India-Mauritius CECPA: Electronic Certificates of Origin (e-CoO) Are Now Officially Accepted.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has announced an important procedural change regarding the submission of applications under the Bonded Manufacturing Scheme.

Background

As per Circular No. 34/2019-Customs dated 01st October, 2019, the CBIC had partnered with Invest India, under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), to launch a dedicated microsite for promoting the Bonded Manufacturing Scheme.

This microsite (https://www.investindia.gov.in/bonded-manufacturing) not only served as an information hub but also provided a digitized application system allowing applicants to:

• Submit online applications,
• Upload supporting documents, and
• Generate printable application forms for licensing under the Customs Act.

Recent Update

As officially communicated by Invest India, the digitized application facility on the microsite has now been discontinued. The online submission feature is no longer available for use.

Revised Application Procedure

Applicants who intend to:

• Obtain a license under Section 58 (for bonded warehouse), and
• Seek permission under Section 65 (to undertake manufacturing operations in a bonded warehouse) of the Customs Act, 1962,

are now required to submit physical applications in the prescribed format directly to the jurisdictional Principal Commissioner or Commissioner of Customs.

📌 Key Takeaways

• The online application platform on the Invest India portal is discontinued.
• All applications must now follow the manual submission process.
• Field formations have been instructed to guide the trade community on the revised procedure.

Notification Reference: Customs
Instruction No. 24/2025-customs
22 /07/2025