Centralised refund processing consolidates Group 7 export refund claims under dedicated CRC units for valuation and guarantee oversight.
Centralised refund processing for Group 7 of the Export Commissionerate is assigned to the Centralised Refund Section (CRC) with two units: CRC-I to process general refunds excluding SAD and certain export duty-drawback refunds; and CRC-II to process specified export duty-drawback refunds, SVC matters, reassessment and finalization of Bills of Export for SVB cases, and monitoring of bank guarantees. All Group 7 refund claims arising from provisional assessment finalization, excess duty paid, or other refundable events will be dealt with centrally by the CRC, while SAD refunds for the Air Cargo Complex remain with the General Commissionerate's Refund Section.

Risk Management System for exports to automate Shipping Bill selection, LEO facilitation, assessment and post clearance audit processes.
A Risk Management System (RMS) for exports will process Shipping Bills in the Indian Customs EDI System to determine whether bills receive a Let Export Order (LEO) or are selected for verification of self-assessment, examination or assessment by the Export Appraising Section. RMS outputs and associated appraisal/examination instructions are to be followed by officers. The RMS incorporates Compulsory Compliance Requirements (CCRs) from allied Acts, requires exporters/CHAs to submit prescribed documents at goods registration, and will be extended to include Post Clearance Audit (PCA) in a subsequent phase.

Risk Management System enabling automated clearance of compliant self assessed import consignments with targeted assessment and PCA.
Implementation of a Risk Management System (RMS) at ICD Borkhedi will enable system processing of electronic Bills of Entry and IGMs via ICES/ICEGATE to permit Out of Charge for compliant, self assessed consignments without officer assessment or examination, while routing selected B/Es for appraisal, examination or Post Clearance Audit based on risk criteria, random selection or intelligence. The RMS integrates facilitation for Authorized Economic Operator importers, provides system driven duty/challan and bond debits, prints Compulsory Compliance Requirements and allied act documentation lists on B/Es, and replaces concurrent audit with Post Clearance Audit.

All Industry Rate of Duty Drawback updated, altering drawback calculation and conditions for exporters and customs compliance.
Circular No. 02/2017 Customs (dated 13 01 2017) amends the All Industry Rate of Duty Drawback and revises Notes and Conditions No. 3(ii) of AIR Notification No. 131/2016 Cus (N.T.), with those changes effective from 15 01 2017; the Principal Commissioner of Customs, Visakhapatnam, has issued the circular to customs officers, importers, exporters and brokers and enclosed Notification No. 03/2017 Customs for guidance, requesting that implementation difficulties be reported to the customs office.

Bhavnagar Port launch: ICES 1.5 enables electronic filing and automated customs processing for imports and exports.
ICES 1.5 at Bhavnagar Port mandates electronic filing and processing of Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills, with pre registration of IE Codes, Customs Brokers, shipping agents and DGFT licenses in ICES/ICEGATE. Self assessment is completed when a BE/SB number is generated; ICES validates directories, converts currency, computes duty and assigns cases to Appraising Groups. The system workflow covers first/second check examinations, query handling, concurrent audit, RMS triage, payments via TR 6/e payment, and centralized Bond and license ledgering for exemptions and debits. Digital signatures, service centre and remote filing procedures and service charges are prescribed.

Single Window Interface for Facilitation of Trade extended to exports, streamlining export clearances under a central circular.
Extension of the Single Window Interface for Facilitation of Trade (SWIFT) to export transactions is announced and Circular No. 01/2017 (Customs) dated 04.01.2017 is enclosed for guidance; importers, clearing agents and the trading public are directed to consult the circular, available on the central customs website, for procedural instructions to align export clearances with the SWIFT platform.

All Industry Duty Drawback amendments notified, altering drawback rates and providing guidance to importers and clearing agents.
Amendments to the All Industry Rates of Duty Drawback effective 15 January 2017 were notified by Circular No. 02/2017; the circular adjusts the schedule of duty drawback rates and is issued for the guidance of importers, clearing agents and the trading public and published on the Board's website for operative details and implementation guidance.

Tariff value fixation governs import valuation for listed commodities; importers must apply notified customs values and guidance.
Fixation of tariff values has been notified for specified imported commodities including edible oils, brass scrap, poppy seeds, areca nut, gold and silver; the notification fixes the tariff value applicable for customs valuation. The public notice transmits Ministry of Finance Notification No. 04/2017-Customs (N.T) dated 13.01.2017 for guidance and directs importers and agents to consult the official CBEC website for operative values and compliance instructions.

AIR of duty drawback amendment notified; guidance issued to importers and clearing agents on procedural requirements.
Amendment to the procedure for AIR of duty drawback has been notified by the Department of Revenue through Notification No. 03/2017 Customs (N.T.), modifying Notification No. 131/2016 Customs (N.T.) and changing the administrative requirements for advance information reporting and duty drawback procedures; the notice is circulated for guidance to importers, clearing agents and the trading public and the full text is available on the department's website.

Customs notification amendment informs importers and agents of changes and availability of updated text online for guidance.
Amendment to Customs notification informs that Notification No. 02/2017-Customs (N.T.) dated 06.01.2017 further modifies Notification 63/94 and that the amending notification is enclosed for guidance of importers, clearing agents and the trading public and is available on the CBEC website.

