Key Regulatory & Procedural Updates for Import- Export

Posted On - 30 April, 2025 • By - Aurelia Menezes

Trade notice no. 01/2025-26-Operationalisation of DGFT ‘Global Tariff and Trade’  Helpdesk-reg. dated 11th April 2025 (Issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade)

  • This notice was addressed to all exporters, importers, Members of Trade, Regional Authorities, field formations, export promotion councils, and Commodity Boards.
  • The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a trade notice announcing the operationalization of the Global Tariff and Trade Helpdesk (the ‘Helpdesk’). Through this initiative, the import-export community was provided with a platform to submit trade-related information, issues, and feedback via an online portal. As global trade dynamics evolved with changing tariffs and retaliatory measures, the Helpdesk was introduced as a centralized mechanism to facilitate stakeholder engagement and guide support initiatives.
  • Export-Import stakeholders were enabled to report trade-related issues on the DGFT portal (dgft.gov.in) by selecting “Global Tariff and Trade Issues” under the “Create New Request” section, choosing the relevant sub-category (e.g., Export/Import Challenges, Dumping, Compliance, etc.), and providing the necessary details. Alternatively, concerns could be submitted via email to dgftedi@nic.in  (subject line: Global Tariff and Trade Helpdesk) or reported through the DGFT’s toll-free number 1800-11-5050.
  • Stakeholders could track the status of their submissions online, with updates shared through email and SMS notifications. All relevant stakeholders were encouraged to take advantage of these support services.

Facility circular no. 02 /2025 dated 8th April 2025: Special measures for Liquidation of pending drawback claims where Exporters failed to respond to a query raised by the Department-reg. (Issued by the Commissioner of Customs, Chennai-VII)

  • The notice informed Exporters, Customs Brokers, other stakeholders, and members of trade that many duty drawback claims (refunds on customs duties for goods exported) were stuck because exporters had not responded to queries raised by customs officers.
  • The Department aimed to pay the duty drawback claims of eligible exporters as soon as the EGM was filed. Although over 95% of drawback claims at Chennai Air Customs were processed within 3 days of export formalities (Let Export Order/EGM filing), some were delayed due to incomplete responses or no responses from exporters.
  • The status of the Drawback Claim could be checked immediately after LEO and filing of EGM, on the website www.icegate.gov.in, along with the reasons for pendency.
  • A list of all pending claims needing responses was also shared for reference at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10s7wb3icrSiK8IgILVoI6y5ZypsMWm6v. To dispose of such claims, Exporters, Customs Brokers, and stakeholders were required to submit replies to queries and all necessary documents for pending queries via the ICEGATE portal by 31st May 2025 and report to the Drawback section.
  • Once replies were submitted, claims were reviewed and processed following the due legal procedure. The Customs Brokers and Trade Associations were requested to circulate this message widely.

Notice for Implementation Of Customs Operated Systems At SEZ (Special Economic Zone) – Locations- Inclusion of dummy notification for clearance of goods under Rule 49 of SEZ rules– dated 30th August 2024. (Issued by the Directorate General of Systems and Data Management (DGoS), Indian Customs EDI System (ICES))

The Directorate General of Systems issued a notice regarding the implementation of the Customs Automated System at Special Economic Zone (SEZ) locations, which became operational from July 1, 2024. Several queries were raised concerning the procedure for claiming tax exemptions when SEZ units transfer goods to the Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) under Rule 49 of the SEZ Rules. To address this, a dummy notification named SEZR49, dated 01.07.2024, was created to allow exemption of specified goods at the time of clearance under Rule 49.

Key highlights of the implementation include:

  • The exemption applies exclusively to SEZ units.
  • While filing the Bill of Entry, SEZ units are required to mention the SEZR49 notification at the item level for each applicable item.
  • When this exemption is claimed, an automated alert is triggered for customs officers stating: “SEZ Rule 49 exemption has been claimed by the SEZ unit, kindly check and verify.”
  • Customs officers encountering issues may reach out to: saksham.seva@icegate.gov.in
  • Traders facing difficulties may contact: icegatehelpdesk@icegate.gov.in
  • This measure is aimed at streamlining compliance and enhancing transparency in SEZ-DTA transactions.

Post EGM Amendment Module-reg. dated 7th April 2025 (Issued by the DGoS, and the ICES)

This advisory refers to:

  1. CBIC Circular No.11/2025-Customs dated 03.04.2025
  2. CBIC Notification No. 21/2025-Customs (N.T.) dated 03.04.2025.
  3. ICES Advisory 16/2025 dated 25.03.2025, which introduced the functionality to amend Shipping Bills (SBs) post EGM filing.

The notice informs that for any post-EGM amendment of an SB in the system, the steps mentioned in the ICES Advisory are to be followed. Officers facing any difficulties or issues may email Saksham.seva@icegate.gov.in.

Provisional Shipping Bill assessment in ICES-reg. dated 7th April 2025 (Issued by the DGoS, and the CBIC)

Through this notification, the Directorate General of Systems and Data Management (DGoS), CBIC, addressed concerns raised by field formations regarding the lack of an option for provisional assessment of shipping bills (SBs) in the Indian Customs EDI System (ICES). To resolve this, a new functionality was introduced in the system, enabling officers to mark a shipping bill as “provisional” at the time of issuing the Let Export Order (LEO).

Key Highlights:

  • The marking of SBs as provisional was carried out by the Superintendent at the time of LEO.
  • Depending on the nature of the cargo, the SB was then moved to the stuffing/EGM (Export General Manifest) stage.
  • Upon successful filing of the EGM, the SB was routed to a new queue titled SB_PROV.
  • A new option was also added under the Exam Sup (Examination Superintendent) role, allowing officers to forward the SB to subsequent queues like DBK Supdt / HIST, among others, for further processing.
  • The final assessment of these provisional shipping bills could be executed by officers through the Exam_Sup role within the ICES platform.
  • For any technical issues or procedural queries, officers were instructed to contact the support team via saksham.seva@icegate.gov.in .

Order dated 15th March, 2024 (Issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry)

  • This order was issued on 15th March 2024 under Sections 16, 17, and 25(3) of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 2016. It exempts export-oriented goods that are produced domestically.
  • The provisions come into effect from 28th February 2025, with extended timelines for Small Enterprises (28th May 2025) and Micro Enterprises (28th August 2025).
  • Under this Order, all plywood and wooden flush door shutters specified in the schedule were required to conform to the relevant Indian Standards and mandatorily bear the Standard Mark under a valid BIS Licence (Scheme-I).
  • The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) acted as the certifying and enforcing authority for the Order. Non-compliance with the Order attracted penalties under the BIS Act, 2016.

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