Provisional assessment finalization: priority administrative drive requires submission at Customs Facilitation Centre with acknowledgement and status updates.
A time-limited administrative drive instructs importers and customs brokers to submit pending provisional assessment finalization requests at the Customs Facilitation Centre with required documents; submissions receive an acknowledgement and will be prioritised for disposal, with request statuses uploaded weekly on the JNCH website and designated nodal officers available for assistance; the notice is a standing order and implementation difficulties must be reported to the Additional Commissioner by email.

Customs Broker Licensing: new e-application suite requires brokers to validate profiles and process license tasks online.
The Customs Broker Licensing Management System (CBLMS) portal now hosts e applications for examination and licensing, issuance and renewal of broker licences, customs pass issuance/renewal/cancellation, security applications, surrender and reconstitution of licences, authorized person replacement, partner/director changes, and miscellaneous applications. These functionalities are available only for brokers whose departmental profiles are validated. Brokers under regulation 7(2) or 7(3) are requested to process applications via the portal and promptly address any departmental deficiencies to ensure profile validation.

EPCG authorisation holders must submit EODC/Redemption letters or proof of payment for bond/BG cancellation.
Holders of EPCG Authorisations registered at Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House (Zone II) must submit copies of Export Obligation Discharge Certificate/Redemption Letter or, if EO is incomplete, pay the commensurate amount and provide proof, to enable cancellation of bonds/bank guarantees. Required documents for cancellation are listed in Annexure B (including original EODC/Redemption Letter, ANF 5B certified by CA, installation certificate, original authorisation, shipping bills/ARE 1, BRC, and third party export documents). Submissions are to be made at Room No. 702, 7th floor, C Wing, JNCH, Nhava Sheva.

High-risk food imports are subject to a designated-port regime covering dairy, egg, meat, infant foods and nutraceuticals.
Import of specified high-risk food products is restricted to designated ports from 1 March 2023. The requirement covers milk and milk products, egg powder, meat and meat products including poultry and fish, infant nutrition and infant foods, and nutraceuticals, health supplements, dietary-use foods, probiotic and prebiotic foods, and foods for special medical purposes. Existing port-entry restrictions are modified accordingly, and implementation is to be treated as a standing order for customs officers and staff.

Customs broker licensing portal now requires brokers to file specified e-applications online and validate profiles before processing.
CBLMS now provides online e-applications for examination and license issuance, new license issuance, Form C intimations, customs pass issuance/renewal/cancellation, security/deposit applications, surrender and reconstitution of licenses, authorized-person replacement, partner/director changes and miscellaneous applications. Brokers must process these matters via the portal and ensure their CB profiles are validated by the Department, promptly addressing any deficiencies or queries from policy sections so applications become operationally processable.

Customs Broker License Management: new e-applications enable online filing for licences, passes and related broker regulatory actions.
The CBLMS portal now supports electronic filing for exams, issuance and renewal of customs broker licences and customs passes, Form C intimations, security applications, surrender, reconstitution, authorized person replacement, partner/director changes and miscellaneous applications. Use of these e-applications is limited to brokers whose profiles have been validated by the department. Brokers governed by regulation 7(2) or 7(3) of the CBLR, 2018 or earlier regulations are requested to process applications on CBLMS and promptly address any departmental deficiencies to ensure full profile validation.

Defending revenue interests before corporate tribunals urged; empanelled counsels must represent effectively, with local counsel preferred.
Empanelment orders for Senior and Junior Standing Counsels include representation before corporate tribunals, requiring sensitization to ensure diligent defence of revenue interests; laxity may prompt critical review and recommended action by Zonal Chief Commissioners/Director Generals to the Board. Commissionerates/Directorates should, where practicable, appoint locally available counsels at tribunal bench locations to improve coordination and effective representation.

Transhipment of Bangladesh export cargo to Delhi Air Cargo allowed from 15 Feb 2023 under prescribed customs procedure.
Transhipment by road of Bangladesh export cargo from LCS Petrapole to Air Cargo Complex, Delhi is permitted from 15.02.2023 under the existing transhipment procedure: filing a Bill of Transshipment in triplicate by the shipping line/airline or authorised representative, use of ECTS seals with seal numbers recorded, submission of a Transshipment Bond equal to twice the goods' value, customs supervision for transfer and verification of seal integrity via the ECTS web application, recording of export manifest details and generation of a trip report for bond action.

Toy safety compliance: importers must verify BIS licences and record manufacturer details to ensure conformity with Indian Standards.
The Toys Quality Control Order requires imported toys and toy parts to conform to specified Indian Standards and bear the Standard Mark under a BIS licence. Customs officers must verify compliance using BIS online portals and the BIS Care app. The QCO's definition of toys covers parts, including CKD and SKD, and where other technical regulations apply those provisions govern. Importers must record manufacturer details and BIS licence information at item level in the Bill of Entry, and DG Systems will advise on data-entry procedures.

Transshipment procedure for SEZ cargo: mandatory one-time-lock sealing, Bill of Entry endorsement, and reporting of seal discrepancies.
Procedure requires sealed FCLs to be transferred to SEZ on the basis of the registered or assessed Bill of Entry after seal verification without customs escort, while other cargo may move under escort or transshipment at the SEZ importer's option; no separate transshipment bond or documents are required and transshipment permission is stamped on the fifth copy of the Bill of Entry. Sealing rules mandate durable bags or serially numbered one-time-lock customs bottle seals provided at declarant/transporter cost, with the OTL number, date/time and truck number endorsed on the Bill of Entry and discrepancies reported to the transshipment section.

