DGFT automates free-sale certificate issuance for eligible exporters
Qualifying applications can now bypass manual scrutiny, while exceptions and selected approvals remain subject to regional-authority review.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has enabled automated issuance of Free Sale and Commerce Certificates for eligible goods not covered by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
Applications that meet the automated parameters can be issued without manual scrutiny. Cases requiring verification can still be sent to a regional authority, and selected approvals may be flagged for later risk-based review.
Why it matters
Free-sale certificates can be required by overseas authorities or buyers. Removing routine manual processing can reduce an administrative delay for exporters while keeping an exception route for higher-risk cases.
SCULTRA point of view
This is a credible rules-based automation use case because routine and exceptional applications follow different paths. The quality test is whether eligibility rules, review triggers and applicant remedies remain understandable and consistently applied.
Limitations
The release does not report baseline processing time, expected time saved, automated-approval volumes, error rates or the rate at which approvals are later flagged for review.
Source: Press Information Bureau / DGFT, 1 September 2026, 12:26 IST.