Issuance of statutory forms: designation replaced with Commissioner (Policy) in prior circular; remaining provisions unchanged.
The Department substitutes the designation Commissioner (Policy) for the term Special Commissioner-II as used in point iv of the earlier circular on issuance of statutory forms; all other provisions of that circular remain unchanged and continue to govern issuance and compliance.

ER-8 return requirement for jewellery manufacturers: register under jewellery category and seek amendment to enable filing.
Jewellery manufacturers must file a modified ER-8 return available in ACES; a ticker will alert assesses not registered under the Business category "Jewellery -- 7113" to submit registration amendments. Jurisdictional officers should prioritise processing these amendment requests to permit ER-8 filing. Physical verification is not required at original registration or amendment. Trade associations should inform concerned members.

Export transshipment module enables ETP-based ICES processing, gate-to-gateway movement, and automatic routing for export benefits.
The Export Transshipment Module in ICES 1.5 requires Transhippers to register a Transshipment Bond and BG, file an Export Transshipment Permit (ETP) via the Port/ICD Service Centre, obtain Preventive Superintendent approval and printed ETP, and ensure bond/BG debit on approval. On arrival at the Gateway Air site preventive checks precede an "Allowed for Shipment" entry; thereafter the airline files EGM and the SB moves to Drawback processing.

Factory Stuffing Permission amendments tighten eligibility, documentation and officer-designation requirements for exporters.
Amendments to the Factory/Warehouse Stuffing Permission procedure modify paragraph 11(vii) by replacing the word "three" with "two", substituting "Exporter" with "Merchant Exporter", and adding a new sub paragraph requiring proof of previous imports by the exporting entity in the last three years; paragraph 13 is amended to read "Additional Commissioner / Joint Commissioner" as the competent officer. Stakeholders are asked to report implementation difficulties to the Principal Commissioner.

Combined corporate debt limit governs foreign investment in rupee denominated overseas bonds, with reporting and issuance criteria mandated.
Foreign investment in Rupee denominated bonds issued overseas by Indian corporates shall be reckoned against a Combined Corporate debt limit of INR 244,323 crore covering onshore and overseas corporate debt; such overseas Rupee investments will not be treated as FPI investments under SEBI FPI regulations, though other extant FPI terms for corporate debt apply, RBI will define issuance criteria, and depositories must receive and process periodic RBI data on these investments.

Indian Accounting Standards implementation requires AIFIs to prepare proforma Ind AS statements and disclose ECL methodologies for regulatory review.
Select All India Term Lending and Refinancing Institutions must adopt Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) on the prescribed transition timeline for both standalone and consolidated financial statements; early adoption is prohibited. Boards must oversee implementation with a Steering Committee and quarterly Audit Committee reporting. AIFIs must prepare and submit proforma Ind AS financial statements and detailed reconciliations and disclosures to the Reserve Bank, including comprehensive Ind AS 109 expected credit loss methodologies, while assessing impacts on capital adequacy. Directions issued under Section 45L require strict compliance.

Digital recordkeeping requirement for duty free warehouses mandates SKU level electronic records, audit trails and integrated passenger sales reporting.
Licensees of Duty Free Shop special warehouses must maintain electronic records of receipt, handling, storage and removal of goods at SKU level using mandatory data elements in Form A, with software that provides a secure audit trail. Monthly returns of warehouse transactions are filed with the bond officer within ten days after month end (Form A); expiring warehousing periods require information in Form B. Sales to international passengers must be recorded digitally in Form C and integrated into warehouse records every 24 hours; bond officers shall escort removals to points of sale and supervise compliance.

Central excise duty on jewellery: clarified compliance measures and simplified eligibility, audit, export and procedural norms.
Six government circulars supplementing the imposition of Central Excise duty on jewellery set out simplified measures: rules for computing SSI exemption eligibility and limits for manufacturers/principal manufacturers; a desk-focused excise audit regime with moratoria and limits on physical stock verification; trade-friendly export procedures and return filing; acceptability of state VAT/private records and eased rules for trading, invoicing, job work and repairs; departmental thresholds for enforcement actions to protect trade; and guidance on taxability of stock as on 29 February 2016.

Clubbing of advance authorisations allowed for annual requirements where exports and imports comply with notified SIONs.
Facility of clubbing shall also be available for Advance Authorisations for Annual Requirement issued during the cited Foreign Trade Policy periods, wherever exports and imports have taken place as per notified Standard Input Output Norms (SION) available in the Handbook of Procedures.

VKGUY benefit eligibility for grape exports packed in imported containers affirmed; FOB value need not exclude packing costs.
DGFT clarified that grapes packed in imported packing material are not within the FTP ineligible category relied on by some field formations, and exporters are entitled to VKGUY benefits on the full FOB value without deducting the cost of imported packing material; this position follows consultation with the Drawback Directorate and corresponds with customs authority guidance on duty drawback treatment for such packing.

Single Window clearance reforms streamline drug and cosmetics imports by reducing ADC referrals and sampling through PECs and declarations.
SWIFT clearance for drugs and cosmetics is simplified by recognising a PGA Exemption Category for non-drug chemicals, permitting Integrated Declaration avoidance of ADC referral; allowing dual-use items and excipients to bypass ADC NOC if declared non-pharmaceutical grade, without APIs, and not for medicinal use; adopting risk-based inspection and sampling with ADCs drawing samples only when necessary and avoiding re-sampling of the same batch once NOC has been granted; accepting digitally signed declarations and guarantees within the Integrated Declaration; and mapping ADC clearance responsibilities to notified ICES/port locations with transshipment referral to the nearest ADC.

