New Measures Simplify MSME Accreditation for AEO: Fewer Documents, Shorter Business Activity, Lower Bank Guarantee Requirements

The Board has introduced special measures to ease the accreditation process for MSMEs under the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme. Key relaxations include reducing the document handling requirement to 10 documents annually, shortening the business activity requirement to two years, and decreasing the compliance period to the last two financial years. The annexures for AEO T1 and T2 have been simplified, and processing times for applications have been significantly reduced. Additionally, the requirement for furnishing a Bank Guarantee has been lowered. These relaxations are applicable only to MSMEs with a valid certificate and require maintaining their MSME status throughout the AEO certification period.