Bond balance enquiry now available by auto-email; use prescribed subject formats to receive automated bond status and profile.
An e-mail enquiry facility permits ascertainment of running bond balances and Status holder/100% EOU profiles by sending requests to [email protected] using exact subject-line tokens (imp:bondbal:agent:, imp:bondbal:bond:, com:stareou:iec:). Replies are auto-generated and sent as attachments to the originating e-mail. Users must match subject formats precisely, report discrepancies against agent codes or IECs immediately, undertake periodic balance checks, and use provided contacts for assistance.

Brand rate deadline: submit brand rate letters and BRCs to avoid drawback claims being processed at zero rate.
Applications for fixation of Brand Rate under Rules 6 and 7 must be filed within the prescribed period and verified by the jurisdictional Central Excise division within specified time limits; Brand Rate letters must be issued after validation and communicated to the Custom House. The Drawback section will not process shipping bills absent Brand Rate letters received by fax or registered post. Under Rule 15, exporters must file a Supplementary claim within the prescribed period after Brand Rate communication, and Brand Rate claims pending over one year will be processed at zero rate unless requisite documents and supplementary claims are submitted.

Post-clearance audit non-response triggers system interception of live bills until importer compliance and NOC issuance.
If importers or CHAs do not respond within 30 days to Query Memos or Consultative Letters issued by the Post Clearance Audit section, the EDI/Risk Management system will intercept live Bills of Entry for other consignments of the non complying importer. PCA will, with approval of the Joint/Addl. Commissioner, refer the importer's name and IEC code to the LRM section to introduce the interception target, which will be removed only upon importer compliance and issuance of an NOC by the PCA Joint/Addl. Commissioner.

Custom House Agent licensing: applications require prescribed qualifications, financial proof, security instrument and appearance in licensing examinations.
Invitation for grant of Custom House Agent licences at Cochin requires applicants to apply in Form A, furnish names and addresses of partners/directors and nominate the person to conduct clearances, and meet qualifications through a recognized graduate degree plus professional qualification or prescribed experience or Regulation 8 qualification or retired Group A customs officer status. Financial viability must be evidenced by a bank or state revenue authority certificate of assets above the prescribed threshold; applicants must be Indian citizens and submit bond, surety, security instrument and licence fee prior to grant.

Refund of Additional Duty: indemnity bond plus EDI verification allows delegated sanctioning without Commissioner approval.
Where importers cannot produce original Bill of Entry or TR-6 challan, and after the importer's explanation is verified from the EDI system, an indemnity bond may be accepted and the refund claim sanctioned by the Assistant/Deputy Commissioner without seeking the Commissioner's approval; Public Notice No. 43/2008 is modified accordingly and the procedure applies mutatis mutandis to other refund cases.

Scheme code requirement: Shipping bills must state the correct reward-scheme code to claim export incentives.
Exports seeking incentives under Chapter 3 of FTP must record the designated EDI scheme code in the Shipping Bill for shipments covered by a reward scheme. The public notice prescribes specific EDI scheme codes mapped to named reward schemes and directs exporters and agents to ensure the Shipping Bill reflects the relevant Scheme Code as a precondition for processing incentive claims and for correct EDI-system handling of export incentive documentation.

Assignment of Show Cause Notice directs adjudication by Commissioner of Customs (Adjudication), Mumbai under Customs Act authority.
The Board, invoking authority under the notification issued under the Customs Act, assigns the Show Cause Notice issued by the Additional Director General, DRI, Ahmedabad in respect of M/s. Madhuri Impex and others to the Commissioner of Customs (Adjudication), Mumbai for adjudication, thereby centralising responsibility for determination of the issues raised in that notice.

Common Adjudicating Authority appointment directs adjudication of a show cause notice to Commissioner (Adjudication)-I under Customs Act powers.
The Board, exercising powers under relevant Customs notifications, assigns Show Cause Notice F.No. 856(23)LDH/2006/Pt./02-27 dated 31.12.2009 issued by the Additional Director General, DRI, Delhi Zonal Unit, in the matter of M/s Regular Exports, Ludhiana and others, to the Commissioner of Central Excise (Adjudication)-I, New Customs House, New Delhi, for adjudication.

