Dear Sir/Madam,

This is to inform the members that the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), vide its Trade Notice No. 26/2026-27 dated 07 September 2026, has informed that it has undertaken a review of the utilisation status of SIONs and accordingly identified 544 SIONs that have remained unutilized under the Advance Authorisation (AA)/Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) Schemes during the last three financial years and has accordingly proposed their suspension.

However, prior to taking a final decision on the proposed suspension, DGFT has invited comments/views from stakeholders, along with relevant supporting information/documents, wherever applicable, up to 21 September 2026. Stakeholders may specifically provide justification for the continued retention of any SION(s), along with the following details:

• Details of actual utilisation during the last three financial years, wherever applicable;
• Details of any ongoing/current or proposed export orders for which the SION may be required;
• Reasons for continued retention of the SION;
• Any other relevant facts, data or supporting documents justifying its retention.

The above information may be provided to Shri Saurabh Goyal, Dy. DGFT at mailto:saurabh.goyal@gov.in.

The Trade Notice along with the complete list of 544 SIONs proposed for suspension is attached for reference Click Here. From the said list, CITI has identified the SIONs relevant to the Textile & Apparel (T&A) sector, which are provided separately as Annexure-I for the information and consideration of members Click Here.

Members are requested to take note of the above and share their comments accordingly before the stipulated timeline.

With regards,

(Chandrima Chatterjee) 

Secretary General