All news

September 2026

• 16Sep

  Foreign TradePre-shipment inspection certificates must be issued within 2 days of inspection

  2 daysRelief

  DGFT has rewritten the PSIC timeline and given inspection agencies a one-time window of seven days to clear certificates held up for inspections done before 25 August 2026.

• 16Sep

  Foreign TradePre-Shipment Inspection Certificate to be issued within 2 days of inspection; one-time window for backlog PSICs: DGFT Trade Notices No. 28/2026-27 and 22/2026-27

  PSIC within 2 daysRule change

  DGFT’s Trade Notice No. 22/2026-27 of 25 August 2026 tightened the PSIA/PSIC module so that a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate could be generated only on the date of inspection. Trade Notice No. 28/2026-27 of 16 September 2026 relaxes this to 2 days from inspection and gives agencies a one-time seven-day window to clear backlog certificates.

• 16Sep

  CustomsEMI Scheme documents cut from ten to three from 15 September 2026; CBIC marks 10 years of AEO

  10 → 3 documentsRelief

  Circular 39/2026-Customs dated 3 September 2026 rationalises the uploads under the Eligible Manufacturer Importer Scheme. CBIC also listed AEO process improvements under consideration.

• 15Sep

  Income TaxForm No. 98 for declarations in Form No. 97: Income Tax Department lays down registration and filing procedure

  Form 98 by 31 OctoberAction needed

  DGIT (Systems) has notified how a reporting person registers on the Reporting Portal, gets an ITDREIN and files, corrects or deletes the statement in Form No. 98 under rule 160 of the Income-tax Rules, 2026.

• 15Sep

  Foreign TradeExport consignments up to ₹3,00,000 no longer need an RCMC

  ₹3,00,000Relief

  A new paragraph 2.57(c) in the Foreign Trade Policy exempts low-value export consignments from the Registration-cum-Membership Certificate requirement, with immediate effect. It is aimed at postal and courier exports.

• 15Sep

  Trademark & IPGI applications can be filed and tracked online from 15 September 2026; IP India issues draft step-by-step filing guidelines

  GI e-filing from 15 SeptNew facility

  The Office of the CGPDTM has issued Draft Guidelines for Filing a Geographical Indication (GI) Application, Version 1.0, September 2026. A new GI e-filing service, with online tracking, is available from 15 September 2026. Forms GI-1A to GI-1D are used and the fee is ₹1,000 for each class of goods.

• 15Sep

  Legal & DisputesCCPA imposes ₹10 lakh penalty on Rapido for pre-ride “pay more” prompts held to be dark patterns

  ₹10 lakh penalty on Rapido

  The Central Consumer Protection Authority has imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, which operates Rapido, for misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices, unfair contract and dark patterns. Prompts asking riders to add to the fare before a ride was confirmed were held to be “confirm shaming”, and the colour-coded price slider “interface interference”.

• 15Sep

  FEMA & RBIUPI stays free for person-to-person transfers and merchant payments up to ₹2,000; 0.4% MDR on specified merchant payments above ₹2,000, says Finance Ministry

  UPI: 0.4% MDR above ₹2,000Clarified

  The Ministry of Finance says the new UPI framework under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 does not touch person-to-person transfers. Merchant payments up to ₹2,000 and small merchants receiving up to ₹1 lakh a month stay at zero MDR. A 0.4% MDR applies to merchant payments above ₹2,000, capped at ₹300 for ₹75,000 and above; customers are not to be charged.

• 15Sep

  Income TaxIncome-tax data sharing under section 258: CBDT to give Yes/No income flags to Andhra Pradesh for welfare schemes and to the Petroleum Ministry

  Yes / No / Not Available flagsNew facility

  CBDT has issued two orders under section 258(1) of the Income-tax Act, 2025 naming the Director General of Income-tax (Systems), Delhi as the authority to share information. Andhra Pradesh will get a flag on whether a person crosses an agreed income threshold, to identify welfare-scheme beneficiaries. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will get flags on five questions, in an order that replaces one of 17 June 2025.

• 15Sep

  Foreign TradeNo RCMC needed for export consignments with FOB value up to ₹3 lakh: DGFT Notification No. 36/2026-27 amends FTP para 2.57

  No RCMC up to ₹3 lakh FOBRelief

  DGFT has inserted sub-paragraph (c) in paragraph 2.57 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023: the requirement of a Registration-cum-Membership Certificate or a Certificate of Registration does not apply to an export consignment whose FOB value does not exceed ₹3,00,000. The change has immediate effect from 15 September 2026.

• 14Sep

  LicencesGold hallmarking: district list replaced; hallmarking fee fixed at ₹75 per gold article and ₹35 per silver article

  ₹75 per gold articleRule change

  Two notifications on hallmarking. The Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2026 (S.O. 4345(E) of 3 August 2026) substitutes the Annexure of districts. The BIS (Hallmarking) Amendment Regulations, 2026 of 14 September 2026 substitute Schedule IV on hallmarking fees.

