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INDIA newsletter Mumbai & Western India, Monday, March 10, 2025
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS, NS-III
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU CUSTOM HOUSE, NHAVA SHEVA
Automation of Refund Application and Processing in Customs
KIND attention of all the Importers/Exporters/CHAs and all concerned is invited towards the Circular No. 05/2025-Cus-
toms dated 17.02.2025 issued by CBIC regarding automation of refund application and processing in Customs.
For electronic disbursal of refunds, an online processing and disbursal of Customs duty refund application has been
developed and is enabled on the Customs Automated System.
In this regard, for ease of reference Circular No. 05/2025-Customs dated 17.02.2025 issued by CBIC is attached
herewith wherein key aspects relating to the electronic processing of refund have been elaborated.
As a transitional measure, applicant may file refund either manually or online till 31.03.2025. However, no manual re-
fund application shall be accepted after 31.03.2025, unless the same is allowed by the Pr. Commissioner/Commissioner
of Customs, for the reasons to be recorded in writing.
All the Importers/Exporters/CHAs and other concerned are hereby requested to apprise themselves of the key as-
pects as indicated in the Circular No. 05/2025-Customs dated 17.02.2025.
All the Importers/Exporters/CHAs and other concerned are hereby also requested to file all their future refund claims through online
(ICEGATE Portal) mode only as no manual refund application shall be accepted after 31.03.2025 without any valid or plausible reason.
Any difficulty noticed in the implementation of this Public Notice may be brought to the notice of this office.
Sd/-
Sanjeev Kumar Singh
Commissioner of Customs
CRC-I, JNCH, NS-III

Understanding “Compliant” Electronic Bills of Lading
Exim News Service and arbitration provision. the words of the incorpora- steadily and recent legal re-
LONDON, March 9 This is needed to establish tion clause. This could be forms are helping to accel-
ON February 20, 2025, clearly the law and jurisdic- done by adding to the gen- erate the process. The IG’s
the International Group tion governing the bill of lad- eral words of incorporation to approval of e-Bill systems
of P&I Clubs (IG) intro- ing. The charter party from state the law that governs the provides valuable certainty
duced a new streamlined which governing terms are bill of lading (from a jurisdic- to shipowners that their P&I
process for approving e- incorporated is usually iden- tion that recognises e-Bills), cover will not be prejudiced
Bill platforms. The new tified by its date. which may be the same as or when using an approved
process requires solution For example, Clause 1 of different from the law gov- system. The welcome new
providers to demonstrate BIMCO’s CONGENBILL’s erning the charter party. streamlined process supports
that their system is reli- conditions of carriage in- The use of e-Bills is growing these recent developments.
able, and that only “compli- cludes all the “terms and
ant” e-Bills are used. It is conditions, liberties and ex- DGFT notifies removal of ban
the result of recent legisla- ceptions” of the charter par- on broken rice exports
tive developments reflect- ty dated on the face of the Exim News Service
ing the increasing number bill of lading, including the NEW DELHI, March 9
of countries that have ad- law and arbitration clause. THE Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has notified
opted laws recognising elec- However, owners and char- the removal of the ban on broken rice exports by putting the item
tronic bills of lading, says a terers might have agreed in the free category. The move could enable African countries to
BIMCO report. in the charter party on law secure grain at lower prices and support Asian animal feed and
It elaborates:
and arbitration from a juris- ethanol producers. In FY24, India shipped rice worth $10.41 bil-
“Compliant” e-Bills must
diction where eBills are not lion, a decline of 6.5% on the year, as shipments were hampered
be governed by laws that rec- legally recognised as equiva- because of restrictions that were imposed to improve domestic
ognise them as equivalent to lent to paper bills of lading. supplies. Exporters say that rice exports in the entire FY25 may
paper bills of lading – such To avoid the risk of an e- see an increase of 15% because of robust global demand, to cross
as English law following the
Bill on a “deemed approved” a record $12 billion. Rice exports during the April-January period
Electronic Trade Documents
system not being considered of FY25 saw a sharp increase of over 22% to over $10 billion com-
Act (ETDA) 2023. To make compliant by the IG, you pared to $8.26 billion in the same period last fiscal following the
e-Bills compliant, incorpora- could think about amending lifting of restrictions on exports last year, as per a report.
tion clauses in bills of lading
should expressly state the All-encompassing trade deal with India
governing law, which must needed, says US Commerce Secy
recognise e-Bills, even if it
differs from the law govern- Exim News Service
ing the charter party. WASHINGTON, March 9
Many bills of lading used THE US has asked India to bring down import tariffs under an all-encompassing trade deal
in the bulk shipping sector that won’t leave even the latter’s sensitive agriculture markets out, according to US Commerce
use an “incorporation clause” Secretary Howard Lutnick. The official made it clear that the US is not interested in negotiat-
to incorporate governing ing tariffs with India on a product-by-product basis and instead wanted a macro and grand pact
terms from the charter party. that covers all areas. The pact is crucial for India given that the US is its single largest trading
To avoid uncertainty, they partner with annual two-way trade in goods and services worth $190 billion. New Delhi enjoys a
should always include word- trade surplus with the world’s largest economy in both goods and services. A host of Indian in-
ing that expressly incorpo- dustries have already recommended tariff concessions to the US, even zero-for-zero tariff, as they
rates the charter party’s law fear reduced market access to the country when reciprocal tariffs are imposed, as per a report.