Authorised Officers designation under FSS Act expands food import points of entry; officers notified for clearance.
Customs Instruction No. 17/2024, incorporating FSSAI Notifications dated 03 May 2024 and 21 June 2024, adds four additional food import entry points and notifies designated authorised officers for import clearance. The Instruction updates and attaches a consolidated list of one hundred and fifty nine Points of Entry and modifies the earlier Instruction No. 07/2024 accordingly. It specifies whether authorised officer functions are to be exercised by FSSAI officials or by customs personnel (superintendent/appraiser/inspector/examiner) across port types and requests sensitisation of officers and reporting of implementation difficulties to the Board.

Provisional assessment for imported used cranes requires provisional duty, bond and engineer valuation pending RTO registration.
Provisional assessment is required for imported old and used cranes to prevent misdeclaration of year and capacity. Importers must pay duty on value ascertained by a Chartered Engineer at first check, submit a bond for the entire value and potentially provide a bank guarantee; finalisation follows submission of a matching RTO registration certificate, while mismatches will prompt revenue-protective action.

Customs Broker Profile Correction: administrative edits now possible on CBLMS when broker applications cannot effect the change.
The CBLMS "Manage CB Profile" feature now allows System Administrators to modify all sections of an approved Customs Broker profile - Primary Details, Correspondence Address, Authorised Person Details, Proprietor/Partner/Director Details, Security Details and OPS Details - but brokers must submit change requests via Annexure B to their Policy Section only for changes that cannot be handled through existing broker applications; requests for changes achievable through broker applications will be invalid.

Customs Broker licensing management expands through digital succession, offence processing, profile updates, electronic NOCs, document issuance and account security.
CBLMS introduces online facilities for continuation of a proprietorship Customs Broker licence by an eligible major legal heir holding a G card, through a two-stage application process. Its offence module enables access to notices and orders, submission of replies, personal-hearing management, online penalty payment, notifications and case-history access. The portal also supports profile and address modifications, employee and other policy section details, electronic NOCs, issuance of downloadable official documents, notifications, user manuals and account lockout after repeated incorrect password attempts.

Carriage of coastal cargo: consignors must present Bills of Coastal Goods at gate for preventive official processing and manifest compliance.
Consignors of coastal goods must present a Bill of Coastal Goods at the Green Gate and comply with the prescribed circular procedures, with BCG processing handled by the customs preventive official to expedite gate-in for vessels carrying both EXIM and coastal cargo. Vessels exclusively carrying coastal goods are exempt from filing BCGs but must file coastal arrival and departure manifests for cargo unloaded, carried forward, or loaded.

Sea Cargo Manifest transition extended to allow parallel filing, urging stakeholders to adopt new SCMTR formats for compliance.
Extension permits continued acceptance of legacy manifest formats until 31st August 2024 to enable phased migration to new SCMTR formats and systems. Stakeholders must begin parallel filing in the new format immediately; amendments may continue in the old format during this phase. Complete details must be filed in the new format for matching and completeness analysis. DGoS will issue guidance on registration and filing requirements, troubleshoot errors, and make message filing mandatory location-wise via local public notices.

SCMTR transitional extension permits parallel filing; stakeholders must migrate to the new sea cargo manifest format.
The transitional provisions of the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transshipment Regulations have been extended to 31st August 2024 to permit continued acceptance of old manifest formats while stakeholders migrate to the new format. Stakeholders must commence parallel filing: amendments may be filed in the old format, complete details must be filed in the new format, and old and new filings will be matched for completeness. DGoS and ICEGATE 2.0 will support registration, testing, error analysis and will issue location-wise mandates and guidance; amendments to IGM during parallel filing are allowed until vessel arrival without officer approval.

Automated customs exchange rates will replace manual notifications, with online publication, effective-date rules, and technical-failure safeguards.
Exchange Rate Automation Module (ERAM) automates the transmission, adjustment, integration and publication of customs exchange rates used to value imported and exported goods. Rates will be transmitted electronically to ICEGATE, adjusted to the nearest five paise and integrated with ICES. They will be published online at 6:00 p.m., take effect from midnight of the following day, and remain operative until revision. Where transmission or integration fails, the last updated rates continue temporarily, followed by revision or manual intervention under the prescribed contingency process.

Exchange rate automation: published ICEGATE rates will govern customs valuation from the following day.
Automated integration of SBI 'card rates' with ICES via ICEGATE will publish Bill rates adjusted to the nearest five paise at the existing frequency; published rates will take effect from midnight of the following day, be retained for historical reference, and govern the exchange rate applied for customs valuation on the date of presentation of bills of entry or shipping bills.

Custodianship renewal under Regulation 13 extended upon compliance and payment of cost recovery charges for the terminal.
Custodianship of M/s. Ennore Bulk Terminal Pvt. Ltd. is renewed under Regulation 13 of the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009, subject to compliance with the Regulations' conditions and responsibilities and payment of cost recovery charges, reaffirming the terminal's custodial duties and regulatory oversight under the Customs Act.

IGST refund validation errors prompt a targeted drive to prioritize processing and rectification of pending refund claims.
An administrative IGST refund drive will prioritise processing shipping bills validated by GSTN but pending disbursement due to error codes SB001-SB006 and PFMS validation failures. Exporters must check ICEGATE for validation status. Rectification procedures: EGM errors (SB002, SB006) require EGM Cell engagement and EDI job numbers; invoice mismatches (SB005) require a request letter, a concordance table and SC-34 payment; PFMS errors require updating bank details via ICEGATE. The drive runs from 01 July to 15 July, 2024 and submissions are to the IGST Refund & Drawback Section with a named nodal officer for difficulties.

