Gate automation and parking plaza procedures require electronic customs approvals and live monitoring for container entry and exit.
The SOP mandates that factory stuffed and CFS containers be routed through Parking Plazas for document verification, electronic pre gate transactions and issuance of RFID BATs or PINs; Customs in Parking Plaza cabins shall verify documents, grant LEO where applicable and contemporaneously record clearance in the Terminal Operating System or e Form 13. Terminals must provide Customs cabins and live TOS feeds for monitoring; gate entry/exit requires BAT/PIN verification and CISF checks, with interim manual endorsements where automation is pending.

Digitalisation of customs documentation reduces routine printouts, permitting electronic challans and system-transmitted shipping and BOE copies.
Routine paper printouts in customs clearance are discontinued where electronic transmission and system integration suffice: GAR7/TR-6 challans will not be printed by default as ICEGATE and bank e-payment confirmations provide electronic records; transhipment permits and certain Shipping Bill copies (Exchange Control and Export Promotion) need not be printed when digitally transmitted and integrated with central monitoring systems; Exchange Control copies of Bills of Entry are discontinued except where manual processes or lack of system interconnectivity require physical copies. Paper copies remain available on demand.

Paperless customs processing: default discontinuation of routine printing of certain challans and shipping and exchange-control copies.
Notice mandates default discontinuation of routine printing of GAR7/TR-6 challans, TP copies where electronic transmission exists, Exchange Control and Export Promotion copies of Shipping Bills, and Exchange Control copies of Bills of Entry due to electronic e-payment confirmations and integration with IDPMS/EDPMS; printed copies remain available on demand.

Paperless customs clearances: routine printing of several import/export documents discontinued, with printouts provided only on demand.
Routine printing of GAR-7/TR-6 challans, TP copies where electronic transmission exists, Shipping Bill Exchange Control and Export Promotion copies, and Exchange Control copies of Bills of Entry is discontinued by default because electronic transmission, ICEGATE e-Payment confirmations and IDPMS integration supply required data; printouts remain available on demand and manual printing may continue where systems are not interconnected or manual BOEs are used.

Sale of seized gold may be routed through RBI approved public sector banks and national trading companies under existing conditions.
Sale of seized or confiscated gold found ripe for disposal may be routed through all Public Sector Banks approved by the central bank to import and sell gold, and through national trading companies, while all other conditions in the Ministry's earlier disposal letter remain applicable; customs houses must take urgent steps to dispose accordingly.

Port gate automation procedures require Customs electronic endorsement before terminal entry and controlled TT movement.
Standard operating procedures require that factory stuffed containers eligible for direct port entry be routed through the Parking Plaza for document verification, survey/photo capture and issuance or confirmation of Bay Allocation Tickets, with Customs in the plaza issuing the Let Export Order (LEO) and simultaneously endorsing clearance in the Terminal Operating System or e Form 13; only TTs cleared by Customs may exit the plaza and proceed to terminal gates where BAT swipe or PIN verification and CISF checks control physical entry and outbound closure. For imports, Customs access to ICES and terminal systems enables verification of Out Of Charge for DPD releases and monitoring of other container movements, with interim manual endorsements specified until gate automation is operational.

Paperless customs processing: routine printouts of challans, transshipment permits and control copies discontinued where electronic systems suffice.
The notice discontinues routine printing of GAR-7/TR-6 Challans, TP copy for transshipment permits where electronic transmission exists, Exchange Control and Export Promotion copies of Shipping Bills, and Exchange Control copies of Bills of Entry where integrated electronic systems (including IDPMS) and ICEGATE ePayment provide secure data transfer; printouts remain available on demand or when manual or non connected processing requires them.

Transhipment Bond requirement and waiver affect carriers handling large container volumes, altering bond filing and discharge procedures.
Procedures consolidate sea to sea transhipment clearance steps: define port and vessel types; prescribe IGM/EGM and transhipment application filing responsibilities at gateway and loading ports; require registration of a Transhipment Bond and bank guarantee in ICES with bond numbers recorded against cargo lines; bond discharge on customs certificate of safe arrival and forfeiture if not produced; and apply a waiver of BG for qualifying high volume carriers, with earlier public notices prevailing in case of conflict.

Mandatory Advance Filing of Bill of Entry accelerates port clearance and grants enhanced facilitation for FCL consignments.
Requirement: submit Advance/Prior Bills of Entry in the ICES system for Full Container Load (FCL) consignments to speed port clearance and reduce cargo dwell time; such advance filings will receive enhanced facilitation. The notice confirms a streamlined amendment procedure for IGM/documents after advance filing, with amendments ordinarily processed promptly and generally without penalty, and encourages advance filing for Less than Container Load consignments; stakeholders may report implementation difficulties to the Commissioner.

Refund and Adjudication procedure for SEZ units now administered by jurisdictional customs through designated refund, adjudication and legal cells.
Amendment delegates refund, demand, adjudication, review and appeal for SEZ unit operations to jurisdictional Customs and Central Excise authorities. Refund claims from SEZ units will be processed by the Central Refund Cell; adjudication will be recorded and handled by the Central Adjudication Cell with designated officers (Commissioner, Additional/Joint Commissioner, Deputy/Assistant Commissioner) exercising powers according to prescribed monetary limits and scheme-specific rules; review and appeals will be managed by the Central Legal Cell with specified file routing and comment obligations for DC/AC officers.

