Preferential tariff schedule expanded under India Chile PTA; amendment notifies new tariff preferences for eligible imports.
Amendment notifies an expanded schedule of tariff preferences under the India Chile Preferential Trade Agreement, updating which imported goods qualify for preferential customs treatment; the central government notification is provided to customs authorities and the trading public for guidance and compliance.

Tariff classification change affects Basic Customs Duty applicability on industrial grade palm stearin, prompting import compliance guidance.
Proposed amendment to notification No. 12/2012 to render effective the Basic Customs Duty rates for industrial grade palm stearin (crude, RBD or other) after its tariff reclassification, aligning duty application with legislative changes and directing importers and agents to Notification No. 18/2017 - Customs and the customs website for guidance on procedural implementation.

DPD container-specific examination orders streamline inspections, preserving DPD access subject to mandatory priority processing by importers and docks.
Assessing Groups will specify container numbers for examination in multi-container bills of entry of homogeneous goods under DPD facility not RMS-facilitated, using the commodity-specific examination percentage to determine the number (minimum one). Importers/customs brokers must present only those specified containers to CFS and to the Docks Customs Officer within 24 hours; docks will prioritize examination to enable final out-of-charge within 48 hours of IGM filing. Discovery of misdeclaration during specified-container examination triggers presentation of all remaining containers for inspection. CFSs must earmark a "DPD-examination" area. Waste paper importers follow the same procedure. The measure has immediate effect.

Indian Customs EDI system at Kelshi Port enables electronic filing and automated processing of import/export declarations.
ICES 1.5 is launched at Kelshi Port to enable electronic filing and automated processing of Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills. Mandatory registrations (IE Code, Customs Broker, Shipping Lines, DGFT licences, bank accounts, digital signatures/ICEGATE) and use of prescribed codes are required. The system performs self assessment on B/E number generation, converts currency, calculates duties, routes cases to Appraising Groups, supports RMS facilitation, enforces bond/license debits and controls goods registration/out of charge until statutory payments and bond/BG/certificates are recorded. Export processes, drawback and licence ledgers are integrated with ICEGATE and Single Window interfaces.

Exemption from sample drawal extended to entry-level AEO certificate holders for drawback, subject to intelligence-based sampling.
Exemption from drawal of physical samples for grant of drawback is extended to holders of Authorized Economic Operator Tier I certificates, with the exemption subject to exception where specific information or intelligence necessitates sampling; administrative guidance via Public Notice and Standing Order is required and implementation issues must be reported to the Board.

Indian Customs EDI (ICES 1.5) enables electronic filing and automated processing of import Bills of Entry and export Shipping Bills.
Launch of ICES 1.5 at Umroli (Bankot) Port enables electronic filing and automated online processing of import Bills of Entry and export Shipping Bills via ICEGATE or service centres. Mandatory pre requisites include registration of IE Codes, customs brokers, shipping lines and DGFT licences, standardized currency/port/country/unit codes, and bank account registration. The system integrates automated appraisal, RMS risk facilitation, concurrent audit, centralized bond and licence ledgers for export promotion schemes (DEPB, EPCG, etc.), and prescribes bond/licence registration, debiting, amendment, examination, duty payment and documentation procedures required for assessment, goods registration and out of charge.

Late filing charges waiver: centralised EDI Additional/Joint Commissioner to consider and dispose waiver requests promptly.
The Additional/Joint Commissioner in charge of EDI is designated as the proper officer to centrally consider waiver requests of late filing charges for all six JNCH Commissionerates; such requests must be disposed of the same day, recorded in a prescribed register (receipt date, BoE no. & date, importer name, amount waived, brief reasons, decision communication date), and difficulties reported to specified Appraising Main officers via provided contact channels.

Delivery of packing material allowed with de-stuffed consignments, removing need for separate permission and reducing dwell time.
Importers are not required to obtain separate permission to take delivery of packing material such as pallets when it is cleared together with the principal imported item on de-stuffed delivery at CFSs; this measure is to reduce dwell time and related detention and demurrage charges, and is to be treated as a standing order by officers with specified contacts for reporting difficulties.

Late filing charges exemption for Bills of Entry affected by system outage, subject to evidence of attempted filing and cutoff adherence.
Exemption from late filing charges is provided for Bills of Entry delayed by an ICES system outage, allowing a short extension for presentation without charge where filing occurred by the extended cutoff and evidence proves the filing job was submitted but no acknowledgment was received; no exemption applies if filed after the cutoff or if evidence is absent.

Container bond automation in ICES: automatic debiting on entry inwards and re credit on verified re export.
Implementation of an ICES module mandates registration of a continuity Container Bond (CB) for imported containers through Kolkata/Haldia ports, to be managed in the existing ICES Bond Module with prescribed bond rates by container ISO code. Bond debiting is automated on grant of Entry Inwards-system locates a valid bond, calculates the bond amount and debits it without separate request. For loaded containers CB is additional to TP/TR bonds; empty container details must be filed in the IGM. Re credit is effected on verified proof of re export and authorized approval from the Superintendent (Container Cell).