NCH Laboratory Mumbai: specified sample quantities, packaging, labelling and duplicate test memos required for listed commodity testing.
NCH Laboratory Mumbai requires specified sample quantities for listed commodities and mandates that each sample be properly packed, labelled, sealed and forwarded with an individual test memo in duplicate; officers at docks and customs formations must submit samples in the exact quantities indicated, and the notice functions as a standing order with implementation issues to be reported to the Additional Commissioner in charge of Dycc/NCH Mumbai Lab.

Custodianship of port terminal assigned to private terminal operator as customs cargo service provider subject to regulatory conditions.
Nhava Sheva Free Port Terminal Private Limited is appointed as custodian of imported and export cargo at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal under powers of the Customs Act and the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009, responsible for custody of berth, yard, gate complex and rail siding until delivery to CFSs or lawful transhipment and exportation. The designation as Customs Cargo Service Provider is for two years and is conditional on compliance with customs laws, transfer of environmental consent or interim operation under JNPA consent, and submission of required insurance documentation, with the Commissioner empowered to review or withdraw approval for non compliance.

Integration of ECCS with IDPMS/EDPMS requires mandatory courier data fields and provides a transmission-status utility for corrections.
The ECCS is integrated with IDPMS/EDPMS to auto-upload validated courier CBE/CSB data daily. Mandatory fields for transmission include a valid seven-digit AD code, invoice number(s), government/non-government classification, and exporter bank account number for CSB; amount fields must be paired with corresponding currency codes (currency code required even if amount is zero; do not enter currency if amount blank). Transmission-status can be checked via an ECCS mobility utility by HAWB and courier name. Filing errors may be corrected by amending the CBE/CSB in ECCS, and unresolved issues should be referred to IDPMS/EDPMS technical support.

Customs pass management through CBLMS now mandatory for issuance, renewal and cancellation of brokers' employee passes.
Issuance, renewal and cancellation of Customs Passes for employees of Customs Brokers must be processed exclusively through the Customs Broker Licensing Management System (CBLMS) portal. The new functionalities are live nationwide and apply to existing brokers with validated CBLMS profiles and to newly licensed brokers whose licences are issued via CBLMS. A user manual explaining the process flow will be available under the "Knowledge Centre" tab on the portal.

Import restrictions on high-risk food products to designated ports require customs implementation and trade notification for enhanced monitoring and traceability.
Import of specified high-risk food products-including milk and milk products, egg powder, meat and meat products, infant nutrition foods, and nutraceuticals/health supplements-shall be permitted only through designated points of entry listed by FSSAI. CBIC has modified its prior instruction to align with this port-specific import regime, directing customs formations to notify trade, sensitize officers, make advance arrangements for implementation, and report any difficulties to the Board. The designated port list is dynamic and will be updated periodically.

Transhipment permission expanded to include road movement to Delhi Air Cargo, allowing Bangladesh export cargo transit to third countries.
Insertion of Para 3A in Circular No. 29/2020-Customs authorises transhipment of Bangladesh export cargo by road from LCS Petrapole to the Air Cargo Complex, Delhi for onward shipment to third countries, subject to the procedure prescribed in the original Circular, effective from 15.02.2023 and until further direction from the Board.

Late fee waiver for delayed Bills of Entry due to ICES system updation; one day waiver for affected advance filings allowed.
Waiver of late fees is provided for Bills of Entry filed belatedly due to ICES/ICEGATE shutdown during system updation for the budget; this waiver, under the Bill of Entry (Electronic Integration Declaration and Paperless Processing) Regulations, 2018, covers entry inwards on 02.02.2023 and grants a one day late fee exemption for advance Bills of Entry that could not be filed earlier because of the service unavailability, with implementation issues to be reported to the Additional Commissioner and the notice treated as a standing order.

Customs pass management: issuance, renewal and cancellation now processed exclusively through the online broker licensing portal.
Activation of CBLMS functionalities makes issuance, renewal and cancellation of Customs Passes for broker employees subject to exclusive submission and processing via the Customs Broker Licensing Management System. The portal applies to existing brokers with validated CB profiles and to new brokers licensed through CBLMS; a user manual detailing the process flow is available under the portal's Knowledge Centre.

Medical device import compliance requires port referral to the drug regulator before customs clearance under Medical Device Rules.
All Bills of Entry for consignments containing medical devices, including surgical and medical examination gloves, must be referred at the port of import to the concerned Assistant Drug Controller (I) for verification of compliance with the Medical Device Rules, 2017 before customs clearance; this referral is a standing instruction for customs officers and staff.

Customs duty rationalization: tariff restructuring, targeted rate adjustments and exemption review reshape import duty incidence.
The Finance Bill, 2023 and related notifications propose rationalisation of basic customs duty structure, targeted adjustments to BCD, AIDC and Social Welfare Surcharge across multiple sectors, sector specific concessions subject to IGCR conditions, rescission and timed extension or discontinuation of numerous exemption entries (many extended to 31 March 2024 for review), and substantive amendments to Customs, Customs Tariff, CGST and IGST Acts including time limits for returns and filings, decriminalisation and expanded taxability of certain OIDAR supplies. Certain provisions operate provisionally from 2 February 2023, while others await enactment or specified effective dates.