Customs Broker Licence requirements: prescribed documents, deficiency notice timeline, and issuance timeframe under the SOP.
SOP for issuance of a fresh Customs Broker Licence requires submission of a prescribed set of documents (application Form A, examination proof, premises proof, bond, fee challan, security deposit, solvency certificate, PAN copy, and a declaration on pending cases and arrears) to the Sevottam Section at Custom House. A Deficiency Memo will be issued within 15 working days for missing or insufficient documents, and the licence will be issued within two months of complete submission, pursuant to the Service Quality Manual and the Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations, 2013.

e-BRC acceptance as proof of realization enables alternative documentation for export proceed verification subject to declaration and misuse checks.
Customs notification accepts e-BRC issued by DGFT as valid documentary evidence for proof of realization of export sale proceeds for shipping bills with LEO dates up to 31 March 2014, subject to absence of specific intelligence or misuse and conditional upon an exporter declaration on the reverse of the e-BRC in the prescribed format; earlier requirements for a negative statement from the statutory auditor or AD bank are complemented by e-BRC for deletion of pendency in the BRC Module.

CPIOs and appellate officers designated for Customs RTI; appeals to respective appellate officers under Section 19.
Officers in the grade of Additional, Joint, Deputy and Assistant Commissioners of Customs and Chief Accounts Officers are designated as Central Public Information Officers and Appellate Authorities for the Commissionerate of Customs (Airport & Administration), Kolkata, with specific jurisdictions and charges listed in an annexure. Persons aggrieved by a CPIO's decision may appeal to the respective Appellate Authority under Section 19(1) and (2) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

DPD import procedure requires dual stacking codes and a No Use Bond for RMS facilitated pulses imports.
DPD importers with RMS facilitated Bills of Entry for pulses must file an advance Bill of Entry, provide both DPD and CFS stacking codes 72 hours in advance, and furnish a No Use Bond under PN 182/2016. The No Use Bond is accepted by Group or CFS Officers and forwarded to the Appraising Group, which maintains records and acts on PGA reports or non submission. OOC is issued on production of the No Use Bond; sampling is to be coordinated with PGAs in the CFS DPD area. If the NOC takes more than two days, the importer/CB must cancel OOC and convert the BE to warehouse.

Deferred payment of duty for Authorized Economic Operators enabled, with sample-drawal waiver for drawback and a dedicated CRM for facilitation.
Deferred payment of duty and exemption from drawal of samples for sanction of drawback are provided to certified Authorized Economic Operators, subject to exception when specific information or intelligence exists. A Client Relationship Manager has been appointed at the Airport & Air Cargo Commissionerate, Bengaluru, as the single point of contact to assist AEOs and the trade in obtaining these facilitative measures and resolving procedural issues.

Cenvat credit transfer on DTA to EOU conversion now permitted, allowing unutilized credit to be used by the converted unit.
Conversion of a DTA unit into an EOU allows transfer and use of unutilized Cenvat credit. Amendments to rules governing removals by EOUs and the provision permitting transfer of unutilized credit on change of ownership apply to EOUs as manufacturers; therefore unutilized credit in the books of a DTA unit on conversion is admissible and the prior circular requiring lapse is withdrawn.

Hazardous and other wastes imports and exports require prior permission, authorisation, prior informed consent and documentation.
The Rules prohibit import for disposal and permit imports only for recycling, recovery, reuse, utilisation or co processing. Imports of wastes in Part A require prior informed consent of the exporting country and Ministry permission; Part B imports require Ministry permission for actual users; Part D imports proceed without Ministry permission but must provide Form 6 and Schedule VIII documents for Customs verification. Applicants must hold authorisations, State Pollution Control Board consents, environmentally sound facilities and maintain Forms 3 and 4 records; Ministry and SPCBs coordinate permissions and compliance.

Rebate of State Levies on made-up exports: selecting ROSL scheme in shipping bill activates the claim and disbursal to registered account.
ROSL for made-up exports requires exporters to opt by selecting scheme codes 60 or 61 in the EDI shipping bill, which constitutes the claim and declaration of eligibility; absence of proper scheme codes precludes entitlement. Rebate is calculated on FOB value using scheme rates and caps, displayed at item and shipping-bill levels and reflected on ICEGATE. Disbursal is made to the exporter's registered drawback account in parallel with drawback processing. Exporters must declare non-duplication of claims and, where applicable, constitution of an Internal Complaints Committee.

Deferred duty payment for authorized economic operators enabled, with sample-drawal exemption for AEO exporters subject to intelligence.
A Client Relationship Manager has been appointed at Mangaluru Customs Commissionerate as single point of interaction for Authorized Economic Operators; contact details are published. Certified AEOs (Tier Two and Tier Three) are permitted deferred payment of customs duty; AEO-certified exporters are exempt from drawal of samples for grant of drawback except on specific information or intelligence.

Drawal of samples exemption for AEO holders allows drawback processing without samples unless intelligence prompts testing.
Exporters holding higher-tier Authorized Economic Operator certificates are exempted from the requirement of drawal of samples for grant of drawback, except where specific information or intelligence warrants sample testing; the exemption takes immediate effect and complements earlier circulars on sampling limits and prior exemptions.

