International transshipment procedures: landing permission waived before berthing, with post-berthing reporting and delayed TSA filing permitted.
Pre-berthing landing permission for international transshipment containers is waived; liners must submit a vessel-wise report to Customs ITP Cell by the next working day after berthing for assignment of Container Bond numbers and dates to monitor re-export within the six-month period. Containers arriving by road or rake from other Indian ports still require prior landing permission. Unloading will be supervised by the Superintendent of Customs (VCTPL) based on the IGM, and TSA filing may be made within two working days after sailing, with liners responsible for validity of re-export.

De-notification of Customs Notified Area: dock sector removed subject to perimeter, liability, lighting and CCTV conditions.
An area of 33,323.92 square meters in Princess and Victoria Docks, from Purple Gate to 14 VD, is de notified from the Mumbai Docks Customs Notified Area to allow coastal passenger transport facilities that do not require customs clearance. The de notification is conditional: the Mumbai Port Trust must construct a permanent perimeter boundary wall for the Customs Notified Area; assume responsibility for incidents until the permanent wall is completed; ensure sufficient night lighting; maintain 24x7 CCTV on the temporary boundary; and make CCTV footage available to the Assistant Commissioner of Customs (Preventive) when required.

Ban on import of fireworks: ensure strict compliance and enforcement under existing import restrictions and licensing regime.
Directive to ensure enforcement of the ban on importation of fireworks by strict compliance with Notification GSR No.64(E) dated 27.01.1992; importation is a restricted item requiring a DGFT licence and no licence under Explosives Rules, 2008 has been issued by PESO for possession or sale. Customs formations are to alert officers and take measures to prevent illegal importation and smuggling.

E-payment of customs duty required for specified importers; electronic remittance mandated where per bill threshold is met.
E-payment of customs duty is compulsory for importers registered under the Authorised Economic Operator Programme and for importers whose customs duty per bill of entry meets or exceeds the statutory per-bill threshold, pursuant to Notification 80/2017, effective 01.09.2017; prior public notices on implementation and bank scheduling remain applicable.

Full description requirement for imported wood: detailed logs, measurements and measurement method required to support customs assessment.
Bills of Entry for wood under tariff headings 4403 and 4407 must provide full descriptions including wood type, average cubic measure (Avg CFT), girth, length, number of logs/pieces and grade. Importers must produce supplier log lists/packing lists that state the measurement system and formula used for CBM calculation, and suppliers should individually number logs/pieces to allow correlation during cargo examination; importers bear the onus of correct declaration under the self assessment regime.

Drawback Rules 2017 narrow drawback scope, discontinue composite rates and prescribe AIR suffixes and provisional payment rules.
Notification of the Drawback Rules, 2017 and revised AIRs effective 1 October 2017 limits drawback to Customs duties and specified remnant Central Excise duty, discontinues composite rates, mandates tariff-item suffixes ('B' for general AIRs, 'D' for alternative garment AIRs), requires fresh Brand Rate applications for exports with let export date on or after 1 October 2017, disallows Brand Rate fixation under Rule 7 where AIR shows NIL or no rate (requiring Rule 6 instead), and provides for provisional drawback payments equivalent to applicable AIRs subject to claim conditions.

Self-sealing electronic container seals enable exporter-applied RFID sealing with vendor certification and Customs data integration.
The Self Sealing Procedure allows exporters to affix RFID one time bolt seals at approved factory/warehouse premises, subject to declaration of the seal serial at shipping bill filing and Customs oversight for tampering. Seals must conform to ISO 17712:2013 (H) and ISO/IEC 18000 6 Class 1 Gen 2; vendors must submit manufacturer certifications, support reader scanners at ports/ICDs, transmit prescribed transaction data to RMD and integrate with Customs systems, and ensure seal TID linkage to exporter IEC. Mandatory implementation was deferred to permit vendor and reader readiness.

Self-sealing of export containers allowed under GST with electronic RFID seals and mandatory customs intimations.
Self-sealing of export containers replaces prior supervised factory sealing; prior supervised users and AEOs are automatically eligible. Exporters continuing self-sealing under Bond/LUT/refund must intimate the jurisdictional Superintendent and copy the Deputy/Asst Commissioner (Tech) in the Annexure A format for RMD communication. Changes of approved premises require fresh permission per Circular 26/2017. Each self-sealing event must be intimated in Annexure B. Exporters must affix a tamper proof electronic (RFID) seal with a unique number declared in the Shipping Bill and preload specified exporter and shipment data into the seal before sealing.

PGA NOC requirement: advance warehouse bills and bond procedures govern ex bond clearance and out of charge verification.
Importers must file advance Warehouse Bills of Entry and submit a one time bond registered at the Bond Section. Out of charge and bond release are managed by Appraising Group or Docks officers, who must record that ex bonding is not permitted without the PGA NOC. On receipt of PGA NOC the importer files an Ex Bond Bill of Entry for assessment or OOC; the OOC officer must verify the PGA NOC before OOC. Bonded warehouses charge storage from the date of physical warehousing, not from the space certificate issuance. Marking only consignments may be cleared in Home Consumption mode if cleared same day.

Electronic container sealing: vendors must certify ISO compliance and link seal IDs to exporter IEC for export verification.
Vendors of RFID tamper-proof one-time-bolt container seals must submit self-attested manufacturer certifications demonstrating compliance with high security seal standards to the Director (Customs), CBEC for verification; accepted vendors will be listed on the department website. Vendors must provide manufacturer link documents, notify customs of manufacturer changes, implement web applications incorporating prescribed data elements and transmit specified information in required formats, capture Tag Identification (TID) and link it to the exporter's IEC at point of sale, and ensure readers are available at ports/ICDs to enable seal verification.

