DGFT Strengthens Pre-Shipment Inspection Framework: Trade Notice No. 22/2026-27-DGFT Explained
Background and Context
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued Trade Notice No. 22/2026-27-DGFT dated August 25, 2026, introducing a series of meaningful upgrades to the Pre-Shipment Inspection Agency (PSIA) and Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate (PSIC) processing system available on the DGFT portal. These improvements are directed at all Pre-Shipment Inspection Agencies, Customs Authorities, and members of the trade and industry community.
The current round of upgrades builds upon the foundational electronic framework introduced under Trade Notice No. 03/2022-23 dated April 26, 2022, which had initially digitised the recognition and filing process for PSIAs and established the online mechanism for PSIC issuance and verification. The objective at that time was to minimise paper-based and manual processes — a goal that continues to drive the present enhancements.
Important: These changes are issued with the approval of the Director General, DGFT, and carry official operational effect from the date of the Trade Notice.
Why These Enhancements Were Introduced
The DGFT's consistent push toward digital governance in trade facilitation has been a key pillar of India's foreign trade policy. The PSIA/PSIC module is a critical component in ensuring that goods being exported meet prescribed quality and compliance standards before shipment.
However, the earlier system retained certain manual touchpoints — including physical signing of certificates, manual entry of inspector details, and limited file upload capacities — that created room for errors, delays, and potential compliance gaps. The latest changes under Trade Notice No. 22/2026-27-DGFT are specifically designed to:
- Embed compliance directly into the system architecture, reducing dependency on human discretion
- Enhance transparency at every stage of the inspection and certification process
- Minimise manual errors through automation and read-only data fields
- Streamline the end-to-end PSIC generation workflow
Key Changes Implemented in the PSIA/PSIC Module
1. Standardisation of the Inspection Date Format
The date of inspection displayed during PSIC generation has now been standardised in the DD/MMM/YYYY format. This uniform structure eliminates ambiguity in date interpretation across different systems and stakeholders, ensuring consistent documentation across all Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificates.