DGFT Establishes Central Processing Department for Faceless Trade Facilitation; 53 Officers Posted to Delhi for Jurisdiction-Free Processing

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Dated: 19.09.2026

DGFT Establishes Central Processing Department for Faceless Trade Facilitation; 53 Officers Posted to Delhi for Jurisdiction-Free Processing

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is moving ahead with a major restructuring of the way trade-related applications are processed. Under its proposed Faceless Trade Facilitation System (FTFS), DGFT is establishing a Central Processing Department (CPD) at CLA Delhi to facilitate faceless, paperless and jurisdiction-free processing of eligible applications filed by exporters and importers.

The documents dated 3 September and 14 September 2026 show that the initiative has progressed from an in-principle proposal to operational preparations, including infrastructure, legal and technology work and the posting of 53 officers to the new CPD.

What Is DGFT’s Faceless Trade Facilitation System?

DGFT describes Faceless Trade Facilitation as an initiative aimed at enabling “faceless, paperless and jurisdiction-free” processing of trade-related applications.
The stated objectives are to enhance transparency, reduce processing time and improve ease of doing business for exporters and importers. To implement the system, the CPD is being established at CLA Delhi as a central processing unit staffed by officers drawn from DGFT Headquarters and its Regional Authorities.
The concept is important because it contemplates moving suitable applications away from a strictly geographical Regional Authority-based model towards centralised allocation-based processing.

Advance Authorisation and EPCG Among Services Proposed for CPD

The 3 September 2026 Office Memorandum, reproduced on pages 1–3 of the document, provides a tentative division of responsibilities between the new CPD and existing Regional Authorities.

Among the major services proposed to be handled centrally are processes relating to Advance Authorisation and EPCG schemes, including:

issuance;
amendment;
revalidation;
Export Obligation Extension; and
redemption/closure.

The tentative CPD scope also includes IEC key-detail modification, while IEC issuance itself remains automatic, and issuance of certificates such as Status Holder Certificates, Registration Certificates, End User Certificates and Certificates of Origin.

This is particularly significant for Advance Authorisation and EPCG holders because the proposed system is not limited to issuance of an authorisation; it extends to important post-issuance functions such as revalidation, EO extension and eventual redemption or closure.

Enforcement, Fraud and Risk-Based Cases to Remain With Regional Authorities

FTFS does not envisage transferring every DGFT function to the CPD.
The September 3 proposal identifies a number of functions that are proposed to remain with the Regional Authorities, including enforcement-cum-adjudication proceedings, recovery proceedings and fraud investigations, physical verification and inspection-based cases, selected post-issuance verification based on risk criteria, and legacy or non-digitised cases requiring examination of physical records.
Bond and bank-guarantee functions are also proposed to remain with RAs until the e-Bond and e-BG modules are deployed.
Cases linked to invalidation, cases identified as risky by an automated rules engine and authorisations involving sensitive items such as gold are also proposed to remain outside ordinary CPD processing.
The emerging model therefore appears to separate routine digitally processable applications from matters requiring physical verification, enforcement action or enhanced risk scrutiny.

53 Officers Posted to CPD Delhi

A subsequent Office Memorandum dated 14 September 2026 confirms that DGFT has ordered the posting/transfer of officers to the Central Processing Department at CLA Delhi with immediate effect.

The Annexure on pages 9–11 identifies a total of 53 officers being deployed to the CPD:

Category	Officers Posted
Joint DGFT	5
Deputy DGFT	10
Assistant DGFT	7
Foreign Trade Development Officers	8
Section Heads	23
Total	53

The document itself confirms this designation-wise total at the end of the Annexure.

Officers Drawn From Regional and Zonal Offices Across India

The composition of the CPD indicates that DGFT is drawing officials from several parts of the country.
At the Joint DGFT level, officers have been posted from Ludhiana, Bengaluru, Pune, Indore and CLA Delhi. Deputy DGFT-level officers are being drawn from Headquarters as well as CLA Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Assistant DGFTs and Foreign Trade Development Officers are similarly being drawn from CLA Delhi and offices including Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Kolkata and Jaipur.
The staffing structure supports the concept of CPD as a national central processing unit rather than merely another territorial Regional Authority.

