Online transmission of duty exemption licenses: license numbers to be used for import and export with automatic registration enabled.
Licenses/File Numbers issued on or after 1 March 2009 will be automatically registered in ICES from the revised procedure's implementation date. Exporters must use the License/File Number rather than manual registration numbers for licenses issued between 1 March 2009 and implementation. For imports, importers must quote only the License Number from implementation. The earlier manual-registration procedure continues to apply to licenses issued on or before 28 February 2009.

Access restrictions to secured customs terminals: trade agents must interact via designated counters and hold valid licenses.
Access to secured customs EDI terminals at AI-SATS Air Freight Terminal is limited to customs officers behind designated counters; trade representatives and CHAs must interact only through those counters and are prohibited from entering the secure area. CHAs and their personnel must possess valid licenses and identity cards, with strict action and vicarious liability for breaches. Additional terminals and touch-screen kiosks will be provided in both import and export sheds to give status information on shipping bills and bills of entry.

Online transmission of licenses: DGFT license numbers to be used for customs clearances, replacing manual registration.
Automatic electronic registration in Customs ICES of DGFT-issued License/File Numbers for DES and EPCG licenses requires exporters and importers to use the DGFT License/File Number for customs clearances, replacing manually obtained registration numbers for licenses subject to the revised procedure, while manual registration procedures remain applicable for licenses issued prior to the earlier cutoff.

Entry permission for export vehicles contingent on factory clearance and customs verification before loading.
Entry of motor vehicles into Frere Basin Yard for export is permitted upon verification of factory clearance documents and ARE-1/export challan by the customs officer; vehicles must be stored in Port Authority-demarcated areas. Shipping bills and assessment follow existing procedures; a Let Export Order is issued after satisfactory examination. Loading is allowed only after customs clearance under Section 51 of the Customs Act, 1962. Overtime customs services require advance application and payment.

Reconfirmation of bank account particulars ensures sanctioned drawback credits reach exporters' core-banking accounts smoothly.
Requirement for reconfirmation of bank account particulars by exporters to enable electronic credit of sanctioned drawback into core banking accounts. Exporters were previously directed to obtain bank certification and update drawback account particulars in the Customs system to ensure smooth electronic interface. Routine validation failures such as closed accounts, incorrect IFSC codes, wrong account types or improperly formatted account numbers have caused non-crediting of sanctioned drawback. Exporters who have not completed reconfirmation are requested to cooperate by obtaining bank certificates and correcting account details to enable successful credit by the nodal bank.

Importer verification: First-time consumer goods imports must produce documentary proof for customs verification to prevent IEC misuse.
Customs requires verification of the genuinity of importers bringing consumer goods for the first time through the port to prevent misuse of other persons' IEC numbers. Required documents include VAT/Sales Tax registration, bank certificate confirming account and signatures, proof of payment through the importer's account, prior year balance sheet, and most recent tax return; clearance will follow on payment of duties once these are filed, with possible case-specific relaxation by the Additional Commissioner.

Prior Informed Consent for restricted hazardous wastes requires MOEF permission and DGFT licence for lawful import control.
Importation of hazardous wastes under the Hazardous Wastes Rules, 2008 requires Prior Informed Consent and MOEF permission plus DGFT licence for items in Schedule III Part A; Schedule III Part B wastes are subject to category specific import conditions ranging from free import to restricted import for recycling or for actual users with MOEF permission and DGFT licence. Non compliance triggers an importer obligation to re export the waste at its cost with enforcement by the State Pollution Control Board and potential bonded storage under Section 49 of the Customs Act.

Disposal of seized refrigerant cylinders allowed to approved plants subject to Chief Controller written permission and quota notification.
Seized or confiscated cylinders filled with refrigerant gases may be disposed of to one of eight approved refrigerant filling plants provided those plants hold prior written permission from the Chief Controller of Explosives to decant gases into approved cylinders. Customs must inform the Director (Ozone), Ministry of Environment & Forests, to ensure the corresponding quantity is debited from the manufacturer's prescribed quota. Disposal must comply with licence, test and inspection certificate requirements and the Gas Cylinder Rules.

Export of edible oil in branded consumer packs permitted temporarily, allowing Customs to approve consignments subject to quota monitoring.
Customs are directed to permit export consignments of edible oil in branded consumer packs of up to 5 kg, consistent with the DGFT notification that allows such exports subject to a 10,000 MT limit through 31 October 2009; DGFT monitoring showed partial utilisation and, consequently, Customs may allow exports in these packs until 30 September 2009 while quota utilisation continues to be tracked.

Customs data reporting updated to include notification number for improved collection and electronic transmission to statistics agency.
The import Daily Trade Return (DTR) format is revised to include a new customs notification number field (serial No.14) so that import data under Regional Trade Agreements and Preferential Trade Agreements can be collected and transmitted electronically to the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence & Statistics; the Directorate General of Systems will implement the revised electronic DTR and customs formations must issue trade notices and standing instructions, with implementation difficulties to be reported to the Board.

