Authorized Economic Operator programme: encourages AEO certification to secure expedited customs facilitation and supply chain benefits.
The notice advises importers, exporters and trade intermediaries to apply for certification under the Authorized Economic Operator programme to obtain an internationally recognised security mark and tiered operational benefits. AEO tiers (AEO LO for non traders; AEO T1/T2/T3 for traders) are subject to eligibility under CBEC Circulars. Benefits include Direct Port Delivery/Entry, deferred duty payment for higher tiers, mutual recognition advantages, expedited drawback/refund/adjudication processing, paperless declarations and acceptance of self certified origin documents. Applications are to be submitted to JNCH or the Directorate of International Customs and JNCH will hold workshops and has nominated a Client Relationship Manager.

Duty drawback rates amended: enhanced, reduced and reclassified items under Customs schedule, effective from 25 January 2018.
Amendments revise All Industry Rates (AIRs) of Duty Drawback effective 25 January 2018, enhancing drawback caps for specified marine products, rubber articles, leather goods, wool yarns/fabrics, glass handicrafts, bicycles and certain man-made textile nets, reducing caps for certain chemicals, and deleting tariff item for Polypropylene Mats with reclassification under tariff item 460101 at the existing rate; notice provides administrative contacts and declares directions as a standing order for implementation.

All Industry Rates of Duty Drawback amended to adjust export incentive rates and tariff classification consequences.
Amendments revise the All Industry Rates (AIRs) of Duty Drawback, increasing rates/caps for specified marine products, rubber articles including tyres, leather articles, wool yarns and fabrics, glass handicrafts, bicycles and certain man made textile nets, while reducing rates/caps for specified chemical tariff items; a Drawback Schedule entry for polypropylene mats was deleted and those goods retained under an alternate tariff heading consistent with the Customs Tariff Act, with the existing rate/cap. Issuance of public notices/standing orders and reporting of implementation difficulties to the Board are directed.

Export Promotion Cells centralize customs handling of export work, replacing GST officer processing and assuming jurisdictional files.
Formation of Export Promotion Cells to centralize customs-related export work previously handled by Central Excise/GST officers. New Cells at Bengaluru (East I, East II, South, Central), Mysore and Chitradurga are assigned specific jurisdictions, office locations and officer contacts. These Cells will take over related files from the GST Commissionerates immediately, officers will report to the Additional Commissioner of Customs, and trade is requested to utilise the Cells for customs work and report difficulties to the Commissioner.

Authorized Economic Operator programme expands advance authorizations on self declaration and tightens application and compliance procedures.
Amendments to the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme expand facilitation by permitting AEO-certified exporters to apply for Advance Authorization on self-declaration where SION or ad-hoc norms are absent or additional inputs are used. The Commissioner, Directorate of International Customs is designated AEO Programme Manager; applications go to jurisdictional Chief Commissioners with copies to the Programme Manager. Financial solvency for the prior three years, absence of insolvency or customs duty defaults, and specified solvency certificates are required. Certificate validity, disclosure of show-cause notices, site reporting, and nomination of Client Relationship Managers are also revised.

Movement of containerised imports now governed by ICES v1.5 CFS and Gate modules with bonded auto debits and electronic gate controls.
ICES Version 1.5 introduces CFS and Gate modules at Kolkata (Port) requiring MLOs and CFS operators to register yearly renewable continuity bonds (CO by MLOs; TR by CFSs). IGM filing will carry CFS and bond details to trigger auto debiting of bond amounts and generation of a system "Movement No." Customs officers approve movements in ICES; Gate Module entries at terminal and CFS create gate passes and effect automatic TR bond recredit on receipt, while CO bond recredit and cancellation are reconciled by the Container Cell on submission of export details.

Authorized Economic Operator programme changes decentralise processing and set solvency, validity, and compliance requirements.
Amendments revise the Authorized Economic Operator framework to decentralise application processing to jurisdictional Chief Commissioners while designating the Commissioner, Directorate of International Customs as AEO Programme Manager supported by zonal officers. Applicants must demonstrate three years' solvency, be free from insolvency or customs duty default, and provide tier-specific solvency certificates. The validity of certificates is three years for T1/T2 and five years for T3/LO. AEO applicants' legal-compliance details will be posted online with field formations required to respond to zonal AEO cells; zonal cells must nominate a Client Relationship Manager. Advance Authorisation on self-declaration is permitted for AEO exporters where input norms are absent or additional inputs are used.

Customs transshipment from Pune ACC requires approved transshipment permits, bonds, double locked custody, and ICES 1.5 electronic processing.
Facility for export transshipment from ACC Pune requires filing the Shipping Bill and obtaining Let Export Order at origin; carrier/transhipper must secure an approved Transshipment Permit and register a Continuity Transit Bond/BG in ICES 1.5, which is debited on approval and re credited after proof of onward export. Physical custody at gateway requires a double locked custodian warehouse, Customs verification of packages against TP/AWB/SB, loading under Customs supervision, and electronic messaging between origin and gateway for permit, SB and EGM processing; ETP approval also triggers IGST refund processing.

Container scanning: non-intrusive inspection required and supervised physical examination for suspicious AFTWZ-bound containers.
Pilot project requires RMCC-selected AFTWZ bound containers to be scanned at designated mobile or fixed scanners; the EIR will record selection and scanner type and must accompany containers. AFTWZ/Carrier must bring selected containers for scanning and submit EIRs with CSD endorsements to the DC/AC. CSD will endorse scanning outcomes on the EIR and email images of suspicious containers to AFTWZ, which must conduct supervised full physical examination and return results to CSD and the system. Unscanned containers due to operational issues will be diverted for supervised examination with EIR endorsement.