Direct Port Delivery logistics: transporter and CFS options to streamline container evacuation and storage for importers.
The notice prescribes logistical options for Direct Port Delivery clients to address transport and storage impediments by endorsing a transporter model and requiring CFSs to offer services such as dedicated stacking, evacuation transport, GPS-tracked delivery, insurance, temporary storage of Customs-cleared cargo, affixing RSP/MRP stickers, de-stuffing and handling of non-RMS or CSD-hold containers, with avenues for expedited earmarking of space or warehouse licensing and escalation to DPD/CFS management cells.

DPD Facility advance intimation required - importers must notify shipping lines and terminals to enable preferred CFS handling and clearance.
DPD importers must give advance intimation to shipping lines, terminals and a preferred CFS with consignment details, DPD Client Code and commitment to pay, and shipping lines must record and communicate both DPD Client and preferred CFS codes and discharge containers as DPD; RMS facilitated consignments must be cleared from the terminal within the prescribed window with pre issued electronic delivery orders, non RMS or examination required containers must be moved to the preferred CFS for examination, terminals must issue provisional DPD codes when no intimation is received and provide daily gate in/out data to Customs and CFSs.

BIS registration relaxation for PoS devices allows port level carton labelling pending device labelling before market sale.
Non labelled, BIS registered PoS devices may be imported if the importer affixes a standard logo on each carton at the port and furnishes a customs declaration that each terminal will be labelled after clearance but before sale, with Customs permitted to release consignments based on that declaration and model/serial number details. Sealed secondary cells/batteries fitted in such registered terminals may be imported only if registered with BIS under IS 16046 or certified to IEC 62133:2012; spares are excluded.

Cash Section payments will be accepted with the revised challan without officer authentication; same-day acknowledgements required.
The Cash Section at Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House shall accept payments without requiring authentication/signature from Assistant or Deputy Commissioners or other officers when presented with the properly filled Revised Challan; the Cash Section incharge must issue and send same-day acknowledgement to the concerned Group/Section and obtain a counter-acknowledgement, and departmental officers must assist payors in case of doubt.

All Industry Rates of Duty Drawback amended to revise tariff classifications and adjust drawback rates and caps.
Amendments effective 15.01.2017 to the All Industry Rates of Duty Drawback reclassify certain goods and adjust drawback rates and caps: Surimi Fish Paste moved to tariff item 030402 and 160401 redescribed; drawback cap increased for other silk fabric (500799); rates/caps changed for specified man made fibre floor coverings and babies' garments; rates decreased for gold and silver jewellery. The AIR schedule is aligned with the WCO HS 2017 edition, producing multiple tariff description amendments, tile item restructurings, omission of certain items, and a new AIR entry for monopods, with agricultural equipment parts retained under existing tariff items.

Shore tank receipt quantity now determines customs duty liability for imported liquid bulk cargo, replacing ship's figures in specified cases.
Customs duty on imported liquid bulk cargo discharged through pipelines and received in shore tanks shall be levied on the shore tank receipt quantity determined by dip measurement in shore tanks. Where cargo is cleared directly into tank lorries without shore tank receipt, assessment may be based on the ship's ullage survey. Manifests/Bills of Lading are prima facie evidence of cargo aboard; mandatory supervised ullage and discharge surveys with signed reports and shore tank outturn reports countersigned by Customs form the basis for assessment, adjustment for shortages, and subsequent Bills of Entry.

OOC suspension for RMS facilitated containers mandates temporary hold, targeted examination, and restoration if no discrepancy is found.
Revised OOC procedure for RMS facilitated containers requires AC/DC (Docks) to endorse B/E hard copy "OOC temporarily suspended for examination", undertake specified examinations (including limited sampling where RMS prescribes no examination), and on finding no discrepancy restore OOC with the endorsement "OOC already given in the system restored" to release the container; discrepancies must be noted and documents sent to ADC/EDI for cancellation of OOC and further action. ADC, CSD may decide the extent of examination when scanners fail, and examinations apply only to containers selected for scanning.

DPD registration streamlined: reduced document set for port terminal registration to speed up importer access.
Reduction in documents required for registration with port terminals for importers seeking Direct Port Delivery (DPD) facility: submit a filled registration form plus a request letter indicating DPD permission or prior notice, self-attested PAN copy, Customs Broker authorization letter, company letterhead list of authorised signatories, and preferred Container Freight Station where the DPD container is not RMS-facilitated; implementation issues to be reported to the Commissioner of Customs NS-III.

Reorganisation of Customs jurisdictions centralises customs work under Customs Commissionerates after GST, reallocating district responsibilities to customs units.
Reorganisation transfers all Customs work to Customs Commissionerates following GST implementation, effective 15.01.2018; Central Excise/Central Tax officers' customs responsibilities will be assumed by Customs formations. Mangalore Customs Commissionerate's districts are allocated to specified offices: Customs Preventive Unit Karwar for Uttara Kannada; Customs Preventive Unit Malpe for Udupi; Export Promotion Section, New Custom House Mangaluru for Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Hassan, Chickmagalur, Shimoga and several northern districts. Designated offices will take over files from Central Tax Commissionerates immediately and function from existing locations under Deputy/Assistant Commissioner supervision.

Single Window Interface for Exports expands automated NOC routing, streamlining agency clearances and reducing physical documentation.
Extension of the Single Window Interface (SWIFT) to exports implements an online single-point filing and automated referral of Shipping Bills to Partner Government Agencies for electronic No Objection Certificates (NOC). Identified consignments will be routed to agencies while Customs processing runs in parallel; agencies will record dispositions (Release/NOC, Out of Scope, Reject, Withhold, or Provisional NOC). Physical documents may be required temporarily, but once agency disposition and Customs assessment are complete, exporters may proceed to registration, examination and Let Export Orders without producing physical NOC copies.