Right to Information designations assign CPIO and appellate authority roles across customs jurisdictions with link officers for absence.
Designation of Central Public Information Officers and First Appellate Authorities under the Right to Information Act, 2005 in the Office of the Principal Commissioner of Customs (Airport & ACC). The notice assigns specified officers as CPIOs and FAAs for defined jurisdictions set out in Annexure-A, and provides that link officers will act as the respective CPIO or FAA during leave or absence. It also states that appeals may be filed before the designated First Appellate Authority under the RTI Act.

Section 49 cargo storage and detention waiver procedures are streamlined to reduce delays and logistics costs.
Facilitation is prescribed for the early use of Section 49 of the Customs Act, 1962 where imported goods are delayed due to investigation, examination, testing, verification, approval by Participating Government Agencies, issuance of NOCs, or other Customs or statutory processes. Requests under Section 49 are to be processed expeditiously, with consultation where necessary, and reasons for refusal must be recorded in writing and communicated. The notice also streamlines detention and demurrage waiver certificates, requiring verification of facts and records and specification of the relevant detention period and process status.

Anti-dumping duty on Glufosinate imports requires provisional assessment, guarantee coverage, and Minimum Import Price compliance.
Provisional assessment is directed for imports of Glufosinate and its salt originating in or exported from China PR, pending completion of the anti-absorption review, and customs officers are to obtain sufficient guarantee to secure any increase in anti-dumping duty. The instruction also requires compliance with the applicable Minimum Import Price, while the existing anti-dumping duty continues to be levied and collected under the earlier notification.

Provisional assessment and anti-dumping guarantee for Insoluble Sulphur imports pending review of China-origin goods
Provisional assessment is directed for imports of Insoluble Sulphur originating in or exported from the People's Republic of China, pending an anti-absorption review, and customs officers are to obtain a sufficient guarantee to cover any increase in anti-dumping duty indicated by the Designated Authority. The guarantee is in addition to the existing anti-dumping duty already leviable under the earlier notification. Anti-dumping duty on Insoluble Sulphur from China PR and Japan is prescribed at country- and producer-specific rates and is stated to apply for five years unless revoked, superseded, or amended earlier.

Duty credit scrip re-credit determines drawback and refund treatment for imported goods, with cash payment excluded in these cases.
Re-credit mechanism governs drawback under section 74 and refund under section 27 of the Customs Act, 1962 where import duty was paid through duty credit scrips. Where duty was paid through RoDTEP or RoSCTL scrips, the admissible amount is to be granted by re-credit into the electronic credit ledger of the IEC holder, not in cash. For legacy schemes such as MEIS and SEIS, where re-credit is not feasible, Customs is to issue a re-credit certificate for DGFT revalidation with details of the utilised scrip, import date, and debit amount.

Export consignment testing accepts recognised laboratory reports unless risk-based intervention or intelligence requires sampling under existing procedures.
Exporters may submit voluntary test reports from NABL-accredited laboratories, laboratories accredited or recognised by Export Promotion Councils, or other recognised agencies to meet importing-country regulatory requirements. Where no risk-based intervention or intelligence exists, the proper officer must consider those reports without mandatory referral of samples to the Central Revenue Control Laboratory. Cases involving risk or intelligence remain subject to existing sample withdrawal and testing procedures. Import-consignment sampling and testing procedures are unchanged.

Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations move to pan-India electronic filing with extended transitional support and no penal action period.
Pan-India implementation of the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations, 2018 has been operationalised through the electronic message framework for sea cargo movement, gateway port arrivals and departures, and transhipment movements. Stakeholders are required to file the relevant electronic declarations through the online mechanism in complete, accurate and timely form. The transitional provisions under SCMTR, 2018 have been extended up to 31.08.2026, and no penal action is to be initiated for technical or procedural difficulties faced in online filing during this period.

Transshipment Bonds enable regulated bond-to-bond warehouse transfers through document scrutiny, ICES approval, re-warehousing accountability and duty security.
Bond-to-bond transfer of warehoused imported goods requires a Transshipment Bond processed through the ICEGATE Warehouse Module. After acceptance of the transfer request by the proper officer at the source warehouse, the importer or authorised Customs Broker must submit the prescribed bond and supporting documents to the Turant Suvidha Kendra. Following scrutiny, a Job Number is generated in ICES and approved by the Deputy or Assistant Commissioner, after which a Transshipment Bond Number is issued. The bond secures safe removal, re-warehousing or satisfactory accounting of goods, and payment of customs duty where demanded.

Courier-based SEZ import automation streamlines manifest filing, shipment validation, X-ray processing, and customs clearance through integrated systems.
Automation of Special Economic Zone import consignments through the courier mode is introduced through an integrated ECCS-ICEGATE-ICES workflow. The arrangement covers courier movement from arrival at the International Courier Terminal to processing and onward movement to the SEZ, with ECCS handling operational processing and ICEGATE-ICES facilitating declaration and transmission of shipment data. Specific responsibilities are assigned to airlines, couriers, customs officers, the SEZ unit, and the custodian for manifest filing, package validation, X-ray, goods registration, out-of-charge formalities, Bill of Entry filing, and exit scan capture.

LCL import cargo handling permission enables designated warehouse operations at the container freight station under applicable customs cargo regulations.
Handling of LCL import cargo is permitted at M/s. Apollo World Connect Limited Container Freight Station under the Customs Act, 1962 and the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009. An identified area within the existing warehouse is allocated for this purpose. Handling must comply with extant instructions, and the facility remains effective from issuance of the public notice until further orders.