• 14Sep

  FSSAIFood sample analysis: reports within 14 days, import samples within 5 days from 1 April 2027 — FSS (Laboratory and Sample Analysis) Amendment Regulations, 2026

  Reports in 14 days; imports in 5Rule change

  FSSAI has amended the Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and Sample Analysis) Regulations, 2011. From 1 April 2027, the Food Analyst must issue a signed report within fourteen days of receiving a regulatory sample, the referral laboratory within fourteen days in appeal, and the notified or referral laboratory within five days for import samples. New regulations on the method of analysis are added, and Forms A and B are omitted.

• 14Sep

  Foreign TradeIndia and MERCOSUR sign First Additional Protocol to the PTA: electronic Certificates of Origin to have the same legal validity as paper ones

  India–MERCOSUR: e-CoO acceptedNew facility

  India and MERCOSUR have signed the First Additional Protocol to their Preferential Trade Agreement. It amends Article 16 of Annex III (Rules of Origin) so that Certificates of Origin issued in electronic format have the same legal validity as paper ones. The Protocol enters into force only after both sides complete their internal procedures and notify each other.

• 14Sep

  Foreign TradeDGFT proposes to rewrite Para 2.93 of the Handbook of Procedures on non-preferential Rules of Origin, for exports and imports: Trade Notice 27/2026-27

  Comments within 15 daysComments invited

  DGFT has published a draft Public Notice that would replace Para 2.93 of the Handbook of Procedures, 2023 so that it prescribes non-preferential Rules of Origin for both exports and imports. For imports, the draft proposes origin by change in tariff heading or 35% value addition, declared by the importer through a self-declaration. Comments are invited within 15 days.

• 12Sep

  InsolvencyIBBI proposes four CIRP-style safeguards for personal guarantor insolvency — related parties to get nil vote, mandatory valuation; comments closed on 3 October 2026

  Proposal — comments closed 3 OctComments invited

  An IBBI discussion paper proposes four amendments to the regulations for insolvency resolution of personal guarantors to corporate debtors: nil voting share for related parties of the guarantor, examination and reporting of avoidance transactions, valuation of the guarantor’s assets by a registered valuer, and recording of creditors’ reasons on the repayment plan. These are proposals only. The last date for comments was 3 October 2026, which has passed.

• 12Sep

  SEBISEBI proposes changing how expiry-day settlement prices of derivatives are fixed after the Closing Auction Session; comment window closed on 3 October 2026

  CAS review: 7 proposalsComments invited

  A SEBI consultation paper issued on 12 September 2026 proposes two options for the expiry-day settlement price of index and stock derivatives — a blended VWAP of the last 30 minutes of continuous trading and the 10-minute Closing Auction Session, or the earlier 30-minute VWAP for an interim period. It also proposes revised market timings and changes to auction orders. Comments were due by 3 October 2026; the window has closed.

• 11Sep

  FEMA & RBIRBI draft: banks to follow an SOP for temporary debit holds on accounts linked to mule activity and cyber fraud

  Debit-hold SOPComments invited

  The draft KYC Amendment Directions, 2026 follow a Supreme Court order of 4 August 2026. Comments were invited up to 2 October 2026.

• 11Sep

  FEMA & RBIExpired placement memorandum can be revived: IFSCA allows extension even on a late application, at 50% extension fee plus a late fee the FME must bear

  Expired PPM: late extensionRelief

  IFSCA may now extend the validity of an expired placement memorandum of a Venture Capital or Restricted Scheme even where the FME applies after expiry. The FME pays an extension fee of 50% of the fresh-filing fee for each six-month period plus a late fee of 50% of that extension fee, cannot make material changes, and cannot pass the late fee to the scheme or investors.

• 11Sep

  FEMA & RBIRBI cuts short the FCNR(B)/NRE deposit relief window to 31 August 2026: CRR-SLR exemption, interest-rate relaxation and priority-sector carve-out all end a month early

  FCNR(B)/NRE window: 31 AugRule change

  The temporary reliefs on fresh FCNR(B) deposits of three to five years and NRE term deposits of three years or more were to run until 30 September 2026. On 25 August 2026 RBI moved the end date to 31 August 2026 for the CRR/SLR exemption and the interest-rate relaxation. On 11 September 2026 the priority-sector (ANBC) exclusion was aligned to the same date.

• 11Sep

  FEMA & RBIBankers’ Books Evidence Act, 2026 in force from 1 October 2026; replaces the 1891 law

  1 October 2026Rule change

  The new Act recognises bank records kept in electronic, digital and cloud-based form, standardises their certification, and requires a “special cause” in writing to summon bank officials.