Customs valuation: definition of place of importation clarifies included costs; handling and transshipment charges excluded.
Amendment defines place of importation as the customs station where goods are cleared or warehoused and states that transaction value includes costs up to that place. Loading, unloading and handling charges shall not be added to CIF at the place of importation; only charges incurred for delivery to the place of importation are includible. Provisos to Rule 10(2) clarify computation of freight and insurance when only aggregate FOB-plus-freight or FOB-plus-insurance is known. Transshipment costs within India are excluded from transaction value.

Drawback entitlement revised to Customs and remnant excise duties; general AIRs replace composite rates and require prescribed tariff suffixes.
The notification brings into force the Customs and Central Excise Duties Drawback Rules, 2017 and revised AIRs, narrowing drawback to Customs duty and remnant Central Excise duty while excluding integrated tax and compensation cess; it discontinues composite rates and replaces them with general AIRs (claimed via prescribed tariff suffixes), adjusts exporter declaration requirements, prescribes provisional drawback parity with AIR subject to conditions, and provides procedures for brand rate fixation and a Drawback Committee extension to consider representations.

Jurisdictional allocation for self-sealing exporters clarified; revised list of local customs offices governs containerized cargo oversight.
Corrigendum substitutes Para 3.0 of Public Notice No. 12/2017 to specify the superintendent-level customs offices and the exact districts, blocks or police-station areas constituting each office's jurisdiction for exporters availing the self-sealing procedure for containerized cargo, thereby establishing the operative territorial allocation of supervisory responsibility within the Commissionerate.

Customs area reduction: CFS notified area curtailed and southern portion de notified, custodian designation retained per Customs Act.
The Commissioner partially modifies prior public notices by reducing the first-floor Customs Area at M/s Sudharsan Logistics CFS from 39,877 sq.ft. to 6,000 sq.ft. on the northern side for handling import LCL cargo and de-notifying the southern 33,877 sq.ft. at the applicant's request; the custodian designation and all other prior conditions remain unchanged, with the order effective from the stated operative date.

Electronic sealing for export containers requires RFID tamper proof seals, vendor certification, and TID IEC linkage for verification.
Implementation of electronic sealing for export containers requires vendors to supply RFID Tamper Proof One Time Bolt Container Seals compliant with ISO 17712:2013 and to submit self attested manufacturer certificates and vendor manufacturer link documents to the Director (Customs), CBEC before sale; compliant vendors will be listed on the Board website. Vendors must capture Tag Identification (TID) and link it to the exporter's IEC at sale, provide prescribed data elements via a web hosted application in standardised feeds to customs stations and the regional monitoring division, and publicise ports/ICDs where readers are available to facilitate verification at export points.

IGST export refund processing requires operative bank accounts and the Shipping Bill as the refund application to enable disbursal.
The Shipping Bill functions as the refund application; refunds require operative bank accounts validated in the ICES database. Exporters must update and avoid changing bank details within the financial year. The Assistant/Deputy Commissioner, Export Assessment, will verify account operability and serve as the disbursal officer. Airlines must file EGMs accurately and timely and limit amendments.

Container scanning requirement: selected ICD Mulund-bound containers must be scanned and suspicious cases face full physical examination.
Import containers selected by the Risk Management Center for scanning must be brought to JNCH for scanning; scanned images and any marked "Suspicious" cases are emailed to the designated AC/DC of ICD Mulund. Containers not scanned when selected, or those with suspicious images, are subject to 100% examination under DC/AC Docks supervision. The designated AC/DC coordinates stakeholders, ensures examination reports are entered in the system, and submits monthly performance reports to RMCC.

IGST export refund requires PFMS validated bank accounts; Shipping Bill treated as refund application when EGM and GSTR 3 are filed.
Validation of exporters' bank accounts in PFMS is mandatory for disbursal of IGST export refunds; the Shipping Bill is treated as the IGST Export Refund Application and the refund is deemed filed when the EGM is filed and a valid Form GSTR 3 return is furnished. Exporters with closed or unvalidated PFMS accounts risk non credit of refunds and are instructed to update and avoid changing bank account details during the current financial year; Annexure A lists unvalidated accounts.

Drawback rules change: limitation to customs and select excise duties restricts eligible duty drawback for exports.
Notification of the Drawback Rules 2017 and revised All Industry Rates takes effect, limiting drawback to customs duties on inputs and remnant excise on specified petroleum for captive power; integrated tax, compensation cess and service-tax related references are excluded. Composite rates are discontinued and replaced by general AIRs with caps, using specified tariff-item suffixes and alternative suffixes for certain garment exports. Provisional drawback payments align with applicable AIR components. Brand-rate fixation procedures continue but prior brand rates do not apply post-commencement and nil-rate items require alternative rule applications.

Customs Broker applications open: eligibility, required qualifications, documents and exam process for licensing explained.
Applications are invited for the Customs Broker written examination under Regulation 6, CBLR 2013; written and subsequent oral exams are required to obtain a licence. Applicants must meet Regulation 5 eligibility: Indian citizenship, sound mind, no insolvency or convictions, no penalisation under relevant Acts, and financial viability evidenced by assets or bank solvency of not less than five lakh rupees. Prescribed educational/professional qualifications or specified experience (including G Card holders or retired Group A officers) and the documents listed in Annexure III must accompany Form A; incomplete or incorrect filings may be rejected or later cancelled.