Launch of ICES 1.5 at AFS SDB Surat: mandatory electronic filing, e SANCHIT IRNs, automated assessment and bond/license ledgering.
Launch of ICES 1.5 at AFS, SDB Surat enables fully electronic processing of Bills of Entry, Shipping Bills and supporting documents: mandatory upload via e SANCHIT with IRNs before submission; ICEGATE/RES digital filing using Class III DSCs; automated assessment, appraising group workflows, RMS facilitation, concurrent audit and post clearance verification; registration and automatic ledgering/debiting of DGFT licenses, DEPB/EPCG/Advance Authorisations and Bonds/BGs; prescribed coding standards, fee schedules and procedural rules for import/export clearance.

Drawback claims procedure streamlined: mandatory document set, registration, deficiency memo timelines, acknowledgements, and NOC verification.
Claims under section 74 require submission of mandatory documents (Annexure II; calculation/drawback sheet; self attested shipping bill, export and import invoices and packing lists; PMV declaration; system OOC Bill of Entry; TR 6 challan; notarized affidavit; and, as applicable, RBI permission and GST certification). The Drawback Section will register claims in a dedicated register, issue a Deficiency Memo within fifteen days for incomplete claims, provide an acknowledgement under Annexure B upon compliance, and deem claims time barred if the Deficiency Memo is not answered within thirty days plus the statutory period. NOC verification from TRC or the originating Customs House is required before processing.

Deferred customs duty on warehoused inputs is payable at home-consumption; transfers allowed with MOOWR documentation and bonds.
Transfers of resultant goods between Section 65 units are allowed provided the MOOWR transfer Form is completed and endorsed, one-time locks and quantities are verified, the bond officer is intimated, and triple duty bonds are debited/recredited. Deferred customs duty on warehoused inputs becomes payable only when resultant goods are cleared for home consumption by filing the Ex-Bond Bill of Entry and paying duties. Transit risk insurance, maintenance of digital records, and timely monthly returns must be ensured to preserve duty liability until payment.

Exchange rate notification: automated ICEGATE publication will determine customs valuation from midnight following online publication.
Section 14 valuation will use exchange rates published on ICEGATE: SBI 'card rates' will be converted to Bill rates adjusted to the nearest five paise, integrated into ICES, published each publication evening, and take effect from midnight of the following day. Public access and archival storage on ICEGATE are provided, and a contingency framework with nodal officers and manual admin-interface updates applies where electronic transmission or integration fails, with the last updated rates remaining in force until corrected.

Customs Broker Profile Amendment: system admin can update core profile fields; brokers must file Annexure A requests for non-automatable changes.
System administration in CBLMS may amend all approved Customs Broker Profile sections-Primary Details, Correspondence Address, Authorized Person Details, Proprietor/Partner/Director Details, Security Details and OPS Details. Brokers must submit change requests for corrections that cannot be handled through existing broker-facing CBLMS applications to the CBLR section with reasons in Annexure A; requests duplicating available application-based remedies will be invalid. Queries should be directed to the CBLMS Helpdesk email.

Cargo release time analysis to track Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills and improve clearance efficiency.
Sector-specific cargo release time analysis will track Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills filed between 1 July and 7 July until their release or 7 August, measuring release and turnaround times across imports and exports by cargo type, PGA involvement, intraday workload, inter CFS variation and destination. Regulatory timestamps will come from DG Systems; logistics stakeholders must provide complete, consistent timestamps in the prescribed template (dd:mm:yyyy and hh:mm). Stakeholders must maintain written records for manual captures, report anomalies promptly to nodal officers, and adhere to extant CBIC instructions without artificially altering release times.

Drawback claims compliance: exporters must reply to EDI queries to ensure proper processing and disbursement.
Directive requiring exporters and their agents to reply to EDI system queries for pending drawback claims; claims in "Query Raised" and "EXPORTER" queues will be processed and disbursed upon electronic reply, and exporters must check claim status on ICEGATE. Exporters with pending claims (shipping bills prior to the cut-off) must submit requisite documents or personally present clarifications to the Deputy Commissioner (Drawback) within the compliance period; failure to reply satisfactorily will result in claims being processed as per available records and applicable rates. Contact details for assistance are provided.

Transshipment permission to Fedex Express TSCS (India) Pvt. Ltd. granted with bond and compliance conditions.
Permission is granted to M/s Fedex Express TSCS (India) Pvt. Ltd. to transship imported consignments from Bengaluru to specified destination airports via bonded trucking by M/s Shreeji Translogistics Ltd for one year, subject to execution of Transshipment Bonds of Rs. 1,00,00,00,000 by each party. Goods must be specifically manifested, segregated, processed in a secured TP processing area under customs supervision with MAWB and CTM documentation, sealed containers, destination acknowledgement within 30 days for bond re crediting, a Rs.20 application fee, recordkeeping, and observance of prescribed customs procedures and circulars.

Export General Manifest accuracy supports timely post-export incentives through rectification of EDI-recorded filing errors under prescribed procedures.
Export General Manifest compliance requires the person in charge of an export conveyance to deliver the EGM before departure from the Customs station. Incorrect EGM filings reflected in the EDI system may delay post-export benefits and export incentives. April 2024 EGM-error identification links affected transactions to shipping line, Shipping Bill, exporter, EGM particulars and recorded error type. Exporters, Customs Brokers and other concerned persons must rectify the transaction-specific errors under the applicable EGM rectification procedure.