DGFT · India
DGFT has extended the minimum import price (MIP) condition on two pharmaceutical APIs to 30 November 2026 — USD 111/kg on ATS-8 (Notif 39) and ₹1,774/kg on Sulfadiazine (Notif 40), both under ITC(HS) Chapter 29. Imports below the floor stay restricted; AA holders, EOUs and SEZ units are typically exempt.
DGFT Notification No. 41/2026-27 (30 Sep 2026) continues the RoDTEP scheme to 31 December 2026 with rates unchanged, covering DTA units, Advance Authorisation holders, SEZ units and EOUs. This removes the uncertainty after rates were due to lapse on 30 September. Exporters can keep claiming RoDTEP on October shipping bills.
DGFT Trade Notice No. 28/2026-27 (16 Sep 2026) revises the Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate (PSIC) workflow: certificates must now be issued within two days of inspection and uploaded from the inspection location, with a one-time seven-day window from 16 Sep to clear backlog PSICs for inspections done before 25 Aug 2026. Scrap importers and PSIAs are affected.
DGFT Notification No. 38/2026-27 (30 Sep 2026) continues the ₹67,220/MT (CIF) minimum import price on virgin multi-layer paper board under five ITC(HS) Chapter 48 codes, now valid to 31 March 2027. Imports below the floor remain "restricted" and need a licence. Paper importers and packaging buyers are affected.
DGFT Notification No. 36/2026-27 (15 Sep 2026) exempts export consignments with FOB value up to ₹3,00,000 from the Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) requirement, easing compliance for small, postal and courier/e-commerce exporters. Consignments above ₹3 lakh still need a valid RCMC where otherwise applicable.
DGFT Notification No. 34/2026-27 (24 Aug 2026) changes the export policy for wheat or meslin flour (atta), maida, semolina and wholemeal/resultant atta under HS 1101 from "Prohibited" to "Free," with immediate effect. Flour millers and agri-exporters can resume shipments, subject to FTP and other regulatory provisions.
DGFT Notification No. 36/2026-27 (15 Sep 2026) inserts a new sub-para in Para 2.57 of FTP 2023: a Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) or Certificate of Registration is no longer required where a consignment's FOB value does not exceed ₹3,00,000. It eases compliance for MSMEs, e-commerce, courier and postal exporters.
DGFT Notification No. 36/2026-27 (15 Sep 2026) amends para 2.57 of FTP 2023 to exempt export consignments with FOB value up to ₹3,00,000 from the RCMC / Certificate of Registration requirement, with immediate effect. Aimed at small-value postal, courier and e-commerce exports. Consignments above ₹3 lakh still need a valid RCMC where otherwise applicable.
DGFT Notification 24/2026-27 aligns ITC(HS) 2022 Schedule I (Import Policy) with the Finance Act 2026's tariff changes. Trade commentators have flagged an apparent error under heading 2915 — tariff item 29159099 shown as deleted. Importers should reconcile their HS masters and watch for a corrigendum.
DGFT Trade Notice 28/2026-27 (16 Sep 2026) revises the PSIA/PSIC module so a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate must be generated within two days of the inspection, and grants recognised agencies a one-time seven-day window to clear backlog PSICs for inspections done before 25 Aug 2026. Key for importers of shredded metallic scrap and their PSIAs.
DGFT Public Notice 30/2026-27 (14 Sep 2026) extends the timeline for surrender of unutilised quantity under the 10 lakh MT duty-free raw sugar tariff-rate quota. Read with the PN 29 conversion-timeline extension, it lets millers and refiners hand back quota they cannot use so it can be reallocated. Relevant to sugar TRQ allottees and their customs clearances.
DGFT Trade Notice 27/2026-27 (14 Sep 2026) invites comments on a draft amendment to Para 2.93 of the Handbook of Procedures 2023 that would, for the first time, comprehensively codify Non-Preferential Rules of Origin for both exports and imports — including an importer self-declaration model and a 35% value-addition / change-in-tariff-heading test. Stakeholders have 15 days to respond.
