The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has introduced enhanced functionalities in the Bank Guarantee (BG) Repository Module on the DGFT Portal through Trade Notice No. 23/2026-2027 dated 28 August 2026. The new features have been deployed across both the Customer Portal (CP) and Back Office (BO) interfaces with the objective of streamlining processing and enabling proactive monitoring of Bank Guarantees.
Automated alerts for expiring Bank Guarantees: A new “Purpose” field has been introduced in the BG Repository Module to clearly identify whether a Bank Guarantee is being submitted afresh or as a replacement for an existing BG. As an important compliance-support measure, the system will now automatically send email alerts to exporters 60 days and 45 days before the expiry of a Bank Guarantee, enabling timely action for renewal or replacement.
Digitally signed communications by Regional Authorities: The enhanced module enables DGFT Regional Authorities to generate and digitally sign communications directly through the portal in relation to renewal or replacement of Bank Guarantees, renewal notices to banks, encashment notices to banks and return of Bank Guarantees to exporters, wherever applicable. This is expected to bring greater consistency and efficiency to BG-related communication and processing.
Structured real-time tracking of BG status: A structured mechanism has also been introduced to enable systematic tracking of Bank Guarantees at different stages of processing. The portal will display defined status categories including “Pending Acceptance”, “Accepted”, “Replaced”, “Returned on EODC”, “Encashment Notice to Bank Issued”, “Renewal Notice to Exporter Issued” and “Renewal Notice to Bank Issued”.
Integration with Bills Repository and AA/EPCG processes: Bank Guarantees declared under the Bills Repository will initially remain under the status “Pending Acceptance” until they are accepted by the concerned Regional Authority. Where such a BG is linked with an invalidation file under the Advance Authorisation (AA)/Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) framework, the status of the BG will automatically change to “Accepted” upon approval of the invalidation file.
Push towards paperless and proactive BG management: The enhancements are aimed at reducing dependence on paper-based tracking, enabling proactive monitoring of Bank Guarantees nearing expiry, streamlining the linkage of replacement BGs and facilitating uniform, digitally signed communications across DGFT Regional Authorities. The measures are expected to improve visibility for both exporters and authorities and strengthen digital processing of BG-related transactions.
User Manual made available: To facilitate smooth implementation and effective adoption of the enhanced functionalities, DGFT has made available a User Manual detailing the relevant workflows on the DGFT website. Exporters, members of trade and Regional Authorities have been requested to take note of the changes and ensure effective adoption of the upgraded features.
The Trade Notice can be accessed at: https://a2ztaxcorp.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Adobe-Scan-28-Aug-2026.pdf
