New Delhi, Feb 19 (KNN) The Directorate of General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has discontinued issuing physical copy of Advance / Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Authorisations for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) ports from March 1, 2019 onwards in order to improve ease of doing business and improving online transactions.

In a notification, DGFT said “It has been decided to discontinue issue of physical copy of Advance/EPCG Authorisations issued on or after March 1, 2019 by Regional Authorities, in respect of EDI ports.”

It said, applicant will continue to apply for Advance / EPCG Authorisations as per current practice on DGFT website. In case of approval by the RA, the applicant will get the following message on the Mobile and email address.

In order to take printout of the authorization, the applicant needs to log on DGFT website choosing respective scheme. After login, in the first window, details of all applications submitted during the last one will appear. For getting the status in respect of any particular file, applicant needs to double click on that file, explained DGFT.

It stated that in case authorization has been issued by the RA, the applicant can print / save the authorization and on the basis of PDF copy of Authorisation, the exporter can approach the Customs Authority concerned at registered EDI port for execution of Bank Guarantee (BG)/ Legal Undertaking (LUT), as the case may be.

In such cases the Custom Authority shall not insist for Authorisation on security paper as was the practice so far, it added.

Besides, the applicant intending to procure goods from domestic sources shall make request for issue of Invalidation/ ARO to the RA concerned.

Also, no Telegraphic Release Advice (TRA) facility under such Advance / EPCG Authorisations issued from March 03, 2019 onwards will be available from EDI ports to non-EDI ports.

In case an applicant chooses a non EDI port as Port of Registration while filing application for Authorisation / EPCG Authorisation, existing system of printing of Authorisation on security paper will continue, said DGFT.