Customs station classification: ICDs are independent customs stations while CFSs function as attached handling areas, affecting movement procedures.
An Inland Container Depot (ICD) is a self-contained customs station with independent EDI/automated capacity to file manifests, declarations and carry out assessment and full customs processing. A Container Freight Station (CFS) is a customs area attached to a parent customs station where physical handling and examination occur, while filing of manifests and assessment remain with the jurisdictional Custom House. Movement from stations to ICDs follows transhipment regulations; movement to CFSs follows local procedures and requires bonds or guarantees; direct movement to a CFS of another station is generally prohibited without Board approval.

Coastal carriage in foreign-going vessels: Indian-flag ships may carry coastal containers between Indian ports under coastal cargo procedures.
Indian-flag foreign-going vessels calling at multiple Indian ports may carry coastal containers between Indian ports under the Customs Act and related guidelines; consignors must submit a prescribed Bill of Coastal Goods, containers must be marked and sealed after examination, and a bond with surety equal to the goods' value must be executed prior to loading. Gate-in, boarding, manifesting, destination unloading, seal verification, reconciliation at the last Indian port, and enforcement procedures apply; tampering or discrepancies are subject to show-cause adjudication and port segregation requirements.

Valuation variation for polymer imports permitted provisionally, allowing invoice discrepancies without security pending final valuation directive.
For imports from the manufacturer or where a backup manufacturer invoice is presented, the valuation authority permits continuation of the earlier acceptance of variation up to 10% and directs that such consignments be provisionally assessed without requiring a bank guarantee or cash security pending final direction from the valuation directorate.

Bank guarantee norms: exemptions extended to qualifying service exporters, DFIA imports, and combined IE code units.
The circular replaces the prior category table to prescribe nil, reduced or full bank guarantees tied to exporter status, registrations, export performance and duty/payment history; it extends nil/reduced bank guarantee treatment to qualifying service providers, makes DFIA imports eligible like Advance Authorization imports when other conditions are met, and directs that combined export performance and duty payment of units under a single IE Code be considered for eligibility provided each unit is separately registered with Central Excise.

All Industry Rate duty drawback now available to merchant exporters sourcing from market, subject to trader declaration and no rebate.
Merchant exporters purchasing goods from the local market shall be entitled to the full All Industry Rate of duty drawback, including the excise portion; they must declare the name and address of the trader from whom goods were procured and affirm that no input or final product rebate will be taken against the shipping bills. Custom Houses shall verify declarations at random and recover excess drawback if a declaration is false or double benefit has been availed.

Transshipment procedure for courier imports enables transfer to air cargo complex with CTM, customs sealing and electronic IGM processing.
Interim procedure permits courier-imported consignments to be transferred from the Courier Cell to Air Cargo Complex upon consignee or authorized CHA request via a quadruplicate Cargo Transfer Manifest (CTM), noted and numbered by the Courier Cell noter. Shipments are sealed with customs punch seal, moved to MIAL import warehouse with Batch Officer and custodian acknowledgments, and the authorized courier must file an electronic IGM corresponding to the CTM to enable EDI/Batch processing and subsequent standard bill of entry clearance.

Password security: Officers personally liable for breaches and subject to disciplinary action, including possible dismissal from service.
Recurring frauds from compromised passwords in Customs EDI installations are a primary security risk despite Directorate of Systems instructions. The Board directs strict compliance with those instructions, thorough investigation of each compromise, and prompt initiation and conclusion of disciplinary proceedings under the civil-service disciplinary framework. It emphasizes that password security is the individual responsibility of each officer, that sharing passwords amounts to collusion in fraud, and that violations should attract disciplinary action up to dismissal, with supervising officers accountable for enforcement.

Interest under Section 47(2) not applicable to ex-bond clearances; warehousing interest governed by Section 61.
Interest under Section 47(2) applies to delayed payment of duty where goods are entered for home consumption under Section 47(1); it does not apply to clearances made under Section 68 for warehoused goods. Interest on warehoused goods is governed by Section 61(2) and is chargeable only when goods remain in the warehouse beyond the permitted warehousing period, from expiry of that period until payment of duty.

Electronic declaration for courier imports and exports requires authorised couriers to file manifests and bills electronically for customs clearance.
Prescribes electronic declaration and processing for courier imports and exports at designated customs airports: authorised couriers must file pre-arrival import manifests and pre-export manifests electronically, lodge courier bills of entry or shipping bills in prescribed forms for documents, dutiable goods, and samples/gifts, and present consignments with sender declarations. Registration requirements, financial security by bond, recordkeeping, due diligence and disclosure obligations, and procedures for detention, disposal, suspension, revocation and penalties for non-compliance are set out to operationalize customs clearance through the Customs Computer System.

Export duty waiver on iron ore fines ends provisional duty bonds; testing for ore quality and exporter undertakings remain required.
Removal of export duty on iron ore fines results in discontinuation of provisional duty bonds and provisional assessment for such exports, while exporters must still submit to testing to ensure Fe content does not exceed the threshold that invokes restricted export channels and must give an undertaking accepting liability if tests show higher Fe content; pellets and lumps remain subject to moisture testing to ensure compliance with export policy.