Refund of Additional Duty: AEO tiering mandates expedited claim processing timelines for accredited importers under the merged programme.
Refunds of 4% Additional Duty for qualifying importers are now administered under the merged three tier Authorised Economic Operator programme; the ACP pre audit waiver is discontinued and refund claims must be sanctioned within the expedited timeframes prescribed for AEO tiers, with other existing refund provisions remaining applicable.

Registration category requirement prompts jewellery manufacturers to amend registration so they can file the modified ER-8 return.
The modified ER-8 return is being implemented on the ACES portal with a ticker prompting jewellery manufacturers to amend registration to the Business Category Jewellery; divisional offices must prioritise processing of such amendment requests and physical verification is not required at original registration or amendment.

Rebate of State Levies on garment exports: optional scheme requiring exporter declaration and integration with duty drawback process.
Rebate of State levies on garment exports is an optional CBEC-administered scheme integrated with Duty Drawback: exporters must opt in via item-level claim/declaration on shipping bills, rebate is calculated on FOB value using schedule rates and per-unit caps (with special rates for duty-free imported fabric), and payments are processed in parallel with Drawback subject to Ministry of Textiles budgetary allocation. Overpayments, non-realised proceeds, and wrongful declarations follow Drawback-like recovery procedures with coordination between CBEC and the Textile Commissioner.

Financial disclosure requirements mandate comprehensive audited InvIT financials, projections, NDCF framework and detailed related party reporting.
Offer documents must present audited financial information for the last three completed financial years and any necessary interim period (or combined financial statements if InvIT history is insufficient), prepared under Ind AS and adjusted for prior period errors, accounting policy changes and auditor reported modifications. Required statements include balance sheet, profit and loss/income and expenditure, changes in unitholders' equity, cash flows, net assets at fair value, total returns at fair value, and specified notes; additional mandatory disclosures cover project wise cash flows, EPU, contingent liabilities, commitments, related party transactions, capitalisation, debt history, auditor reliance rules, NDCF framework, projections with auditor and manager certification, MDA, and combined statement principles.

Rupee Drawing Arrangement limit capped per transaction; authorised banks must ensure compliance under FEMA and regulatory guidance.
The circular caps permitted trade transactions under the Rupee Drawing Arrangement at fifteen lakh rupees per transaction, directs Authorised Dealer Category I banks to implement this ceiling while other related instructions remain unchanged, notes the amendment in the Foreign Exchange Management (Manner of Receipt and Payment) Regulations, 2016 with an update to Master Direction No.2, and issues the directions under Sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.

Foreign investment in Other Financial Services allowed on full automatic route with regulator-specified conditions; government route for unregulated activities.
Full foreign equity participation in Other Financial Services is permitted under the automatic route when activities are regulated by a financial sector regulator, subject to regulator- or government-specified conditionalities including minimum capitalisation norms; statutory limits govern activities specifically regulated by an Act. Unregulated or partly regulated financial services require government approval for foreign investment, and downstream investments must comply with sectoral regulations and the Principal Regulations.

FVCI registration allows direct investment in startups and specified sectors without prior Reserve Bank approval.
Registered FVCIs may invest without RBI approval in equity, equity-linked or debt instruments of unlisted Indian companies in specified priority sectors, in qualifying startups, and in units of SEBI-registered Venture Capital Funds or Category I AIFs; downstream investments by recipient funds must comply with Schedule 11 downstream investment provisions.

Composite foreign investment cap clarified to aggregate direct and indirect investments, with compliance duties on the investee company.
The circular mandates that the composite limit/cap on foreign investment be calculated as the aggregate of all direct and indirect foreign investments, with equity resulting from debt conversion counted within the cap and certain debt-like instruments excluded. It defines Total foreign investment as the sum of direct and indirect investments, assigns the compliance obligation to the investee company, permits portfolio investment up to a prescribed threshold without government approval provided no change of ownership leading to control by non-residents occurs, and allows permitted foreign investment routes in LLPs, automatic-route sectors, NRI non repatriation investments deemed domestic, and share-swap arrangements subject to specified valuation and sectoral conditions.

Rebate of State Levies: designated Customs and Textile contacts set for processing claims and monthly reporting.
Customs field formations are directed to send communications on RoSL rebate implementation to the Textile Commissioner at Nishta Bhawan, New CGO Building, New Marine Lines, Mumbai and [email protected]; monthly lists of manually processed RoSL claims must be emailed by the Systems Directorate and any Customs location that processed claims manually to the Ministry of Textiles, Director (Export), Room No. 266, Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi at [email protected].

Inclusion of inland container depots as ports of registration enables exporters at those ICDs to access Chapter 4 benefits.
The Director General of Foreign Trade adds Kalinganagar and Tumb Village (Taluka Umbergaon, District Valsad) to the list of Inland Container Depots in paragraph 4.37(a) of the Handbook of Procedures (2015-2020) as Ports of Registration, enabling exporters using those ICDs to avail export promotion benefits under Chapter 4 of the Foreign Trade Policy; names will be alphabetised in the revised Handbook.

