Assistance in value declaration: new rules require specified importer obligations and checks to verify declared import values.
The Rules create a staged institutional process-receipt of prescribed written references, Screening Committee confirmation and deficiency rectification, Evaluation Committee detailed examination and report-by which the Board may designate classes as identified goods. For such goods importers must make specified declarations at bill-of-entry and comply with system-mandated additional obligations and checks to demonstrate value accuracy; only where reasonable doubt persists will proceedings continue under rule 12 of the Customs Valuation Rules, 2007. An electronic application and Customs Automated System changes will support implementation, with specified review, withdrawal and exception mechanisms.

Tobacco product packaging must display specified health warnings covering 85% of the principal display area, with rotating images.
The instrument mandates that specified health warnings appear on both principal display panels of all tobacco product packages covering 85% of the principal display area. The 2022 amendment notifies two rotating warnings (Image 1 and Image 2) effective 1 December 2022, sequenced as twelve month periods, and prescribes textual content (including quit helpline), exact background and font colours, four colour printing at minimum 300 DPI, and availability of printable versions online. Customs is directed to sensitize officers for implementation.

Extended Producer Responsibility regime requires online EPR certificate purchases from registered recyclers to meet recycling targets.
The E Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 create a market based Extended Producer Responsibility regime administered through an online CPCB portal: manufacturers, producers, refurbishers and recyclers must register, file periodic returns, and meet product specific recycling targets by purchasing EPR certificates from registered recyclers; certificates are generated by CPCB using conversion factors, are auditable and time limited, and non compliance attracts revocation, environmental compensation and prosecution.

24x7 customs clearance now permits round the clock delivery of out of charge goods for RMS and non RMS bills.
24x7 customs clearance operations now permit round the clock delivery of out of charge goods for both RMS facilitated Bills of Entry (Non Examined Cargo) and Non facilitated Bills of Entry (Examined Cargo); stakeholders must implement the facility and report any implementation difficulties to the Deputy Commissioner/Import Shed.

Back to town procedure for export cargo: conditions for cancellation or amendment of shipping bill and mandatory full examination
Procedure sets a Back to Town regime for export cargo at CPP, CFS and port areas: if seals/RFID are intact unregistered containers may be returned with Shipping Bill cancellation; registered containers before LEO may be permitted BTT pending full examination and cancellation of the Shipping Bill if compliant; after LEO, BTT may be allowed only after full examination or scanning (hazardous cargo), cancellation of LEO and subsequent cancellation or amendment of the Shipping Bill; shut-out entire consignments lead to LEO cancellation and SB cancellation, while partial shut-outs are amended as short shipment. Investigation holds prohibit BTT.

Origin-based duty exemptions under India Australia ECTA require certificate upload and specific notification coding in Customs EDI.
Importers must prefix Roman numerals I-IV to notification serials to claim duty exemptions, set Duty Type/Addl. Duty Flag where AIDC applies, and provide TRQ license details with scheme code 32 when required. Certificate of Origin must be uploaded as document code 861018 with Certificate Type MS and the Image Reference Number declared at item level; the system prevents reuse of the same CoO number across different Bills of Entry. Exporters must declare ORC/EPT/ECTAAU codes in the Single Window table for items under the Agreement.

Regulation of animal feed imports: permitted additives listed with mandatory labeling, withdrawal periods and antibiotic prohibitions.
Imports of animal feed additives, premixes and supplements are to be regulated strictly in accordance with the annexed consolidated list; manufacturers must label final packs with ingredients and any mandatory withdrawal period indicated for particular items. Fermentation derived products must not contain viable production strains or their DNA, certain products require export country feed grade certificates, and usage specific restrictions and withdrawal periods apply. Some antibiotics and anticoccidial combinations are not recommended for import due to antimicrobial resistance. Maximum residue limits in foodstuffs shall follow the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Second Amendment Regulations, 2018.

Plastic packaging exemption: imported goods are excluded from the PWM rules' labelling requirement on packaging.
The notice clarifies that the labelling requirement in Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016-mandating producer/brand name, registration number and thickness for carry bags and plastic packaging-is not applicable to plastic packaging used for imported goods; similar non applicability extends to cases covered by the Legal Metrology packaged commodities exception after regulatory approval and to instances where printing the information is technically infeasible under applicable labelling guidelines. Environmental compensation applies for non compliance generally, but the specified labelling provision is excluded for imported packaging.

Waiver of late filing charges for bills of entry due to system maintenance allows belated filings for affected vessel entries.
Late filing charges for Bills of Entry are waived where belated filing was caused by planned continuous maintenance of the ICEGATE system; the waiver covers Bills of Entry relating to affected vessel Entry Inward dates and is issued as a standing order for departmental implementation, with stakeholders asked to report difficulties to the Deputy Commissioner of Customs (Appraising Main), Chennai II (Import).

RoDTEP rate implementation expanded to additional export sectors; exporters can claim benefit for eligible shipping bills.
Revised RoDTEP rates under an updated Appendix 4R expanding coverage to specified items in Chapters 28, 29, 30 and 73 have been loaded into the Customs EDI System; exporters may claim RoDTEP benefits for eligible shipping bills filed in the EDI System from the system effective timestamp, and operational issues should be reported to the Commissioner of Customs, Chennai-IV by email.