Rupee bond issuance to overseas investors regulated under the ECB framework, exempting specified Companies Act provisions.
Issuance of rupee denominated bonds exclusively to persons resident outside India is regulated under the external commercial borrowing framework and sectoral regulations; accordingly, the provisions of Chapter III of the Companies Act, 2013 and rule 18 of the Companies (Share Capital and Debenture) Rules, 2014 do not apply to such issuances unless otherwise provided in RBI circulars, directions or regulations, and necessary changes to the Rules are being made.

Risk Management System declaration accuracy required; shipping bills may be recalled for reassessment and examination.
Risk Management System (RMS) controls permit recall of shipping bills when officers or exporters identify incorrect classification, missing required documents, or other declaration discrepancies; officers must notify the System Administrator or designated supervisory officials immediately, while CHAs/exporters may request the export DC/AC to recall a shipping bill for reassessment and/or physical examination, and recalled cases must be reported daily in writing to JC/ADC through DC (SIB).

Correct declaration of imports preserves RMS facilitation; misclassification prompts recall and reassessment of bills of entry.
Recall and reassessment procedure is prescribed for Bills of Entry filed under the Risk Management System (RMS) where misclassification or other discrepancies are detected. Officers must report discrepancies to the System Administrator or designated supervisory officers; CHAs or importers may request the Group Deputy/Assistant Commissioner to recall the Bill of Entry for reassessment or examination, with daily written reporting of such recalls through the SIB officer for record. Trade must furnish accurate declarations to benefit from RMS facilitation.

Transit in sealed containers: customs seals, CTD documentation and insurance/guarantees secure Visakhapatnam-Nepal movements.
Transit via Visakhapatnam to Nepal operates only in sealed containers over specified road and rail routes; Indian Customs affix an additional one-time seal and record seal serial numbers on the Customs Transit Declaration (CTD). The CTD, supported by bill of lading, invoice, packing list and Nepalese licences or authenticated letters of credit, is endorsed in multiple copies at port and land customs stations and used to verify delivery. Sensitive goods require insurance, bank guarantee or undertakings assigned to the Commissioner of Customs to cover Indian duties or market-value differentials; communication protocols require daily electronic and postal exchange of CTD dispatch and receipt information.

Indian Customs EDI (ICES 1.5) launched at ICD Surat enabling electronic filing, transshipment automation and integrated bond/license management.
ICES 1.5 was launched at ICD Surat Hira Bourse effective 05.08.2016 to enable electronic filing and automated processing of Bills of Entry and Shipping Bills, mandatory registration of stakeholders (IE Code, customs brokers, airlines, custodians, DGFT licences, bonds, PLA accounts), prescribed use of code directories, and integration of transshipment (CTM/TP), valuation, notification based exemptions, bond/BG management and RMS guided appraisal, with digital signature remote filing and Single Window exchange of regulatory certificates.

Factory/warehouse stuffing permission for exporters requires application, sealed Central Excise verification/NOC, and supervised stuffing under conditions.
The Public Notice prescribes issuance of a one time Letter of Factory Stuffing Permission (LoFSP) to exporters from ICD Borkhedi on application and submission of prescribed documents, sealed NOCs and verification reports from jurisdictional Central Excise confirming genuineness and suitability of exporter and/or stuffing premises; provisional 30 day LoFSPs may be issued to Status Holders pending sealed reports, while non status first time exporters require prior sealed verification. The LoFSP limits scope, supervision, documentation, validity and cancellation procedures and mandates Central Excise supervised examination and sealing.

AEO three tier programme expands customs facilitation for compliant traders, merging ACP and AEO with enhanced benefits and transitional rules.
The Accredited Client Programme and Authorized Economic Operator arrangements are merged into a consolidated AEO three-tier programme extending facilitation-including direct port delivery and entry, deferred payment of duties, expedited refunds and drawback, export facilitation, acceptance of self certified certificates, request based on site inspections, and paperless declarations-to compliant entities, with lowered eligibility for smaller operators. Earlier circulars are superseded; existing AEO and ACP holders receive corresponding AEO statuses with provisional treatment and a one time transition opportunity subject to adherence to prescribed standards and application within the specified period.

Work from Home authorization for SEZ IT/ITeS employees permits remote work subject to unit authorization, approved services, secured connectivity, and export accounting.
Authorized regular employees of SEZ IT/ITeS units may work from home only if authorized and issued identity cards, the remote work is limited to services approved for the SEZ unit and tied to a unit project, the unit provides secured connectivity and equipment, export revenue is accounted by the tagged SEZ unit and work does not export services from outside the SEZ, and employees must be untagged and I Cards surrendered when they leave the project; SEZ units registered as OSPs must also follow DOT OSP guidelines.

Central excise duty on jewellery: sub committee to set compliance procedures; registration extension and consolidated payment allowed.
A Sub Committee has been constituted to advise on imposition of central excise duty on jewellery, with specified administrative, legal and trade membership; the Sub Committee will frame compliance procedures, records requirements and operating procedures, and will hear written and in person representations from trade associations. Communications to the High Level Committee are directed to the provided email and postal addresses. The Trade Notice extends the registration deadline for jewellers while confirming that liability to pay excise duty is effective from the earlier date and allows consolidated payment of prior months' duties together with the current month's payment.