Inland Container Depots/CFS/AFS policy updates set zones, distance rules, minimum throughput and IMC approval process.
The guidelines establish a unified regulatory framework for setting up, notification and operation of ICDs, CFSs and AFSs, distinguishing ICDs as self contained customs stations and CFSs as customs areas linked to parent ports; prescribe geographical zoning, distance and throughput minima (7200 TEUs for ICDs; 1200 TEUs for CFSs), land ownership and entity eligibility; require DPR submission to CBIC with jurisdictional Commissioner feasibility review and IMC approval, LOI timelines and post approval obligations including bonds, HCCAR 2009 compliance, infrastructure, IT and annual audits, with powers for suspension, de notification and closure for non compliance or underperformance.

Sea cargo manifests now require ICEGATE registration and phased electronic filing of SAM, SDM, CSN and CIM within set timelines.
The Regulations require authorised carriers, agents, transhippers and notified parties to register on ICEGATE and submit electronic manifests and declarations-SAM, SEI, SDM, SDN, CSN and CIM-within prescribed timelines; introduce PCIN and MCIN for cargo identification; assign filing responsibilities among ASCs/ASAs, other carriers and ATPs; permit specified bond reductions and exemptions; allow phased transition and testing; and prescribe amendments protocols and penalties for non compliance.

Inland Container Depot approval policy updated: new geographic, distance, volume and compliance rules govern establishment and operation.
The circular prescribes a comprehensive approval and regulatory framework for ICDs/CFSs/AFSs: classification of facilities, a three-zone siting regime with distance and clustering limits, minimum throughput and land requirements, entity and experience criteria, and special dispensations for freight corridors and waterways. It mandates submission of a Detailed Project Report, jurisdictional Commissioner review, IMC consideration, issuance of a time-bound Letter of Intent, statutory notifications under customs law, and extensive post-approval compliance obligations including bonds, infrastructure standards under HCCAR 2009, IT, safety, reporting, audits and grounds for suspension or de-notification.

Rebate of State Levies converted to transferable electronic duty credit scrips usable for customs and central excise duty payment.
Pending claims under the Rebate of State Levies scheme will be settled by issuance of electronic duty credit scrips that are freely transferable and usable for payment of specified Customs and Central Excise duties; recoveries of any excess payments will be effected by the regional authority of the issuing agency and instances of misuse must be reported to the nominated nodal official as per the prescribed procedure.

Job work under Section 65: inputs may be sent out for processing with strict accounting, identity preservation and customs compliance.
Only inputs may be sent out from a Section 65 unit for job work; capital goods may be sent out only for repair with bond officer permission. Job work requires prior deposit and accounting of imported goods in the Section 65 premises, preservation of identity during processing, return or export/clearance in line with MOOWR procedures and GST timelines, and maintenance of prescribed records. The bond remains in force; violations will be deemed home consumption with duties, interest and penalties. Section 65 units may perform job work for others and may source goods from FTWZ/SEZ following applicable procedures.

Supporting document addition: upload to eSanchit, generate IRN and file ICEGATE amendment so officer can view.
To add supporting documents to a Bill of Entry, upload the documents to eSanchit and generate IRN(s), then file an amendment to the Bill of Entry (online via ICEGATE or through the Service Centre) to tag those documents; additions are auto-approved while deletions require officer approval, and query replies should be sent only after completing the upload-and-amendment steps so officers can view the documents.

Job work in bonded warehouses clarifies allowable removals, procedures and duty treatment for inputs and capital goods.
Only inputs may be sent from a Section 65 unit for job work; capital goods may be sent out only for repair with bond officer permission. Job work requires initial deposit and accounting in the Section 65 premises, maintainable identity of goods, and on completion goods may return to the unit or be exported/cleared from the job worker's premises with removal date deemed as warehouse removal; scrap must be returned or cleared on duty payment. Moulds, tools and similar items may be sent for exclusive use by the job worker, with GST-aligned timelines and continued bond obligations; violations trigger duty, interest and penalties.