RMS facilitation streamlines out-of-charge of facilitated Bills of Entry, allowing round-the-clock clearance and document verification.
A dedicated RMS Facilitation Centre centralizes registration and scrutiny of RMS-facilitated Bills of Entry, issues printed signed out-of-charge receipts after verifying duty payment and RMS/CCR compliance, and requires Container and Seal verification by port terminal or CFS gate officers with immediate reporting of discrepancies to the Assistant/Deputy Commissioner. Documents submitted are retained and digitized daily.

Verification of Export Obligation streamlined: EODCs ordinarily accepted with limited random and intelligence based checks, exporters notified.
Customs should not replicate Export Obligation verification done by Regional Authorities; EODCs under FTP/HBP are normally accepted without re verification, subject to detailed checks in a limited percentage of randomly selected cases and where intelligence suggests need. Exporters will be informed when selected. Mandatory verification applies when RA endorses checks or where EODCs derive from non EOI shipping bills. Monitoring of block wise EO fulfilment continues and authorization wise export data is available in EOI.

Lab Module enables electronic Test Memos and online laboratory results so Customs can act without physical test reports.
The Lab Module in ICES 1.5 enables Customs officers to generate Test Memos, record sample details, and dispatch samples electronically to mapped laboratories and referral agencies; laboratories can access memos, record test findings online, and make results instantly available to Customs so that action on consignments may proceed without waiting for physical reports. The Module forms part of the Single Window Project, while fees and supporting-document submission and payment processes remain unchanged and must be provided to agencies outside the Module.

RMS Facilitation Centre established to expedite out-of-charge for facilitated Bills of Entry, streamlining documentation and container checks.
A dedicated RMS Facilitation Centre at JNCH will register RMS-facilitated Bills of Entry, scrutinize documents, verify customs duty payments and clearances, issue a printed signed out-of-charge (OOC) copy, and send registration documents daily for digitization. Container and Seal numbers must be verified by Port Terminal or CFS gate officers, who must report discrepancies to the relevant Assistant/Deputy Commissioner. The Centre will operate 24x7; importers may obtain OOC there or at CFSs. Initial operations use five counters allocated by tariff chapters.

Deferred payment of customs duty now available to certified AEO-T2/T3 importers subject to ICEGATE OTP authentication.
Deferred payment of Customs duty is available to AEO (Tier-Two) and AEO (Tier-Three) importers who must obtain ICEGATE login, nominate an AEO nodal person whose contact details are recorded, and intimate intent to the Principal Commissioner/Commissioner (or notify the AEO Programme Manager with copies). The importer must mark flag "D" in the Payment Method column of the Bill of Entry; the AEO nodal person must authenticate deferred-payment requests via a One Time Password to the registered email, which may authenticate multiple Bills of Entry, and customs clearance under deferred payment is granted only after such authentication. Due dates follow the Deferred Payment of Import Duty Rules and importers may select and pay challans earlier than the due date.

Direct Port Delivery extended to main importers; requires advance bill filing, duty payment, RMS clearance and prompt container evacuation.
Direct Port Delivery (DPD) has been extended to additional importers for FCL containers covered by RMS facilitated Bills of Entry where no examination is required. Importers must file advance Bills of Entry, pay customs duties and charges in advance, obtain electronic delivery orders, and be prepared to take immediate delivery. A dedicated RMS Facilitation Centre will register RMS facilitated Bills of Entry, issue printed out of charge orders after document scrutiny, and coordinate verification of container and seal numbers; selected consignments remain subject to scanning or examination and damaged or tampered containers are ineligible for DPD.

Self-sealing and self-certification permission converted to one-time validity to streamline export facilitation and reduce interface.
Permissions for Self-Sealing and Self-Certification of export containers are converted to a one-time grant; existing permissions will be extended suo moto by the EDI section without fresh documents. Denial or withdrawal requires specific adverse information and prior authorisation by the JC/ADC in charge of the FSP Cell.

Export obligation verification under EPCG: EODCs generally accepted with random and intelligence-led detailed checks.
EODCs issued by Regional Authorities for EPCG authorizations are to be normally accepted by Customs without independent re-verification of first block export obligations, subject to restricted random sampling and intelligence-led detailed checks. Customs verification of installation certificates is limited to a random sample and non-EDI shipping bills must be verified. Senior officers must apply transparent random selection criteria, inform exporters immediately, and avoid requesting information available in EDI; specified selection triggers include missing installation certificates, third-party exports, entity changes, intelligence inputs, and assessments of duty-saved exposure.

Discontinuation of manual debits: EDI registered Advance Authorizations must be debited electronically; officers must verify debits.
Future Advance Authorizations electronically registered at Customs EDI locations shall not be evidenced by manual debits on physical copies; officers examining imports or issuing Out of Charge must verify that the authorization has been debited in the EDI system. For domestic sourcing documentation, holders must obtain an Advice Letter from the Group DC/AC for intended quantity and value, which must be processed and emailed to the Regional Authority the same day. Manual clearance during EDI breakdowns may be permitted with safeguards and subsequent EDI debit entries.

Paperless Customs Clearance: routine printing of specified customs documents discontinued to promote digital processing and reduce transaction costs.
The Commissioner directs routine discontinuation of default printing for GAR7/TR-6 challans, TP copies, Shipping Bill Exchange Control and Export Promotion copies, and the Exchange Control copy of Bills of Entry where electronic transmission, ICEGATE/ICES messaging, and system integration (IDPMS/EDPMS) provide the requisite data; printouts remain available on demand or where systems are not interconnected.