DGFT Extends Validity of Ad-Hoc Norms for Advance Authorisations to March 2028 [Read Notification]

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce andIndustry, has announced an important amendment to the Handbook of Procedures (HBP) 2023, extending the validity of ad‑hoc norms ratified by the Norms Committee (NC).

Previously, Norms approved by the DGFT’s Norms Committee after April 1, 2023, for Advance Authorisations would remain valid for three years from the date of approval. Additionally, norms ratified since April 1, 2015, under the earlier Handbook of Procedures (2015–2020) continued to be valid until March 31, 2026.

Under the revised Para 4.12 (vi) HBP 2023, all norms ratified on or after April 1, 2015, in respect of Advance Authorisations will now remain valid until March 31, 2028. Because all NC decisions are published on the DGFT website, other exporters can also use these norms repeatedly during their validity. So, this rule does not apply to:

• Items listed in Appendix 4P (restricted list), and
• Any ad‑hoc norms where the NC has explicitly stated they do not apply to other applicants.

Because these committee decisions are published online as official minutes, other exporters can also apply for and repeatedly use the same norms during their validity period. So this rule does not apply to authorisations for items listed in Appendix 4P.

This extension provides exporters with an additional two years of certainty in planning and compliance.

The public notice, issued on May 5, 2026, was signed by Lav Agarwal, DirectorGeneral of Foreign Trade and Ex officio Additional Secretary.

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