India Relaxes Eligibility for One Star Export House Status

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade amended the Foreign Trade Policy to relax eligibility criteria for One Star Export House status. Under the new rules, exporters—excluding those in the gems and jewellery sector—can now qualify based on their performance in any two of the three preceding financial years, rather than requiring performance across all three.

This status grants eligible exporters non-fiscal benefits, including the ability to handle customs clearance for imports and exports via self-declaration. The policy change aims to lower the barrier for businesses to access these streamlined trade advantages.

Additionally, the agency introduced an automated facility to grant extensions for export obligations related to Advance Authorisation and Export Promotion Capital Goods Authorisation. These extensions are managed by the Policy Relaxation Committee and the EPCG Committee, which review requests to provide relief to exporters facing genuine hardship in meeting trade policy provisions.