DGFT Trade Notice 26/2026-27 (7 Sep 2026) proposes suspending 544 Standard Input Output Norms (SIONs) that stayed unused under the Advance Authorisation and DFIA schemes over the last three financial years. Exporters relying on any listed norm must file reasons for retention, with utilisation details, within 15 days or risk losing that duty-free input route.
DGFT Trade Notice 25/2026-27 introduces Open API integration for Certificates of Origin through the Trade Connect e-Platform (formerly the CoO portal), letting exporters and ERP/service providers file and receive CoO data machine-to-machine instead of keying it in by hand.
DGFT Trade Notice 22/2026-27 (25 Aug 2026) upgrades the Pre-Shipment Inspection Agency/Certificate module: PSICs must be generated only on the inspection date, signatures and stamps auto-embed, inspection photos rise from 5 to 10 and video from 10 MB to 50 MB, and registered-instrument details auto-fetch. Key for importers of shredded metallic scrap.
DGFT Trade Notice 23/2026-27 (28 Aug 2026) adds new features to the Bank Guarantee Repository module on the DGFT portal — a Purpose field for fresh vs replacement BGs, automated email alerts 60 and 45 days before expiry, and digitally signed Regional Authority communications, including BG returns. Relevant for Advance Authorisation and EPCG holders.
DGFT Public Notice No. 28/2026-27 (1 Sep 2026) invites fresh applications from eligible millers and refiners for the balance 2,02,550 MT of the 10 lakh MT raw sugar tariff-rate quota, now allocated on a daily, self-declaration basis via the Import Management System TRQ module. Applications are processed batch-wise with pro-rata allocation if a day's demand exceeds the balance.
DGFT Public Notice No. 42/2025-26 amended Appendix 2U of the Handbook of Procedures to add mandatory GSTIN, GST invoice number and GST invoice date fields to the electronic Bank Realisation Certificate (eBRC), operational from 13 January 2026. Under the upgraded system exporters can self-certify eBRCs, with data shared to their bank — a change that matters as RBI's new FEMA regime nears.
DGFT Notification No. 07/2026-27 shifted silver bars under ITC(HS) 71069221 (≥99.9% silver) and 71069229 (other) from "Free" to "Restricted" with immediate effect. Importers now need authorisation under Policy Condition 7 of Chapter 71. A reference note for bullion dealers, refiners and jewellery importers.
DGFT Trade Notice No. 15/2026-27 (5 Aug 2026) removes the need to submit physical duty-payment challans when closing Advance Authorisation and EPCG cases. For voluntary duty paid on or after 1 Aug 2026, licence-wise payment data flows automatically from ICEGATE into DGFT's system via API, cutting paperwork and closure delays.
DGFT Public Notice No. 18/2026-27 (1 July 2026) automatically extends the validity of FY2025-26 TRQ authorisations for duty-concession gold imports under the India–UAE CEPA from 30 June 2026 to 30 September 2026. No fresh application, fee or endorsement is needed. Holders should complete imports before the new cut-off.
DGFT Notification No. 30/2026-27 amends FTP 2023 so that eligible export proceeds realised in Indian rupees through prescribed banking channels count fully towards export incentives, benefits and export-obligation fulfilment — removing a long-standing ambiguity for rupee-settled trade.
RCMC (Registration-Cum-Membership Certificate) explained for exporters: what it is, its legal basis in FTP 2023 Para 2.57, and the crucial distinction clarified by DGFT Trade Notice 19/2024-25 — it is required for FTP authorisations like Advance Authorisation and EPCG, but not for post-export remission schemes (RoDTEP, RoSCTL, Duty Drawback). Covers validity, the ANF 2C application, council selection and compliance.
A 2026 guide to India's SEZ framework under the SEZ Act 2005 and SEZ Rules 2006 (as amended): the customs, GST and operational benefits; the positive Net Foreign Exchange compliance obligation and monitoring; the step-by-step exit process; and the latest 2025–2026 changes including the Budget 2026-27 one-time DTA-sale concession and semiconductor land-norm relaxations.
A complete guide to India's Foreign Trade Policy 2023 — the shift to an open-ended dynamic policy, its legal framework under the FTDR Act, ITC (HS) classification, duty exemption and remission schemes, and the 2026 amendments every exporter should know, including the Export Promotion Mission's consolidation of IES and MAI.