Customs — Guides, Updates & Practical Insights

AD Code Registration and Port Registration for Exporters

Without AD Code registration at a port you cannot file a shipping bill there. What the AD Code is, how to get the bank letter, how registration works on ICEGATE, and why it must be done port by port.

How to Get a Certificate of Origin in India — Agencies and the e-CoO Platform

The exporter's side of the certificate of origin — preferential versus non-preferential, which agencies issue which, how the DGFT common digital platform works, and the errors that get a certificate rejected abroad.

Export General Manifest and Proof of Export — Why Your Refund Is Stuck

The EGM is what converts a shipping bill into proof of export. How it works, why IGST refunds stall on SB005 and EGM errors, and the reconciliation an exporter should run every month.

Digital Signatures and Electronic Records for Export Trade Documents

Which export filings need a digital signature, the difference between an electronic signature and a digital signature, how the IT Act framework gives electronic records legal effect, and the class of certificate to buy.

Self-Certification of Origin — The Approved Exporter Route

The approved exporter route lets qualifying exporters certify origin themselves instead of applying to an issuing agency. How it works, who qualifies, what the obligations are, and where it is accepted.

Duty Drawback vs RoDTEP — Which to Claim, and Can You Claim Both

Drawback and RoDTEP remit different things and are claimed differently. What each covers, how the shipping bill declaration decides your entitlement, and how to check whether both are available on your export.

Merchanting Trade vs High Seas Sale vs Re-Export — Which Structure Applies

Three structures for trading goods you never manufacture — merchanting trade, high seas sale and re-export. Where the goods physically go, who files what, and the GST and FEMA consequences of each.

Types of Tariffs in International Trade

Ad valorem, specific, compound and mixed duties, tariff rate quotas, and the trade remedy duties — anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard — plus how bound and applied MFN rates work under the WTO.

UCP 600 — The Rules Behind Every Letter of Credit

What UCP 600 is, the principles of autonomy and strict compliance, the five-banking-day examination period, the 21-day presentation rule, and the articles that decide whether an exporter gets paid.