Foreign exchange receipts and payments: prescribed modes include ACU settlement, rupee and freely convertible currency for authorised dealers.
Authorised Dealer Category I banks must follow the Regulations prescribing permitted modes and currencies for foreign exchange receipts and payments: ACU settlement or freely convertible currency for ACU members with specific rules for Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Iran; for other countries, receipt/payment in rupees from a foreign bank account or in any freely convertible currency; currency appropriate to shipment or destination for exports/imports as declared; and specified allowances for third party transactions, card receipts/payments, FCNR/NRE debits, Exchange House rupee receipts, and precious metal settlement where contracted.

Extension and conversion of external commercial borrowings allowed by authorised banks subject to lender consent and reporting.
Designated Authorised Dealer Category I banks are empowered to approve extensions of matured but unpaid External Commercial Borrowings and conversions of such borrowings into equity, provided there is no additional cost, lender consent is obtained, and reporting requirements are fulfilled; conversions must comply with existing conversion terms and, where the borrower has other banking credit, are subject to prudential restructuring guidelines and coordination or consent of other lenders.

Use of stock exchange infrastructure now permitted for RIAs to purchase and redeem mutual fund units for clients.
SEBI permits SEBI Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) to use recognised stock exchange infrastructure to purchase and redeem mutual fund units directly from Mutual Funds/Asset Management Companies on behalf of their clients, including direct plans, while other provisions of the earlier circular for distributors remain unchanged and implementation follows existing exchange, clearing and depository protocols under the regulatory authority of Section 11(1).

Empanelment of Chartered Engineers for valuation of second hand machinery; advisory certificates and importer borne service charges.
Empanelment of Chartered Engineers is sought for valuation and examination of imported and second hand machinery within the Ahmedabad customs jurisdiction; applicants must be affiliated to the Institution of Engineers, show relevant specialization and submit supporting certificates. Selected engineers will be panelled for one year, submit annual self appraisals, and produce advisory valuation reports following prescribed circular instructions after verification of goods. Importers bear service charges. Incomplete or false applications risk cancellation and penal action, and a public list of empanelled engineers will be published.

Verification of Certificates of Origin: procedural checks and custodian led specimen comparison ensure preferential tariff claims are validated.
Verification of certificates of origin under Free/Preferential Trade Agreements requires production of a prescribed Certificate of Origin and permits verification where there is doubt about genuineness of format, signature or seal, doubt about accuracy of origin or where random checks are selected based on risk factors. Specimen seals and signatures are circulated to Chief Commissioners; an online ICES repository is being developed. Each Customs House must designate a JC/ADC as custodian of specimens for on site comparison, with escalation to CBEC Director (ICD) if specimens are unavailable. Other verification requests need Commissioner approval and supporting documents.

Cargo handling compliance mandates timely container evacuation and transparent charges to reduce dwell time in customs areas.
Port terminals, CFSs, shipping lines, transporters and other Customs Cargo Service Providers must comply with the Handling of Cargo in Customs Areas Regulations, 2009 by providing adequate infrastructure, equipment and manpower, publishing schedules of charges, making movement information available, and accepting Commissioner-specified facilities. To reduce dwell time, port terminals must ensure imported containers are removed within 24 hours of Entry Inward, issue advance arrival intimations, implement ICES gate modules, record gate-out time of vehicles, and report defaults for action under the Regulations.

Removal of mandatory warehousing requirements for export-oriented units replaced by digital records and procurement certificate regime.
Mandatory warehousing provisions for EOUs, STPIs, EHTPs and similar units have been removed, de-licensing them as warehouses while preserving the duty-exemption conditions of Notification 52/2003-Cus and the FTP. Units must maintain prescribed digital records with an audit trail of receipts, storage, processing and removals, furnish monthly transaction copies to the proper officer, and use procurement certificates and reconciliation procedures in place of re-warehousing certificates and bond-to-bond movements for inter-unit transfers.

Self-assessment of Anti Dumping Duty requires importers and CHAs to declare leviability; non-declaration invites penal consequences.
Importers and Customs House Agents must correctly declare the leviability of Anti-Dumping Duty when filing Bills of Entry under the self-assessment regime; incorrect or omitted declaration discovered during examination or audit will attract penal action under the Customs Act and related provisions.

Risk-based selectivity: low-risk consignments exempted from participating agency NOCs under Single Window, subject to RMS instructions.
The Single Window's Risk Management System applies risk-based selectivity for PGA involvement: low-risk consignments will have PGA NOCs waived with a system prompt on the Bill of Entry, and manual referrals in such cases require Assistant/Deputy Commissioner approval. The RMS will issue on-screen instructions for documentary checks, inspections, and sample drawal per PGA-delegated authority. Importers and brokers must accurately declare product details and intended end-use to enable correct automated processing.

Prosecution timing: offences involving Gold and other restricted items may prompt immediate proceedings after show cause notice.
The guidance provides that, while prosecution normally follows completion of adjudication proceedings, offences involving Gold, foreign exchange notes (FEN), arms, ammunitions and explosives, antiques, art treasures, wildlife items and endangered species of flora and fauna may preferably attract prosecution immediately after issuance of a show cause notice.