Sugar export restriction extended; mill wise export quotas allocated and subject to quota, documentation, and compliance requirements.
The Government extended the restriction on export of sugar (raw, refined and white) until 31 October 2023 and allocated a total mill wise export quota for sugar season 2022-23, pro rated among eligible mills based on three year average production. Mills may export only their allocated quota within the prescribed window, may surrender or exchange quota under specified procedures, must support exports with required agreements and invoices, upload daily export details on the departmental portal, and face enforcement under the Essential Commodities Act and the Foreign Trade Act for violations.

Postal exports: exporters can file PBE online, deposit parcels locally, and obtain digital customs clearance through the PBE system.
The Regulations create a PBE Automated System enabling exporters to register, file electronic postal export declarations, generate Article Booking IDs and PBE numbers, upload supporting documents, deposit parcels at designated Booking Post Offices for secure transfer to Foreign Post Offices, and obtain digital customs assessment, query handling, and clearance; authorised agents must comply with broker licensing rules and exporters must retain export records for five years.

Export compliance for mobile phones requires complete declarations, manufacturer NOC, IMEI lists, and restrictions on activated devices.
Export of mobile phones requires fully completed statutory shipping bill declarations and electronic upload of invoice, purchase order, packing list, genuine IMEI list and a manufacturer/authorized dealer NOC. Used, activated or modified phones are not eligible for export benefits without MOEF clearance and a supporting NOC. Claiming any export incentive mandates uploading all supporting documents and establishing Country of Origin for Drawback/RODTEP claims.

Health certificate requirement for imported milk, pork and fish: integrated certificates accepted; implementation timeline extended.
Imports of milk and milk products, pork and pork products, and fish and fish products must be accompanied by a Health Certificate from the exporting country's Competent Authority in the prescribed format, containing shipment and product details, transport/storage conditions, and attestations on establishment approval, hygiene/HACCP implementation, compliance with Indian food product standards, microbiological criteria, residue and additive limits, authorised official signature and limited validity; an integrated sanitary/veterinary certificate is acceptable if it includes all required information.

Integration of AQCS-ICS enables online message exchange with ICEGATE for electronic NoC transmission and risk-based selectivity.
Integration of AQCS-ICS into ICEGATE migrates AQCS NoC processing from ICES to online message exchange, enabling electronic transmission of NoCs and real-time trader visibility. Customs will require upload of Veterinary Health Certificates (853AQ1), Laboratory Reports/COA (001AQ1), eSanchit IRNs for Sanitary Import Permits (911DF1) and an item-level AQ002 declaration for specified CTIs; risk-based selectivity will be introduced in stages, post-filing documents may be submitted via ICEGATE or AQCS-ICS portal until full integration, and Customs will accept electronically received Release Orders. Annexures list CTIs and leather-product exclusions.

Lifetime validity of customs broker licences confirmed; intimation by customs extends licences without physical endorsement.
Pune Customs confirms that operational customs broker licences meeting prescribed conditions shall have lifetime validity unless revoked; formal intimation sent to the licensee's office or email on record will suffice to extend licence validity without any physical visit or endorsement. Photo identity cards/Customs Passes issued to personnel of a customs broker shall be co-terminus with the customs broker licence validity.

Customs broker registration requirement: Brokers must join one local association; Pune brokers advised to enroll locally.
Customs brokers operating where a registered Customs Brokers' Association exists must enroll as members of that Association in each jurisdiction of operation and may not be enrolled in more than one Association in the same jurisdiction at any given time. Accordingly, all customs brokers under the Pune Customs Commissionerate are advised to enroll with the Pune Customs Brokers Association at the specified office address.

Custodianship extension requires bonds, contingency insurance, operational safeguards and custodial liability for loss or pilferage in transit.
Extension of custodianship is granted subject to maintenance and renewal of prescribed bonds and contingency insurance, compliance with Sections 45(2) and 45(3) of the Customs Act and Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, and strict custodial liability for loss, pilferage, theft, fire or damage to goods in custody or during transit, including responsibility for duty and penalties on lost goods and obligation to furnish separate bonds for export duty incentives and secure transport to gateway ports.

Anonymous escalation addresses delayed Bill of Entry assessment through ICEGATE's faceless assessment grievance tracking mechanism
The Anonymised Escalation Mechanism enables ICEGATE-registered users to submit grievances about Bills of Entry delayed in faceless assessment. A grievance may be lodged after the Bill of Entry has remained pending for at least 24 hours, provided the Import General Manifest number and date have been entered. Users submit the ICEGATE ID, Bill of Entry number and date, and port code through the Helpdesk or ICEGATE portal. A grievance number is generated where the criteria are met, and status may be tracked using that number or the Bill of Entry details.

Anonymised escalation mechanism routes delayed Bill of Entry grievances while preserving officer and assessment-location anonymity under faceless assessment.
The Anonymised Escalation Mechanism enables importers or Customs Brokers to register ICEGATE grievances concerning delayed assessment of a Bill of Entry under Faceless Assessment, while preserving the anonymity of the assessing officer and assessment location. Tickets are routed in ICES to VDN or ADN officers according to whether the Bill of Entry is pending at the Faceless Assessment Group port or port of import, and transfer with the Bill of Entry when its assessment location changes. Officers can view the Bill of Entry status for monitoring and follow-up. After assessment is completed, the ticket is closed in the system and reflected as closed on the ICEGATE grievance dashboard.