Overview
- In early August 2026 DGFT implemented Trade Notice 15 to stop asking exporters for physical TR-6 challans when closing Advance Authorisation and EPCG licences where voluntary duty payments are recorded electronically.
- Customs/ICEGATE transmits licence‑wise voluntary duty payment particulars into DGFT’s EODC workflow by an API, and those authenticated records are shown on the DGFT Customer Portal for both exporters and regional officers.
- Regional DGFT offices will rely exclusively on the portal’s payment data when examining EODC applications, removing manual verification and the previous need to handle a single physical challan copy.
- Exporters must check that their licence and IEC are correctly mapped and report any mismatches to DGFT because unresolved mapping errors could block closure; payments made before the digital cut‑off remain subject to earlier documentary rules.
- The change builds on ICEGATE’s move to electronic voluntary payments in late 2024 and is intended to cut processing time and compliance costs, especially for MSME exporters, by reducing paperwork and human intervention.