New Delhi, 10 August (H.S.): In a significant step towards improving ease of doing business for exporters, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has discontinued the requirement to submit physical challans as proof of voluntary customs duty payments while applying for Export Obligation Discharge Certificates (EODCs) under the Advance Authorisation and Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) schemes.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement on Monday that the DGFT has removed the mandatory requirement for exporters to submit physical challans for voluntary customs duty payments made from August 1, 2026.

Under the new system, licence-wise data on voluntary duty payments received from Customs or the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE) has been integrated with the DGFT’s online systems. This enables the relevant authorities to digitally authenticate and verify such payments against the corresponding authorisation.

The ministry said exporters making voluntary duty payments on or after August 1, 2026, will no longer be required to attach physical challans while submitting applications for closure of their authorisations.

According to the ministry, verified payment details will be made available to exporters through the DGFT Customer Portal. This will allow them to check and confirm, before filing their applications, whether the payments have been correctly mapped to the relevant authorisation.

The move is expected to simplify the EODC application process, reduce paperwork and minimise the need for exporters to submit and physically process payment-related documents. It also marks a further step towards greater digitisation of foreign trade procedures and improving operational efficiency for exporters.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar