Faceless Assessment expands nationwide, centralising electronic bill-of-entry verification while ports retain physical inspection and bond processing.
Faceless Assessment requires electronic submission of bills of entry via ICEGATE and e-Sanchit and central assignment to designated Faceless Assessment Groups for verification; port authorities retain examination, inspection, custody of documents and processing of bonds. Faceless groups may accept self-assessments, raise consolidated electronic queries, order testing or examinations to be executed by shed officers, provisionally assess or transfer exceptional cases to Port Assessment Groups, and must issue speaking orders when re-assessing, with appeals to the Commissioner (Appeals). All communications are exclusively electronic.

E Office deployment mandates electronic submissions in searchable PDF with contact details and a designated official email for filings.
Launch of E-Office requires stakeholders to use electronic communication to Nhava Sheva-V Commissionerate, with submissions in PDF (preferably searchable), provision of mobile and email for issuance of a Diary Number, use of the designated email [email protected] for official correspondence, lodging of hard copies at the Central Receipt Unit on the ground floor of JNCH, and reporting difficulties or suggestions to the Additional Commissioner of Customs, NS-V.

E-Office launched as official electronic filing channel; submit searchable PDF, include contact details; designated official email for correspondence.
Launch of an e-Office system at Nhava Sheva-II, JNCH promotes a paperless environment and urges stakeholders to send communications electronically in PDF (preferably searchable) and to include mobile number and email so the allotted Diary Number may be used for reference. The email [email protected] is designated as the official single point of contact for electronic official communications. Hard-copy submissions shall be made at the Central Receipt Unit (CRU) on the ground floor of the JNCH building, and stakeholders may report difficulties or suggestions to the undersigned.

Preferential origin verification: importers must retain proof of origin and face compulsory checks if reasonable care is not demonstrated.
Guidelines implement section 28DA and CAROTAR to operationalise verification of Rules of Origin and Certificates of Origin for preferential tariff claims. Importers must hold and produce prescribed minimum information demonstrating compliance with origin criteria; mere submission of a CoO does not absolve the importer's duty of reasonable care. Verification may be initiated for doubts as to genuineness or accuracy of origin, or randomly; officers must first seek information from the importer, and, with required approvals and complete documents, forward representative verification requests to the Board's nodal point, using the central repository for signature/seal comparison.

Certificate of Origin requirements in Bill of Entry: mandatory item declarations, COO upload, CUF02 self declaration, and document defacement.
Importers claiming preferential duty must enter item wise COO particulars in the Bill of Entry SW INFO TYPE table, upload the COO to the electronic repository and declare its IRN, make the CUF02 self declaration in the STATEMENT table, indicate transit country as required, and ensure COO documents are marked defaced in the system before Out Of Charge; PTA/FTA notification to COO document code mappings are provided.

Faceless assessment of imported goods expands in phases, with automated assignment and local oversight supporting uniform customs clearance.
Faceless assessment of imported goods in Mumbai Customs Zone II is extended beyond Group 2A in phased coverage of specified import groups. Bills of Entry concerning these groups are assigned by the Customs Automated System to officers in the respective Faceless Assessment Groups. Principal Commissioners/Commissioners act as Nodal Commissioners to monitor speedy and uniform assessment, while assessment groups operate under Commissioner-level control. Jurisdictional Commissioners of Customs (Appeals) may hear appeals for imports within their jurisdiction despite assessment by an officer at another Customs station.

Imports: mandatory COO declarations, eSanchit upload with IRIN, CUF02 self declaration and document defacement required for preferential claims.
Where an FTA/PTA notification is claimed, the Bill of Entry must capture item wise COO particulars (issuing country code, COO number and issue date, origin criterion, accumulation/cumulation), the relevant COO must be uploaded to eSanchit with its IRIN entered in the supporting document table, the standardized importer declaration CUF02 must be filed in the BE STATEMENT table, and COO documents must be marked defaced in the system before Out Of Charge.

Rules of Origin verification: importers must provide specified origin information and exercise reasonable care before foreign verification is sought.
Guidance prescribes that COO verification may arise from certificate defects, mismatched signatures/seals, doubts on compliance with product-specific or regional value criteria, or random selection; importers must furnish a prescribed minimum data set and exercise reasonable care for accuracy before authorities initiate verification with partner country Verification Authorities. CAROTAR requires bill of entry modifications for required declarations and mandates use of an ICES repository for specimen signatures/seals, with alternative measures for non-EDI locations and referral to the Board when specimens are unavailable.

Virtual personal hearings mandated for adjudicatory and appellate proceedings, with standardized video conferencing and document protocols.
Personal hearings in adjudication and appellate proceedings under customs, central excise, GST and related fiscal statutes are mandated to be conducted through video conferencing with prescribed procedures. Authorities must notify parties of the video conference hearing, provide official contact details and an assistance officer, and ensure secure links. Parties must submit scanned authorisations and photo ID by official email, maintain decorum, join via approved applications from official or authorized facilities, and reduce oral submissions to a written record of personal hearing sent by email within one day; modifications must be signed and returned within three days.

Paperless e-Office implementation requires trade to submit searchable PDF communications and provide contact details for electronic acknowledgement.
Launch of e-Office mandates migration to a paperless electronic application to improve efficiency, transparency, accountability and data security. Trade must submit communications in PDF, preferably in searchable mode, and provide mobile numbers and email addresses to receive immediate mail and SMS acknowledgements and a Diary Number for future reference. The notice is to be publicised by trade associations, treated as a Standing Order for officers, and difficulties are to be reported to the Additional Commissioner (Technical) via the provided email.