Stores classification permits transfer of Mafi trailers as vessel stores with proper officer permission under transit rules.
Mafi trailers are to be treated as stores rather than equipment on board, falling within the definition of goods for use in a vessel or aircraft. The movement and transfer of such trailers are governed by the stores regime, under which imported stores may be transferred to another vessel or aircraft with the permission of the proper officer.

Appointment of Adjudicating Authority: show cause notice reassigned for adjudication under Customs Act powers by Board.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs assigned a Show Cause Notice issued by the Additional Director General, DRI to the Commissioner of Customs (Adjudication), Mumbai for adjudication under the powers conferred by Notification No. 37/2003-Customs (N.T.) issued under section 4(1) of the Customs Act, 1962, reallocating adjudicatory responsibility for the specified proceedings.

Amendment of Import General Manifest denied when first consignee filed bill without withdrawal or NOC; goods subject to disposal.
Requests to amend consignee name in the Import General Manifest will not be entertained if the first-named consignee has already filed the Bill of Entry and has neither withdrawn it nor provided a No Objection Certificate; the EDI System will not accept a fresh Bill of Entry by a subsequent consignee until the original is cancelled, and goods uncleared beyond the statutory period are liable to statutory disposal.

Re-credit of SAD refund: procedure to re-credit SAD to DEPB and other scrips through reassessment and dummy out of charge.
The notice prescribes an administrative workaround to re-credit SAD refunds to DEPB and other export scrips due to EDI limitations: cancel out-of-charge for archived B/Es, recall and transfer B/Es for reassessment by the Assessing Officer to remove SAD, and then record a dummy out-of-charge so the system reflects the re-credit.

Cenvat credit: principal importers may send raw sugar to job workers and claim input credit after certified receipt.
Procedure allows a principal manufacturer who imported raw sugar under the exemption to send imported stock directly to job-worker refineries with prior AC/DC permission; transport documents must show importer and job-worker and permission reference. The job-worker must notify the AC/DC within 48 hours and obtain a certificate of receipt. Based on that certificate the principal manufacturer may claim cenvat credit and remains liable for duty on refined sugar; invoicing from the principal must be marked for clearance from the job-worker and the job-worker must maintain grain-to-grain records. Contract substitution or bond endorsement is permitted subject to other exemption conditions.

Advance authorization relief allows extension for export or abolition of export obligation upon payment of applicable customs duty.
Advance Authorization holders who imported raw sugar during the specified period may choose either a further time extension for export performance without payment of composition fees or abolition of the export obligation upon payment of customs duties applicable to normal imports on the quantity of unfulfilled obligation; administrative instructions require issuing trade notices, guidance to assessing officers, reporting implementation difficulties to the Board, and acknowledgement of the circular.

Procurement certificate verification and re-warehousing requirement enforce duty-exemption compliance and may trigger recovery actions.
Verification of duty-exemption documentation under the EOU scheme requires authentication of Procurement Certificates and timely receipt of Re-warehousing Certificates. Random checks of PCs will be conducted and verification is compulsory for first-time importers; hand-delivered PCs/RWCs must arrive in sealed covers and may be cross-checked against registered-post copies. Duty-exemption completion depends on RWCs within prescribed timelines; persistent pendency will trigger demand notices, suspension of duty-free clearance, or requirement of bank guarantees. Commissioners must furnish specimen signatures of issuing authorities.

Launch of Indian Customs EDI System (ICES 1.5) initiates computerized processing of export shipping bills at ICD Valvada.
Commencement of the Indian Customs EDI System (ICES 1.5) at ICD Valvada (Vapi) is effective 08.01.2010, applying the procedures and annexures of Public Notice No.49/2009 mutatis mutandis for computerized processing of Shipping Bills. Helpdesk support is provided via existing ICEGATE contacts managed by M/s Wipro, an additional toll free helpdesk managed by TCS for the new application, and a named System Manager at ICD Valvada with direct telephone and email for local assistance.