Rebate of State Levies converted into electronic duty credit scrips by DGFT usable for payment of customs and central excise duties.
Pending Rebate of State Levies (RoSL) claims that could not be paid due to budget limitations will be granted by DGFT as electronic duty credit scrips on the lines of RoSCTL. These scrips will be freely transferable and may be utilised for payment of specified Customs and Central Excise duties as notified. DGFT regional authorities are responsible for recovery of any excess benefits and a DGFT nodal officer has been designated to receive reports of misuse; public notices and standing orders should be issued for guidance.

Bonded trucking permission for transshipment enabling regulated cargo movement under customs supervision and bond and insurance obligations.
Permission is granted to M/s RAJSICO to operate Bonded Trucking for valuables and general cargo between ACC Jaipur and designated IGI Airport terminals, subject to customs supervision, a prescribed Running Bond, insurance for full value and duties, responsibility for loss or pilferage, customs sealing of trucks, and adherence to detailed transshipment documentation and manifest closure procedures for imports and exports.

Job work in bonded warehouses clarified: inputs may be sent out, tooling allowed, and duties governed on consumption and export.
Clarifies that only inputs may be sent from a Section 65 unit for job work while capital goods may be sent out only for repair with bond officer permission; job work requires prior deposit and accounting of imported goods, identification/correlation after job work, return/export/clearance under MOOWR procedures, duty treatment of scrap, timelines aligned with GST, and maintenance of prescribed accounts. The bond remains in force and violations trigger deemed home-consumption clearance with duties, interest and penalties. Section 65 units may perform job work for others and may source goods from SEZ/FTWZ following applicable procedures.

Customs testing now prioritizes CRCL New Delhi for FSSAI, CDSCO and Textile samples; referral labs used when needed.
CRCL and seven other Revenue Laboratories hold NABL Accreditation and will be primary testing centres for customs samples-particularly those for FSSAI, CDSCO and Textile Committee matters-with CRCL New Delhi designated as a primary testing and Referral Laboratory; where specific tests cannot be performed locally, samples must be sent to the nearest designated government referral laboratory, while Animal Quarantine, Plant Quarantine and wildlife-related testing remain excluded.

Faceless customs assessment enables previous Bill of Entry references to assist expeditious assessment by officers.
Faceless customs assessment under ICES permits importers to declare a previous Bill of Entry as a reference for each item while filing a Bill of Entry. Declared references are displayed alongside Risk Management System reference Bills of Entry for assessing officers. Importers and Customs Brokers are advised to provide such references in the Item table, as system-identified or voluntarily declared references may assist expeditious assessment.

Faceless assessment procedures: traders must upload complete e Sanchit documentation and tag bond details correctly to expedite customs clearance.
Customs instructs traders to upload all supporting documents to e Sanchit when filing the Bill of Entry, provide full product and end use details, tag IRN with the BE, and file amendments when additional documents are added post submission. Traders should opt for Continuity Bond where appropriate and enter the correct Bank Guarantee percentage (or zero if none) in the Bond Management module to prevent system defaults that trigger recalls. The Turant Suvidha Kendra serves as the facilitation helpdesk and a Joint Commissioner is the nodal escalation officer.

Faceless Assessment: streamlined measures to expedite Bills of Entry processing and clarify physical document handling.
Faceless Assessment implementation is standardized to expedite Bills of Entry processing by mandating additional working days for FAGs on rotation, enabling dashboards to monitor pending B/Es and time-sensitive consignments, and directing Principal Commissioners and PAGs to proactively coordinate disposals. FAG officers must minimize and aggregate queries, ensure supporting documents are linked to relevant B/Es, and avoid retaining B/Es for validations to be completed at Customs Compliance Verification. Guidelines define ordinary circumstances for First Check examinations and prescribe reassessment routes before and after out-of-charge, while confirming procedures for submission and verification of original Certificates of Origin.