Single Window clearance: streamlined ADC referrals via PEC identification, dual use declarations, risk based sampling and digital undertakings.
Modifications to the Single Window workflow require importers to identify PEC-listed chemical items in the Integrated Declaration to avoid ADC referral; declare dual use items as non pharmaceutical, free of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, and not intended for human or veterinary medicinal use to prevent ADC NOC routing; risk based testing will limit ADC sampling, with Customs forwarding authenticated labels and ADCs drawing samples only when necessary; previously tested batches granted NOC will not be resampled for NOC purposes; digitally signed declarations and guarantees within the Integrated Declaration substitute for hardcopies; system mapping and IT upgrades will enable ADC access to required fields.

Drawback declaration requirement: exporters must state no CENVAT or rebate was availed before claiming increased AIRs.
Exporters claiming the revised All Industry Rates (AIR) for gold and silver jewellery must declare at export that the goods were manufactured and exported without availing CENVAT on inputs or input services and without availing the rebate of duty on materials under rule 18 of the Central Excise Rules, 2002; Customs officers must ensure and record this declaration at the Let Export Order stage.

Registration of STPI units: STPI Pune import permissions for capital goods accepted for Export Oriented Units clearance.
The amendment permits acceptance of STPI Pune's yearly or consignment-wise permissions for import of capital goods, testers, jigs and fixtures-where such permissions specify description, quantity and value-as sufficient documentation for customs clearance of imports under the Export Oriented Unit scheme, thereby modifying the requirement in paragraph 4(i) of the earlier public notice to streamline processing.

Rebate of State Levies requires exporters to validate registered bank details for electronic ROSL disbursement.
The ROSL scheme grants rebates on garment exports (Chapters 61 and 62) for State levies calculated on FOB value per prescribed rates and caps. Rebate disbursement will be made electronically via PFMS to bank accounts registered for drawback; payments to non-validated accounts will be rejected. Exporters must ensure their bank details in the ICES database are live and submit correct account numbers, IFSC codes and a cancelled cheque to the designated Assistant Commissioner for validation or amendment.

Implementation of ROSL for made-ups requires scheme-code selection and declaratory eligibility for rebate credit to exporter accounts.
Implementation of a Rebate of State Levies (ROSL) for made-ups requires exporters to opt in by selecting prescribed scheme codes in the EDI shipping bill and making a declaration of eligibility; rebate of State VAT/CST, packaging, fuel, electricity duties and related charges is calculated on FOB value using notified rates and caps and credited automatically to the exporter's designated drawback account, with ROSL amounts printed on shipping bills and reflected on ICEGATE.

Rebate of State levies: exporters must opt via shipping bill scheme code to claim rebate credited to registered drawback account.
The ROSL-Made-ups scheme permits voluntary rebate of State levies on inputs and related charges for exports of made-ups, calculated on FOB value per notified rates and credited to the exporter's registered drawback account. Claiming requires selection of prescribed scheme codes at the item level in the EDI shipping bill, which serves as the exclusive declaration of eligibility; shipping bills lacking the code may be amended before Let Export Order. ROSL amounts are shown on the shipping bill and ICEGATE and disbursed in parallel with drawback to the registered account.

Gold smuggling allegation prompts removal of an approved valuer, affecting gold jewellery verification for import/export at Ahmedabad air cargo.
Allegations of gold smuggling have led to deletion of Shri Deepak Kumar Natvarlal Soni from the list of approved gold jewellery valuers on the "Expert Trade Panel" for verification of purity and weight of gold jewellery for import/export at the Air Cargo Complex, Ahmedabad, modifying the earlier Public Notice and advising importers, exporters and trade members to cease reliance on him for official verification.

Registration of STPI units under Export Oriented Units Scheme allows yearly or consignment permissions for import of capital goods.
The notice permits Customs to accept STPI, Pune's yearly or consignment-wise permission for import of capital goods, jigs and fixtures for registered units under the Export Oriented Units Scheme, provided the permission specifies description, quantity and value of the goods to be imported.

Customs amendment enabling authorised Indian laboratory agencies provides guidance for importers and clearing agents under revised import testing regime
Amendment to customs notification recognises authorised offices or agencies in India to perform functions of the laboratories referenced in paragraph 4.74 of the Handbook of Procedures 2015-20, and a central Government notification implementing this amendment is enclosed for guidance to importers, clearing agents and the trading public.

Sevottam implementation mandates process owners, standardized SQM record keeping and audits to ensure time bound quality service delivery.
Sevottam implementation in the Customs Commissionerate, Tuticorin designates Assistant Commissioners as Process Owners for specified service areas and requires them to adhere to SQM procedures. Each Process Owner must implement and maintain records in the SQM 4.2 formats for all services, enable performance measurement and analysis, and make records available for audit for the Sevottam certificate. Process Owners shall coordinate with the Nodal Officer for implementation and compliance.