Export Promotion Circles established to centralize customs functions, shifting specified duties from Excise/GST to local customs.
Export Promotion Circles are constituted within Ahmedabad customs to undertake customs functions hitherto performed by Excise/GST formations - including drawback administration, concessional import processing, issuance of end use and installation certificates, EOU/EHTP/STP related customs work, and sealing of containerized cargo - effective immediately; Annexure A lists controlling offices, EPC addresses and territorial jurisdictions for implementation, and stakeholders are invited to report difficulties to the department.

Minimum Export Price applied to onion exports, permitted only on Letter of Credit, effective immediately until notified otherwise.
Export of onions under the specified ITC (HS) entries is permitted only on Letter of Credit (LC) and is subject to a Minimum Export Price (MEP) of US$ 700 F.O.B. per metric ton, effective immediately and valid until 20.02.2018; treating this public notice as a standing order for officers and staff and providing contact points for difficulties.

Provisional Assessment special drive to finalize pending cases; submit required documents to task force and valuation branch
A special drive directs prompt finalization of provisional assessment of export Bills of Entry pending in DEEC (Group-7D), requiring importers, exporters and customs brokers to submit outstanding documents (including SVB orders and pending approvals) to the AC/CRC-II Section for entry in the Customs EDI system. A Special Task Force at DEEC is designated to receive submissions for non-SVB cases, monthly joint meetings with SVB will address SVB-related matters, and an awareness program and escalation channel to senior commissionerate officers are provided to facilitate disposal.

Customs jurisdiction redefined for Kerala: ports, airports and preventive divisions reassigned under preventive commissioner control.
Corrigendum reallocates customs jurisdiction within the Thiruvananthapuram zone by assigning specified airports, minor ports (including proposed Vizhinjam), ICDs and air cargo complexes to the administrative control of the Commissioner of Customs (Preventive), Cochin. It amends operational functions such as Self Sealing/Factory Stuffing, acceptance of undertakings/bonds and issuance of Procurement Certificates, and redefines the territorial composition and GST-range based boundaries of multiple Customs Preventive Divisions and CPUs, including insertion of new units and detailed coastal and marine jurisdiction delineations.

Out of scope non-food HS codes: revised list issued and items need not be referred to the food safety regulator for clearance.
Designation of specified HS codes for non-food items as out of scope of the food safety regulator is notified, with a revised Annexure listing affected HS codes and product descriptions; FSSAI has advised that those items should not be referred to it for clearance and the directions are to be implemented as a standing order for customs officers and staff.

Customs Punch Seal allowed for ISO tank container movements to warehouses subject to photographic verification and email reporting.
Customs permit use of Customs Punch Seal for ISO tank containers that cannot accept standard one-time-locks when moved from Customs stations to bonded warehouses. Warehouse custodians must photograph the punch seal and container number with a date-time stamp to verify integrity and email the image to the Bond Section for verification and record-keeping. The practice is temporary and will be replaced when suitable bottle seals for ISO tanks become available; operational issues must be reported to the designated Deputy/Assistant Commissioners.

Export container self-sealing allows approved exporters to use RFID e-seals after prescribed approval and documentation.
Customs Commissionerate, Noida assumes customs functions transferred from Central Excise/GST, establishing ten Export Promotion Circles. A self-sealing regime allows exporters, subject to GST registration and prescribed documentation, to obtain approval for stuffing and affixing tamper-evident RFID electronic seals at approved premises. Jurisdictional officers inspect premises and recommend to the Principal Commissioner, who grants permissions valid across applied stations; sealed containers remain subject to risk-based examination and tampering triggers mandatory inspection and alternative sealing procedures.

Customs Area declaration approving custodian and customs cargo service provider status for a Container Freight Station under customs supervision.
The premises of M/s. Prompt Terminals (P) Ltd., Tuticorin CFS at Survey No. 24/3 are declared a Customs Area for unloading, de-stuffing and Customs examination of FCL imports and for Customs examination, stuffing/loading and sealing of export cargo under Customs supervision. M/s. Prompt Terminals is approved as Custodian under Section 45(1) and as Customs Cargo Service Provider under Regulation 10 HCCAR 2009 to receive, store, deliver, dispatch and handle imported and export goods in the declared area, subject to specified procedural circulars and notices.

Discontinuation of EP copy of shipping bill: exporter copy signed by customs accepted for specific ANF applications.
Routine printing of the EP copy of the Shipping Bill will be discontinued; for shipments from EDI ports no hard copy is required for export obligation discharge and the Exporter Copy of the Shipping Bill, duly signed by Customs, may be submitted in lieu of the EP copy for specified ANF applications.

SEZ Bill of Entry filing: ensure SEZ port code and accurate shipment details for ICEGATE integration; manual filings prohibited.
File SEZ Bills of Entry only after confirming the SEZ Port Code has been updated in the Port Code Directory; enter all particulars accurately and cross-check against the system-generated checklist before submitting the Job Number. Errors in IGM, airway bill numbers, package count or weight may cause cancellations and integration failures with ICEGATE, and manual filing requests will not be entertained.

Advance Authorisation self-declaration allowed for AEOs; application processing decentralised and solvency rules tightened and validity periods specified.
Amendments decentralise AEO application processing, designating the Commissioner, Directorate of International Customs as AEO Programme Manager and requiring submission to jurisdictional Chief Commissioners with a copy to the Manager. AEOs may apply for Advance Authorisation on self-declaration where SION/ad hoc norms are absent or additional inputs are used. Financial eligibility requires solvency for the prior three years; T1/T2 may submit auditor or independent CA solvency certificates while T3/LO (and T2 under review) require statutory auditor certificates. AEO validity is three years for T1/T2 and five years for T3/LO.