The Directorate General of Systems and Data Management (CBIC) issued Advisory No. 07/2025 on January 24, 2025, regarding updates to the ICES system following the Union Budget 2025-26, scheduled for presentation on February 1, 2025. Filing of Bills of Entry (BE) and Section 48 approvals will be suspended from 11:00 AM on February 1, 2025, until the system is updated, typically within 48 hours. Shipping Bill (SB) filing will continue, but export duties or cesses introduced in the Budget must be manually collected until system updates are completed. Stakeholders are advised to plan BE clearances accordingly.
The Union Budget 2025-26 is expected to be presented in the Parliament on 01.02.2025. Consequent to the same, the exercise of updation of Notifications and Tariff Directories in ICES would be undertaken by nominated budget officers from Directory Management sites under the supervision of Directorate General of Systems, New Delhi, after the presentation of Budget 2025-26.
Consequent to the presentation of Budget on 01.02.2025, filing of Bills of Entry (BE) would not be available from 11:00 hours onwards on 01.02.2025 till the completion of updation of all changes in ICES. Section 48 approvals would also be stopped after 11:00 hours on 01.02.2025. Other than filing of BE, all other services at ICEGATE will continue as usual. System will also be available to officers for other functions in ICES.
Since Shipping Bill (SB) filing and assessment will continue as usual, in the event of changes in the export duty and export cess or other export related levies in the forthcoming Union Budget, it is advised that the respective sites shall keep a track of let export order of the relevant SBs given on or after 1st Feb, 2025 till the directory changes are made online. Till such time export duty or cess or any other export levies imposed, consequent to the changes owing to aforesaid Budget, should be collected manually thereon.
Further, while processing of BEs filed before 11:00 hours on 01.02.2025 will continue as usual, the field formations should keep a track for Prior Bills of Entry filed before on or before 01.02.2025 for any change of duty liability before giving OOC.
System will be available for filing and processing of documents (BE) only after suitable updation is made in ICES according to the Budgetary changes. This is generally carried out within 48 hours in association with Directory Management sites and NIC if no substantial new levies are notified in the Budget. Importers / customs brokers and members of the trade may be suitably advised to schedule clearance of their BEs in view timelines as indicated above.
The Advisory can be accessed at: https://a2ztaxcorp.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Advisory-7_2025-Union-Budget-related-changes.pdf