DGFT Revises PSIC Issuance Timeline to 2 Days; Grants One-Time 7-Day Relaxation for Backlog Certificates

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Dated: 17.09.2026

DGFT Revises PSIC Issuance Timeline to 2 Days; Grants One-Time 7-Day Relaxation for Backlog Certificates

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has introduced important procedural relaxations for Pre-Shipment Inspection Agencies (PSIAs) and the issuance of Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificates (PSICs).

Through Trade Notice No. 28/2026-27 dated September 16, 2026, DGFT has revised the timeline for generating PSICs and simultaneously provided a one-time transitional relaxation of seven days for clearing certain backlog certificates.

Background: Earlier Changes to PSIA/PSIC Process

The latest Trade Notice follows Trade Notice No. 22/2026-27 dated August 25, 2026, through which DGFT had introduced enhancements to the PSIA/PSIC process.
According to DGFT, the fresh relaxations have been introduced to facilitate the smooth implementation of the revised PSIA/PSIC module.
The new Trade Notice is particularly relevant for recognized PSIAs, importers dealing with goods requiring PSICs, members of trade and industry, and Customs authorities.

One-Time 7-Day Window for Backlog PSICs

One of the key measures introduced by DGFT is a one-time relaxation of seven days from the date of issuance of Trade Notice No. 28/2026-27.
This transitional facility is available to recognized PSIAs for clearing backlog PSICs relating to inspections conducted prior to August 25, 2026, where the certificates could not be issued because of system restrictions introduced pursuant to the earlier Trade Notice.
The relaxation is therefore targeted rather than general. It applies specifically to the identified backlog arising from inspections conducted before August 25, 2026 and affected by the system restrictions.

PSIC Must Now Be Generated Within 2 Days of Inspection

DGFT has also substituted Para 2(ii) of Trade Notice No. 22/2026-27.

Under the revised requirement:

“The PSIC shall be generated and issued within 2 days from the date of inspection.”

Importantly, this is not merely an administrative timeline. DGFT has clarified that the system itself will permit generation and issuance of the PSIC only within the prescribed timeline.
This makes timely certificate generation particularly important for PSIAs because a delay beyond the permitted system window may prevent issuance through the module.

Geographical Location Requirement Continues

The revised provision also expressly requires that PSIC uploading must be carried out from the same geographical location/country where the inspection was conducted.
Accordingly, recognized PSIAs will need to ensure that both the inspection workflow and subsequent certificate uploading arrangements comply with the geographical-location requirement prescribed by DGFT.

What Has Changed?

Particular	Revised Position
Governing Trade Notice	Trade Notice No. 28/2026-27
Date	September 16, 2026
Earlier Trade Notice	Trade Notice No. 22/2026-27 dated August 25, 2026
PSIC issuance timeline	Within 2 days from date of inspection
System restriction	PSIC generation/issuance permitted only within prescribed timeline
Upload location	Same geographical location/country where inspection took place
Backlog relaxation	One-time 7-day relaxation
Backlog eligibility	Inspections conducted before August 25, 2026 where PSIC could not be issued due to system restrictions
Other provisions of Trade Notice 22/2026-27	Remain unchanged

These changes are expressly limited to the relaxations and substitution stated in Trade Notice No. 28/2026-27; DGFT has confirmed that all other provisions of Trade Notice No. 22/2026-27 remain unchanged.

Compliance Impact for PSIAs and Importers

The revised framework makes the date of inspection a critical compliance trigger. Once an inspection is completed, the recognized PSIA must ensure that the PSIC is generated and issued within two days.
For importers and other members of trade, this means closer coordination with the concerned PSIA may be necessary so that documentation and certificate-generation formalities are completed within the system-enabled period.
At the same time, the seven-day transitional relaxation provides a limited opportunity to regularise eligible backlog PSICs that could not previously be issued because of the system restrictions.
Importantly, the Trade Notice itself does not state that the seven-day relaxation is a general extension for future PSICs. It is specifically described as a one-time transitional arrangement for the identified backlog.

Key Takeaway

DGFT has effectively tightened the operational timeline for PSIC issuance while simultaneously addressing legacy cases affected by the transition to the revised electronic system.

Recognized PSIAs should therefore ensure that new PSICs are generated and issued within two days of inspection and uploaded from the same country/geographical location where the inspection occurred. Eligible pre-August 25, 2026 backlog cases, meanwhile, receive a one-time seven-day window under the new Trade Notice.

In case you face any issues related to Indirect Tax-Customs, GST, Foreign Trade Policy (FTP), Arbitration matters and Central Licensing and related advisory matters in India then please feel free to get in touch with SJ EXIM Services.

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Source: DGFT

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