Officers to Be Relieved on September 30; Training Starts October 5

DGFT has prescribed a specific transition schedule for the officials transferred to CPD.
The officers are to be relieved from their existing charges on 30 September 2026 and report to DGFT Headquarters at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, for an orientation and training programme beginning 5 October 2026. After completion of training, they are to assume charge at the CPD in CLA Delhi.
The concerned Zonal and Regional Authorities have also been instructed to ensure an orderly handover of charges, pending files and case records. DGFT has stated that requests for retention, deferment or modification of the postings will not be entertained.

FTFS Launch Now Indicated for Second Fortnight of October 2026

An important development in the documents concerns the proposed launch date.
One Office Memorandum dated 14 September states that FTFS is proposed to be dedicated to the nation on 2 October 2026.
However, the separate posting/transfer Office Memorandum of the same date states that the system is proposed to be dedicated to the nation “during second fortnight of October, 2026.”
The latter timeline also aligns more closely with the direction that officers are to commence training only on 5 October 2026 and assume charge in CPD after completing that training.
Accordingly, based strictly on the documents, the latest staffing memorandum indicates a proposed operational launch during the second half of October 2026. The documents do not specify an exact revised launch date.

FTP and Handbook of Procedures Amendments Under Examination

DGFT has recognised that implementation of jurisdiction-free processing may require changes beyond internal administrative arrangements.
The 14 September memorandum assigns responsibility for examining legal issues connected with FTFS and identifying amendments required in the Foreign Trade Policy and Handbook of Procedures (HBP).
It also provides for preparation of training and orientation material for officers who will work in CPD.
This is an important compliance point: while the Office Memoranda show the administrative machinery being established, the actual rights, procedures, timelines and allocation mechanisms applicable to exporters and importers will need to be read with any final FTP/HBP amendments and operative DGFT instructions issued for FTFS.

Technology and Back-Office Architecture Being Prepared

DGFT has separately allocated responsibility for all technical, software and back-office changes required to implement FTFS.
Operational and budget-related work is also underway to design sections within CPD broadly on the lines of Regional Authorities. Overall coordination for the initial establishment of CPD has been entrusted to DGFT’s HRD Division.
Officials responsible for implementation have further been directed to submit daily status reports at 10:00 AM, demonstrating the priority being attached to making CPD functional before FTFS is launched.

What Will Change for Exporters and Importers?

The biggest conceptual change is the move towards jurisdiction-free processing.
Under the proposed structure, suitable online applications could be allocated to CPD without being tied to the applicant’s geographical Regional Authority. For Advance Authorisation and EPCG users, this could cover several stages of the authorisation lifecycle—from issuance through amendments and revalidation to EO extension and redemption/closure.
If implemented as contemplated, the system may also encourage greater uniformity in processing across DGFT. However, the documents themselves describe parts of the service allocation as tentative, and the actual impact on processing timelines will depend upon the final system design and operational instructions.

Regional Authorities Will Continue to Have an Important Role

The introduction of FTFS should not be interpreted as the elimination of DGFT Regional Authorities.
The proposed framework expressly preserves RA involvement in enforcement, adjudication, recovery, fraud investigation, physical verification, risk-based post-issuance verification, legacy records, sensitive authorisations and other cases requiring jurisdiction-specific examination.
The system therefore appears to be evolving into a hybrid structure: faceless central processing for suitable routine applications and jurisdictional handling for enforcement, verification and high-risk matters.

Key Takeaway

DGFT’s Faceless Trade Facilitation initiative has now moved well beyond the conceptual stage. A Central Processing Department is being established at CLA Delhi, 53 officers have been posted to it, and those officers are scheduled to undergo orientation and training from 5 October 2026.

The proposed scope is particularly significant for businesses operating under Advance Authorisation and EPCG, as issuance, amendment, revalidation, EO extension and redemption/closure have been identified for possible centralised processing. At the same time, the September 3 proposal remains important: the allocation of functions was described as tentative, and legal/FTP/HBP changes were still under examination.

Exporters, importers and trade professionals should therefore watch for the final DGFT operational notification, Public Notice, Trade Notice or portal advisory setting out the definitive scope and commencement of FTFS.

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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