The Commerce Ministry has taken a big step towards making business easier for exporters and importers. The Ministry has decided to set up a Central Processing Department (CPD) in the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which will implement the 'faceless' trade facilitation system.
Business News: The Government of India is going to take a big step towards making the business process easier and faster for exporters and importers. The Commerce Ministry has decided to set up a Central Processing Department in the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). 'Faceless' trade facilitation system will be implemented through this department. According to the government's plan, this new system can be started in the second fortnight of October 2026.
After the implementation of the new system, the process of disposal of business related applications is expected to become more digital, transparent and faster. The special thing is that in this the applicants will not need to personally contact the officials or visit different offices.
What is 'Faceless' Trade Facilitation System?
The 'Faceless' Trade Facilitation System aims to make foreign trade applications and their processing faceless, paperless and jurisdiction-free. That is, the application process will be completely through digital medium and will not be limited to the jurisdiction of any particular regional office. According to the office memorandum of DGFT, the Central Processing Department will serve as a central unit for processing trade related applications. This department is being set up in the Central Licensing area of Delhi.
Under this system, the process from submission of application to its disposal will be conducted digitally. This will reduce human intervention and help make the entire process more streamlined.
Preparation to start in October 2026
The government is preparing to dedicate this new trade facilitation system to the country in the second fortnight of October 2026. For this, necessary administrative arrangements are being made at the level of DGFT. The main objective of the new system is to make it easier for traders to settle license and other trade related applications. Due to digital processing, the time taken to deliver the application to the concerned officer or office can also be reduced.
What benefit will exporters and importers get?
After the implementation of the 'faceless' trade facilitation system, exporters and importers are expected to get relief at many levels. The biggest advantage may come in the form of reducing the time taken in processing the application. Apart from this, the entire process being digital will reduce the dependence on paper documents. It may also reduce the need for traders to personally visit different government offices for an application.
This arrangement will help in increasing transparency in the process. The stage at which the application is and how the process of its disposal is progressing can be handled in a more systematic manner through the digital system. The government believes that such a system can help in improving the ease of doing business. This can simplify the process of doing business in India and also strengthen the country's competitiveness in the field of global trade.
Emphasis on reducing human interference
An important feature of the new system is to reduce human intervention. In the existing systems, many times traders have to contact officials and offices for information or process related to the application. The faceless system will work towards reducing such direct dependency. Digital systems can also help reduce chances of corruption and increase accountability in the process. However, the actual impact of the new system can be assessed only after its implementation and operation.
Officers have also been deployed to operate the Central Processing Department effectively. According to the information, a total of 53 DGFT officers from Delhi and regional centers have been transferred or posted to the new department. These officers include 5 Joint DGFT, 10 Deputy DGFT and 7 Assistant DGFT officers. Apart from this, other officers and employees will also play a role in the operation of the department. The government is trying to ensure that adequate human resources are available to handle the new digital system.