SCMTR filing becomes mandatory for manifest and transhipment transactions, replacing supplementary IGM/EGM and legacy filing processes.
SCMTR filing is mandatory for stakeholders operating at New Mangalore and Karwar Ports. Following the proposed disabling of supplementary IGM/EGM processing from 16 June 2026, manifest and transhipment filings must be made only through the SCMTR module. Manual, automated and legacy-format filings for SCMTR-covered modules are not accepted, except in exceptional system-failure circumstances verified by the local Systems Manager.

Sea cargo manifest compliance eases as phased electronic message rollout and transitional filing relief continue nationwide.
Pan-India implementation of the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations (SCMTR), 2018 is being rolled out through phased deployment of electronic messages for cargo movement, with arrival, departure and export transhipment messages stated to be operational nationwide and the remaining non-import transhipment message developments becoming fully operational from 1 July 2026. Transitional provisions are extended up to 31 August 2026, and no penal action is to be initiated for technical or procedural difficulties in online filing during that period.

Import FCL cargo handling is permitted at O' Yard CFS, subject to prevailing Customs procedures and allocated facility space.
Customs permission is granted to O' Yard CFS, Chennai Container Terminal Limited, to handle regular import Full Container Load (FCL) cargo under the Customs Act, 1962 and the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009. Of the customs area previously allocated for the LCL warehouse, 1,972.65 sq. m. is allocated for import FCL cargo and 532.35 sq. m. remains for LCL cargo. FCL handling is subject to prevailing Customs procedures and instructions and remains effective until further orders.

Sea Cargo Manifest compliance tightens as the SCMTR rollout becomes fully operational and legacy manifest filing is phased out.
Pan-India rollout of the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations, 2018 is to take effect from 30.06.2026, with no further extension envisaged, and stakeholders are directed to shift fully to the SCMTR framework. Supplementary IGM/EGM filing is disabled at Nhava Sheva Port from that date, while amendments to Bills of Lading are to follow the SCMTR message-based process before Sea Entry Inwards and officer-based processing after Sea Entry Inwards. Stakeholders must ensure registration, system readiness, API connectivity, accurate electronic declarations and compliance with SCMTR timelines.

Authorised CFS access restricts cargo clearance and handling activities to designated cardholders and self-pass holding importers or exporters.
Cargo clearance at Container Freight Stations must be undertaken only by duly authorised persons, including specified card holders, Port Trust ID Card holders, and importers or exporters holding a self Customs Pass. Container Freight Stations must enforce the entry restriction. Unauthorised involvement in documentation, entry, delivery, financial transactions, or other cargo-handling activities constitutes non-compliance and may attract remedial action under the cargo-handling regulations.

Green channel customs clearance speeds pollution response equipment movement for oil and HNS spill emergencies.
Establishment of a green channel for customs clearance supports urgent import, export, temporary import, temporary export, re-import and re-export of pollution response equipment and materials for oil and HNS spill response operations. Customs Zones must appoint a senior Nodal Officer to coordinate with the Indian Coast Guard and other stakeholders, ensure expeditious clearance under the Customs Act, maintain contact details, facilitate priority processing on a 24x7 basis where required, and act as the single point of contact for customs issues.

Digital Section 49 warehousing applications enable online submission, queries, approvals, status tracking, and storage extensions.
Section 49 warehousing is digitised through an online ICEGATE and Customs EDI workflow for imported goods awaiting clearance. Importers may submit fresh applications with validated Bill of Entry particulars, warehouse details and supporting documents, receive a request number, track status, and reply to Customs queries online. Customs officers may examine records, record remarks, approve applications or raise queries. Approved applicants may seek extensions of storage permission, granted for 30 days and extendable in successive 30-day periods with officer approval.

Right to Information Act designation of First Appellate Authority for Chennai VII Air Cargo Commissionerate under customs administration.
Designation of the First Appellate Authority under the Right to Information Act, 2005 for the Office of the Principal Commissioner of Customs, Chennai VII (Air Cargo) Commissionerate. In exercise of powers under Sections 4(1) and 5(1) of the Act, Smt. Radhika Venugopalan, Joint Commissioner of Customs, is designated as the First Appellate Authority for the Chennai VII (Air Cargo) Commissionerate, with the stated office location and contact details for RTI appellate matters.

ICEGATE orders and notices module mandated for electronic communication of customs notices, orders and departmental correspondence.
Use of the ICEGATE Orders and Notices module is mandated for electronic communication of Show Cause Notices, Orders-in-Original, Orders-in-Appeal and other departmental communications, while the applicable statutory provisions governing issue and service continue to apply independently. Officers must upload accurate and complete communications through ICEGATE using valid login credentials, proper document categorisation, correct DIN and officer particulars, legible PDFs, and a clear subject or gist, while supervisory officers monitor uploaded communications through dashboard functions for verification, monitoring and record management.

Sea Cargo Manifest filing through SCMTR becomes mandatory as legacy IGM/EGM filings are phased out.
Mandatory filing of manifest and transhipment data through the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations (SCMTR) platform is directed for all relevant stakeholders. The notice states that supplementary IGM/EGM filings create duplication and data inconsistency, and that legacy filings are to be phased out. Kolkata Customs Sea Port is identified as a port where the supplementary facility will be disabled from 30.06.2026, after which filings must be made only through SCMTR, subject to limited verified system-failure exceptions.