India: DGFT expands PSIC exemption to 11 ports; ICD clearance provisions clarified

• DGFT adds three seaports, expanding routing options for eligible scrap imports.
• ICD clearance is allowed, subject to mandatory safety checks and documentation.

India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, issued Public Notice No. 35/2026-27 on 21 October 2026, amending the Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate (PSIC) requirements for metallic waste and scrap imports under the Handbook of Procedures (HBP), 2023.

Under the revised provisions, imports of metallic waste and scrap, including shredded and unshredded material, originating from designated safe countries/regions — the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the European Union — are exempt from PSIC requirements, subject to specified conditions. The amendment expands the list of eligible entry sea ports from eight to eleven.

The revised list includes Chennai, Tuticorin, Kandla, Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), Mumbai, Krishnapatnam, Mundra, Kattupalli, Hazira, Kamarajar and Gangavaram. Hazira, Kamarajar, and Gangavaram are the three additional ports covered under the amended provisions, potentially providing importers with greater flexibility in selecting entry points for eligible consignments.

The notice also clarifies that the exemption extends to customs clearance for home consumption at an Inland Container Depot (ICD). This is permitted only when all prescribed conditions are fulfilled at the designated entry seaport and the relevant proof is submitted at the ICD.

The exemption remains conditional on compliance with mandatory safety and documentation requirements. Each consignment must be accompanied by a certificate from the supplier or scrap yard authority confirming that the material does not contain radioactive substances or explosives. Radiation and explosive checks through portal monitors and container scanners at designated entry ports remain compulsory. Trans-shipments through the specified safe countries/regions are not eligible for the exemption.

For India’s metallic scrap importers, recyclers, and steelmakers, the amendment provides greater clarity on port eligibility and inland customs clearance. The expanded port coverage could improve logistics flexibility for eligible cargoes, while the ICD provision clarifies the process for consignments cleared inland after meeting the required checks at the entry port. However, mandatory safety checks and documentation requirements remain unchanged.