The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has issued Public Notice No. 45/2025-26 dated 23 January 2026, notifying the procedure and guidelines for the second round of allocation of Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) for import of Gold under Tariff Head 7108 in accordance with the provisions of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) for the Financial Year 2025-26
Background:
In continuation of Public Notice No. 31/2025-26 dated 29 October 2025, read with the Trade Notice No. 16/2025-26 dated 29 October 2025, DGFT has initiated the second round of TRQ allocation following directions of the Hon’ble Delhi High Court. The Court directed that the allocation process must be broadened and extended to eligible applicants who lacked a substantial track record over the preceding five years, while still meeting prescribed criteria.
The Court also directed DGFT to consider grievances of petitioners regarding access to TRQ allocation and, where appropriate, introduce additional conditions or criteria to ensure fairness in allocation.
The petitions (including pending applications) stand disposed of with these directions.
Key Provisions of the Public Notice
- Eligibility & Compliance
As per Annexure-IV of Appendix 2A of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023 and related notifications, only applicants satisfying all prescribed eligibility conditions will be considered.
Participants in the first round of allocation may also bid in the second round.
- Validity of TRQ Authorisations
- TRQ authorisations issued under India-UAE CEPA will remain valid only for imports made during FY 2025-26.
- No carry-over of unutilised quota is permissible.
- Mode of Allocation: e-Auction via MSTC
DGFT will conduct a competitive e-auction/tender process for allocation.
Key features include:
- Single bid submission window containing Technical Bid and Financial Bid.
- Bidders must pay participation fee of ₹5,000 plus GST and Bid Security of ₹1,00,000, through MSTC platform before uploading documents.
- Financial bids must be submitted in the Excel sheet provided by MSTC; only technically qualified bidders will have bids opened.
- Responsibilities of DGFT & Bidders
DGFT shall:
- Provide clarifications as required.
- Upload all relevant tender instructions on its website.
- Inform bidders of successful qualification through the Evaluation and Facilitation Committee (EFC).
Bidders shall:
- Submit authentic and complete documents including GSTIN, BIS hallmark registration, IEC, and MSME certificate where applicable.
- Accept all terms and risk associated with the e-auction process.
- Ensure full compliance with tender requirements; deviation may lead to rejection.
- Timeline & Bid Submission
The detailed timeline for the tender process will be announced through a separate Trade Notice on the DGFT website.
All submissions must adhere strictly to the time schedule outlined in the tender document.
Effect of Public Notice:
The procedure and guidelines for conducting the second round of TRQ allocation for import of gold (HS 7108) under India-UAE CEPA for FY 2025-26 are hereby formally notified. The notification shall come into immediate effect.
The Public Notice can be accessed at: https://a2ztaxcorp.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Public-Notice-no.-45-dated-23.01.2026.pdf
