TRADE NOTICE NO. 16/2025-26, Dated 29-10-2025
1. Background
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued a Public Notice prescribing the procedure for refund of application fees paid by applicants for the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) scheme for the import of Gold Bullion under the India–United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (India–UAE CEPA) for FY 2025–26.
The refund process follows the cancellation of provisional TRQ allocations that were made earlier, ensuring that all affected applicants are able to reclaim their application fees in a systematic and transparent manner.
2. Applicability
The refund procedure applies to all eligible applicants who:
- Had submitted TRQ applications for import of Gold Bullion under the India–UAE CEPA, and
- Whose applications have since been cancelled or closed by DGFT.
These applicants are now entitled to seek refunds of the application fees paid through the DGFT’s online system.
3. Refund Procedure on the DGFT Portal
Once the application status is updated to ‘Closed’, the concerned applicants may initiate the refund request by following these steps:
- Login to the DGFT Portal using their registered credentials.
- Navigate to the ‘Refund Application’ section.
- Submit a refund request for the Gold TRQ application fee.
- Authenticate the request using either:
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- E-sign verification, or
- A valid Digital Signature Certificate (DSC).
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Ensure that all mandatory details are correctly entered before submission.
The DGFT has advised applicants to keep their login credentials and authentication tools (E-sign/DSC) ready before initiating the process.
4. Support and Assistance
For guidance, applicants can refer to the Help Document available on the DGFT website, which provides detailed step-by-step instructions for filing refund applications.
In case of technical issues, applicants may also reach out to the DGFT Helpdesk or Regional Authorities for support.
5. Future Communication on TRQ Allocations
DGFT has clarified that fresh notifications or invitations for TRQ applications under the India–UAE CEPA will be issued separately through Public or Trade Notices at a later stage. Applicants are therefore advised to monitor DGFT updates regularly.
6. Objective and Impact
The notification ensures:
- Transparency in refund processing,
- Ease of access through a fully digital process,
- Timely return of fees to affected applicants, and
- Clear communication regarding the future course of TRQ allocations.
7. Conclusion
Through this public notice, the DGFT has established a streamlined and online mechanism for refunding application fees paid for Gold Bullion TRQ applications under the India–UAE CEPA for FY 2025–26.
Applicants can now apply for refunds via the DGFT portal once their status shows ‘Closed’, ensuring a swift and transparent refund process while awaiting further directions on fresh TRQ applications.