Licensed customs broker verification required before registration of entry documents; only broker or verified employees may handle clearance and payments.
Only licensed customs brokers may perform customs clearance and must be authorized by the importer/exporter; brokers may operate in CFSs only personally or via employees holding valid H or G cards, which customs officers must verify and record when admitting Bills of Entry or Shipping Bills. Brokers may not transfer licences, must invoice importers/exporters for clearance services, and receive payments directly. Customs Cargo Service Providers shall admit only broker employees with valid cards, invoice the importer/exporter or broker, and accept payments by electronic or bank instruments.

Withdrawal of bonded trucking authorization ends appointed provider's road transshipment authority for export cargo.
The Commissioner of Customs, Visakhapatnam, has withdrawn the prior designation of M/S T. T. Aviation Handling Services Pvt. Ltd. as the authorised Customs Cargo Service Provider for Bonded Trucking Operations facilitating road transshipment of export cargo from the Visakhapatnam Air Cargo Complex to other customs notified Air Cargo Complexes, effective immediately.

Advance passenger manifest transmission required: carriers must send outbound manifests shortly before departure and implement earlier pre-check-in manifests.
Carriers must transmit the final outbound passenger manifest electronically in flat file format shortly before departure, using the same format as inbound manifests. Carriers are also required to modify their systems to generate and submit an additional pre-check-in passenger manifest to Customs within the prescribed implementation period.

Centralised export assessment to verify exporters' self assessment via EDI for classification, valuation and scheme eligibility.
Creation of a Centralised Export Assessment Cell (CEAC) at JNCH, Mumbai Zone II centralises verification of self assessment for all non facilitated shipping bills. CEAC officers, supervised by the Additional/Joint Commissioner and including an administrative DC/AC, will verify classification, valuation, drawback, scheme eligibility and exportability via the EDI system; queries must be specific, consolidated and EDI based. Work is allocated by Customs Tariff Heading groups, hard copy checklist presentation is discontinued, samples are called only in exceptional cases with approval, and Parking Plaza officers handle holiday/weekend assessments.

Indian Customs EDI (ICES 1.5) at Porbandar mandates electronic filing, registration, and automated duty and licence processing.
Launch of ICES 1.5 at Porbandar Port mandates electronic filing and processing of Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills; requires registration of IE Codes, Customs Brokers, Shipping Agents, ICEGATE/RES and bank accounts; prescribes standard coding and data conventions; automates valuation, duty calculation, assignment to Appraising Groups, RMS risk based facilitation, and concurrent audit; provides detailed procedures for registration and electronic debiting of DGFT licences, DEPB/TRA, EPCG/DEEC/DFIA, Bond/BG management, ex bond/warehousing transactions, and Drawback/ROSL/STR export processes; and sets rules for amendments, reassessment, examination, payments and document flows.

Online NOC verification requirement: Out of charge granted only after SWIFT-confirmed NOC; physical NOCs are not accepted.
Clearances, permissions and NOCs from Participating Government Agencies must be transmitted and verified online via SWIFT; customs officers shall grant out-of-charge and release orders only after online verification of the PGA NOC, and physical hard-copy NOCs will no longer be accepted. If a PGA issues a physical NOC due to technical problems, the reason must be stated on the face of the NOC.

Indian Customs EDI (ICES 1.5) at SIKKA Port mandates electronic filing, automated assessment, and integrated licence/bond management.
ICES 1.5 at SIKKA Port mandates electronic filing and automated processing of Bills of Entry, IGMs and Shipping Bills via ICEGATE or service centres after required registrations (IE Code, CHA, shipping agents, DGFT licences). The system validates data, computes assessable value and duty, routes B/Es to appraising groups, supports first/second check examinations, concurrent audit, RMS facilitation, and integrates DEPB/licenses, bond/BG management and electronic duty/payment workflows prior to out of charge.

Authentication of EDI Bill of Entry: system-generated final printouts require no customs officer signature and stakeholders notified.
Once the Customs EDI system records an Out of Charge (OOC) entry and generates the authenticated final printout of the Bill of Entry, that system-generated document is deemed authenticated and does not require a Customs officer's signature; stakeholders are to accept such printouts and report any implementation difficulties.

Customs Area declaration: CFS premises recognised and operator approved as custodian and CCSP under customs law.
Premises of M/S ALS Tuticorin Terminal (P) Ltd., Survey No. 998, Tuticorin, comprising 10.62 acres, are declared a Customs Area under Section 8(b) of the Customs Act, 1962 for de-stuffing FCL imports, storage and customs examination of import and export cargo, and stuffing and sealing of export containers. The company is approved as Custodian under Section 45(1) and as Customs Cargo Service Provider under Regulation 10 of the Handling of Cargo in Customs Area Regulations, 2009, subject to prescribed procedural circulars and facility movement rules.

Airline passenger manifests must be transmitted electronically 12 hours pre-check-in and 15 minutes before departure.
Carriers must transmit electronically the pre check in passenger manifest twelve hours before scheduled departure and the final passenger manifest fifteen minutes before leaving or taking off, to Indian Customs in the prescribed structure. From 15.05.2017 outbound manifests are to be submitted fifteen minutes before departure in a flat file format identical to inbound transmissions; carriers must modify systems to enable the additional twelve hour outbound transmission within six months. The Passenger Manifest format (Form II) specifying flight, passenger, journey, document, crew and visa data fields is annexed.