Final Investigation, and File & Data Management-each with prescribed duties: screening and checklist preparation, persistent requisition and escalation including EDD and summons, timely preparation and approval of investigation reports with extension protocols, and CRD entry plus weekly/monthly reporting; Annexure-1 provides a detailed documentary checklist tied to Annexure-A/B to standardize evidence collection and tracking.

Animal quarantine sample collection procedures updated: customs to draw, seal and centralize samples for quarantine NOC processing.
Procedure for drawl and collection of livestock product samples for Animal Quarantine NOC is standardized: samples are drawn in presence of a customs officer and broker/importer, sealed, and collected by Customs Central Sample Cell (CSC) from CFSs to CSC. An Animal Quarantine officer will daily attend CSC for half a day to accept sealed samples and process the NOC; importers/CBs need not deliver samples to the off site quarantine office.

Paperless Customs: electronic Shipping Bill and e Gatepass PDFs replace printed copies, enabling QR based authenticity verification.
Electronic transmission of the PDF Shipping Bill bearing the Final LEO copy and the e Gatepass replaces routine printing and physical docket maintenance; PDFs will include a digitally signed encrypted QR code with key shipment details and a version number for authenticity checks via ICEGATE/ICETRAK. LEO messages will be sent to custodians integrated with ICEGATE; exporters must upload all supporting documents to e Sanchit and physical collection of dockets is dispensed with.

Paperless Customs expands electronic transmission of digitally signed Shipping Bill and eGatepass PDFs to exporters and brokers.
Electronic transmission of digitally generated PDF copies of the Shipping Bill bearing Final LEO and the eGatepass will replace mandatory printing and physical dockets. PDFs will include a digitally signed, encrypted QR code encoding key shipment details and a version number for authenticity and tamper-evidence; custodians integrated with ICEGATE will receive LEO messages electronically. All supporting export documents must be uploaded to eSanchit and field units must ensure custodian registration and operational support for the paperless process.

Custodian appointment renewed: custodian and CCSP status maintained subject to regulatory compliance and AEO-linked bank guarantee terms.
Renewal appoints M/s. Seabird Marine Services Pvt. Ltd. as Custodian and as Customs Cargo Services Provider under the Customs Act and HCCAR 2009, reaffirming custody of imported goods until clearance, warehousing or transshipment and custody of export cargo for examination and stuffing. The renewal is conditional on compliance with the Customs Act and HCCAR 2009, a fixed five-year term, a bank guarantee waiver tied to the CFS's AEO-LO accreditation (with obligation to furnish a bank guarantee if AEO status lapses), and the Commissioner's right to review or revoke approval for non-compliance or governmental direction.

Paperless Customs: digital Shipping Bill and e Gatepass with tamper proof QR to replace printouts, and mandatory e Sanchit upload enforced.
Customs shall electronically transmit PDF Final LEO copies of the Shipping Bill and e Gatepass PDFs to registered exporters and customs brokers, replacing routine printing and physical dockets. The Final LEO PDF will include a digitally signed, encrypted QR code with key shipment details and a version number; custodians must integrate with ICEGATE or register. e Gatepass PDFs will carry summary logistics details and QR codes for the document and each container/package. All supporting export documents must be uploaded to e Sanchit; exceptional printouts require Commissioner approval.

Paperless customs: electronic Shipping Bill and e Gatepass PDFs with secure QR codes replace routine printed copies.
Electronic transmission replaces routine printing: the Directorate General of Systems will email the Final LEO PDF and the e Gatepass PDF to registered exporters and customs brokers. Each PDF carries a digitally signed, encrypted QR code with key shipment details and a version number for authenticity checks; e Gatepass PDFs include both document-level and package/container-level QR codes. LEO messages are sent to ICEGATE integrated custodians, all supporting documents must be uploaded to e Sanchit, and exceptions for printing require approval by the relevant Commissioner.

Paperless customs: Electronic Shipping Bill and eGatepass PDFs with secure QR verification replace routine physical printouts for exporters.
Directs exclusive electronic transmission of the PDF Final LEO copy of the Shipping Bill and the eGatepass to registered exporters and customs brokers, discontinuing routine printing and physical dockets. The Final LEO PDF will carry a digitally signed, encrypted QR code with key shipment details and a version number verifiable via ICETRAK and ICEGATE. The eGatepass PDF will include summary logistics details and separate QR codes for the document and for each container/package. All supporting export documents must be uploaded to eSanchit; exceptions for printouts require Principal Commissioner approval.

Paperless Customs: digital Shipping Bill and e-Gatepass PDFs with secure QR verification replace mandatory physical printouts for exporters.
Digital Final LEO PDFs and e-Gatepass PDFs will be electronically transmitted to registered exporters and customs brokers in place of routine printouts; the Final LEO PDF contains a digitally signed, encrypted QR code with key shipment details and a version number verifiable via ICETRAK and ICEGATE. e-Gatepass PDFs include document-level and container/package-level QR codes for movement verification. Custodians must register with ICEGATE to receive LEO messages. All supporting export documents must be uploaded to eSanchit, and exceptional printouts require Commissioner-level approval.