Director General of Foreign Trade Enlists Pre-Shipment Inspection Agencies under Para 2.55 of Handbook of Procedure 2015-2020

The Director General of Foreign Trade has issued a public notice, No. 56/2015-2020, dated February 14, 2023, announcing the enlistment of several Pre-Shipment Inspection Agencies (PSIAs) under Para 2.55 of Handbook of Procedure 2015-2020. The notice includes the addition of several agencies in Appendix 2G of Appendices and Aayat Niryat Forms of Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-20.

In addition, the notice announces that the existing PSIAs have been allowed to add additional instruments to their existing instruments. Seven PSIAs have been approved for the issuance of Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificates (PSIC), and their approved spectrometers and survey meters are listed in the annexure. The validity period for these certificates is three years or until further notification by the DGFT.

The notice also requires the notified PSIA to update their membership certificate of MRAI/ISRI/IFIA and their office address and contact details within 30 days. Finally, the notice states that a PSIA can carry out inspections in other countries by deputing its inspectors, provided that the PSIA gives prior intimation to the DGFT and furnishes details of the visit or inspection done by the inspector in the PSIC.

This public notice is expected to have a significant impact on trade in the affected industries, as the enlistment of these agencies and the addition of instruments will increase the efficiency and accuracy of pre-shipment inspections.

See Public Notice No. 56 dated 14.02.2023