India Notifies TRQ Allocation Procedure Under India-Oman CEPA

The procedure for the allocating of Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) allocations has been formally announced by the India under the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which is another important move for the implementation of this trade agreement that came into effect on June 1st, 2026. The announcement from the DGFT includes the detailed procedure for applying for reduced tariffs for the certain categories of goods imported from Oman.

What is the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement?

The India-Oman CEPA is a free trade agreement that aims to provide the greater opportunities for bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation.

According to the agreement, the goods traded between the two countries can be accessed under preferential terms with lower or null customs duties.

An important aspect of the agreement is that it introduces a system of Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs) for specified products. Under the TRQ system, the specified volume of goods can be imported with lower or null customs duties, while the import of the goods above the quota will be subject to the regular tariff.

The recent notification by the DGFT contains the information regarding procedures followed in applying TRQ regime.

What Are Tariff Rate Quotas?

Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) is a tool which is used in trade which allows the import of a limited volume of goods with lower or zero customs duty.

However, once the specified limit of the goods is exhausted, any further import will fall under normal duty rate.

TRQs allows the authorities in the countries to be able to protect the home producers while promoting trade liberalization.

Products Eligible for Tariff Concessions

The India-Oman CEPA has designed provisions for the tariff concessions on certain products imported from Oman subject to quotas.

Among the products are,

• Dates
• Marble and travertine blocks
• Copper weld wire
• Aluminium ingots
• Aluminium billets
• Aluminium wires
• Ethylene glycol
• Linear alkylbenzenes
• Low density polyethylene (LDPE)
• Some other petrochemical products

Imported products will now be subjected to decreased import tariffs subject to the quota limits.

Key Provisions of the DGFT Notification

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has communicated the procedure for the allocation of Tariff Rate Quotas under the India-Oman CEPA.

Some of the important points included are,

• CEPA will take effect from June 1st, 2026.
• Qualified importers can get the benefit of concessional tariffs on products within the permissible quota.
• The procedure of allocation should be followed during the imports.
• A proper Certificate of Origin from the competent authority in Oman is required for customs clearance.
• The quotas will be in accordance with the India’s Financial Year from April 1 to March 31.

The above rules are aimed at ensuring effective implementation of the agreement.

Requirement for Certificate of Origin

Importers can take the advantage of tariff benefits outlined in the CEPA agreement only if they provide a Certificate of Origin issued by a competent authority in Oman.

The certificate serves as the evidence that all relevant conditions are met and goods qualify for a lower tariff.

Without this document, importers won’t be able to benefit from reduced customs duty.