Processed plant products classification removes plant quarantine clearance and inspection requirement for low phytosanitary risk items.
The Plant Quarantine Order, 2003 has been amended to define Processed items and a specified list (Annexure-I) of processed plant products is designated as least phytosanitary risk; such listed items require no Plant Quarantine clearance and will not undergo phytosanitary inspection in India.

Customs Transit Declarations for Nepal-bound containers must be filed and processed online in ICES with specified documentary and security requirements.
CTDs for Nepal-bound import containers must be filed and processed online in ICES (effective 18.09.2020). Shipping lines/agents must register in ICES and declare Nepal transit cargo. Nepalese importers or authorised brokers submit a prescribed Data Sheet at the Service Centre for CTD creation; mandatory documents (LOA, Invoice, Packing List, Certificate of Origin, CGN-attested certificate or authenticated LC) must be presented to the Nepal Bhutan Unit. For non-sensitive goods a binding undertaking secures potential payment; for sensitive goods insurance or bank guarantee is required. Online verification, endorsement as VERIFIED, sealing at Docks/CFS, and border verification complete the transit process.

Electronic filing and designated official email: communications must be in searchable PDF for acknowledgement and tracking.
Launch of the e-Office application in the Import Commissionerate establishes a paperless channel for official communications. Taxpayers must use electronic communication in PDF format, preferably searchable, and include mobile number and email to receive immediate acknowledgement and a diary number. A single official email address is designated as the authorised point of contact for the Import Commissionerate, and all communications must be sent only to that address to ensure they are attended to.

Auto Let Export Order under ECCS expedites export clearance where courier shipping bills are fully facilitated by RMS and x ray.
The circular introduces Auto Let Export Order (Auto LEO) in the Express Cargo Clearance System (ECCS): CSBs under ECCS remain subject to the Risk Management System (RMS), and where a CSB is fully facilitated by RMS (no assessment or examination) and cleared by customs x ray scanning, ECCS will automatically grant LEO to reduce dwell time of courier export shipments.

E-Office implementation mandates exclusive electronic file opening and legacy migration, with a designated official email for communications.
Immediate adoption of the E-Office application is mandated: all new files must be opened electronically, physical files shall not be opened without the Commissioner's concurrence, and legacy files must be migrated on priority for electronic processing. Training materials and learning resources, including the Central Secretariat Manual on e-Office Procedure, are made available to users. The Commissionerate designates a single official email ([email protected]) as the exclusive point of electronic communication, and officers must report implementation difficulties to the undersigned.

Faceless Assessment rollout expands nationwide to standardise customs classification, valuation and timeliness of import clearances.
The Board directs an All-India roll-out of Faceless Assessment under the Turant Customs programme by 31 October 2020 and constitutes eleven National Assessment Centres (NACs) organised by commodity groups. NACs, co-convened by designated Principal Chief Commissioners/Chief Commissioners and staffed by nominated Principal Commissioners/Commissioners, must ensure timely, uniform assessments, harmonise classification, valuation and application of Compulsory Compliance Requirements, study audit and appellate inputs, analyse RMS data, constitute Working Groups, coordinate with specified Directorates for risk, valuation, training and systems support, and undertake pre-launch preparations including officer nomination and ICES training.

Transshipment facilitation extended: sealed container and closed truck exports allowed through additional land customs stations for Nepal and Bangladesh.
The Board expands the transshipment under ECTS procedure by permitting export of sealed consignments in containers and closed bodied trucks from all ICDs and specified CFSs through additional Land Customs Stations, expressly adding Fulbari, Changrabandha and Jaigaon to the list of authorised road LCSs for exports to Nepal and Bangladesh; Gede and Petrapole remain authorised for container exports to Bangladesh by rail. Circular 52/2017 is modified to this extent and implementation difficulties are to be reported to the Board.

e-Office launch promotes paperless departmental communications; stakeholders must submit searchable PDFs and contact details for electronic acknowledgement.
Launch of e-Office in the Import Commissionerate at Tughlakabad mandates digitization to promote a paperless environment, enhance efficiency, transparency, accountability and data security. Stakeholders are encouraged to send communications in searchable PDF format and provide mobile numbers and email addresses to receive electronic acknowledgements and the allotted Diary Number. Trade bodies are requested to circulate the notice and report difficulties or suggestions.

Plant quarantine enforcement: mandatory inspection of unsolicited seed parcels to prevent introduction of invasive pests and pathogens.
No parcel of any seed shall be released without proper and thorough inspection under the Plant Quarantine regulatory framework to prevent entry of new pests and diseases; special vigilance is required for consignments arriving by courier or postal services. This Public Notice operates as a standing order for customs officers and staff and must be strictly complied with.

Verification of certificates of origin: importer due diligence and CAROTAR procedures required for preferential tariff claims.
Section 28DA and CAROTAR, 2020 require importers to retain prescribed minimum information demonstrating how goods satisfy Rules of Origin, and impose on importers a continuing duty to exercise reasonable care regarding the accuracy and truthfulness of origin claims. Before seeking verification from partner countries, officers should first obtain information from importers under the CAROTAR procedures; verification requests to exporting-country authorities must follow prescribed SOPs, include representative CoOs and full documentary evidence, be approved by the jurisdictional Principal Commissioner/Commissioner, and be routed through the Board's designated nodal point.