Faceless assessment rollout: automated electronic import assessments with port roles for inspections, testing, provisional assessment, and appeals.
All India roll out of Faceless Assessment creates an automated, electronic assessment regime under Turant Customs: Bills of Entry filed via ICEGATE/e Sanchit are assigned to Faceless Assessment Groups for risk based verification; Port Assessment Groups and Turant Suvidha Kendras retain responsibility for physical examination, testing, bond registration and non assessment functions; FAGs may accept self assessment, seek documents, order tests, re assess with speaking orders, or transfer cases to PAGs in specified exceptional circumstances; appeals against FAG re assessments lie with the Commissioner (Appeals) for the port of import.

QR code based sampling solution enhances transparency and enables real time tracking of import and export samples for testing.
The QR code based Sampling Solution is a web based portal mandating QR stickered duplicate samples with scanned check in/check out and uploaded photographs at drawal (CFS), CSC receipt/forwarding, and laboratory receipt; role based logins permit assessing officers to monitor report status and send pending report requests, while integration with the Test Memo module in ICES provides laboratory report access, all to enhance transparency, sample integrity verification and reduction of dwell time.

Contactless OTP validation permitted for international courier deliveries as an alternative proof of delivery; couriers must retain audit trail.
Allows contactless delivery of international courier consignments via OTP validation as an alternative to physical signatures; couriers must register and KYC the consignee's mobile number, electronically validate OTP at delivery, with failed validation preventing delivery. Proof of delivery may be by physical signature or OTP, and couriers must retain OTP generation and validation data and the full audit trail for five years, available to customs officers on request.

Faceless Assessment: mandatory BOE documentation, correct bond BG entries and structured reassessment routes to speed customs clearance.
Faceless Assessment enhancements require traders to declare end use for time sensitive consignments, upload and link complete supporting documents at BOE filing via e Sanchit/ICEGATE (upload, generate IRN, file amendment), and ensure ICES bond entries reflect the actual percentage of Bank Guarantee or expressly record zero where none is needed. Re assessment is governed by three scenarios: amendments before OOC that affect assessment to be processed by Faceless Assessment Groups; non assessment impact amendments before OOC to be approved by respective PAGs; and post OOC re assessments to be handled by respective PAGs. Original Certificates of Origin must be submitted at the designated Turant Suvidha Kendra 2 and TSK I and a Nodal Officer is appointed for grievance escalation.

Faceless assessment: procedural measures to ensure timely BoE clearance by documentation, bond entry and reassessment rules.
Measures to expedite faceless assessment require traders to declare end-use for urgent consignments, provide full commodity descriptions and upload and link mandatory supporting documents to the BoE via e Sanchit; additions follow an upload-and-amend procedure with auto approval, while deletions need officer approval. Bond entries in ICES must state the actual BG percentage or expressly zero to avoid automatic 100% BG defaults and recalls. Reassessment routes under section 149 are prescribed: pre OOC amendments impacting assessment go to FAG, pre OOC non impacting amendments to respective PAGs, and post OOC reassessments to respective PAGs. Original COO hard copies must be submitted at the designated Turant Suvidha Kendra-2, and grievance escalation is centralized through an appointed Nodal Officer.

Faceless assessment: measures to ensure continuous assessment and prompt clearance of time-sensitive import consignments and streamlined reassessment procedures.
Operational directions require continuous faceless assessment by extending Saturday work (except second Saturday), prioritising time sensitive consignments, and deploying DG Systems dashboards for proactive monitoring by NACs, PAGs and FAGs. Query management must avoid piecemeal queries and ensure complete linked documentation at filing; statutory compliance verification is reserved for port level Customs Compliance Verification. First Check is limited to specified categories (e.g., used machinery lacking export appraisal, items needing valuation or identity verification), with other cases ordinarily routed to Second Check unless senior approval is obtained. Reassessment routes are prescribed by timing and impact on assessment, original Certificates of Origin must be accepted as per certification procedures, and TSKs will serve as facilitation helpdesks with designated nodal officers for grievances.