DGFT Policy Relaxation Committee: how to fix a missed export deadline

What is the DGFT Policy Relaxation Committee and when do you need it?

The Policy Relaxation Committee (PRC) is the DGFT forum that hears requests for Exemption from Policy or Procedure (EPP) under Para 2.58 of the Foreign Trade Policy. Under that paragraph, DGFT may grant an exemption, relaxation or relief from the policy or the procedure on grounds of genuine hardship and adverse impact on trade . The application form is ANF-2D , titled "Application for Policy Relaxation Committee".

The structural point that decides everything downstream is this: once a statutory deadline has actually passed, the Regional Authority has no condonation power. It cannot extend what has already expired, and it cannot accept what was due earlier. Only DGFT headquarters can. A lapsed case is therefore not an RA problem at all, and representations to the RA on a lapsed file usually produce nothing except lost fortnights.

Typical PRC trigger cases

• Export obligation period already lapsed. The EO period under an authorisation has run out and there is nothing left for the RA to extend.
• Late redemption or EODC. The export performance exists but the closure application was filed after the window for it.
• Expired authorisation. The authorisation itself has lapsed and needs revalidation the RA can no longer grant.
• Application filed after the statutory window. Any benefit claim, amendment or scrip application presented outside the period the policy allows.

Which DGFT committee actually hears your case. PRC, EPCG or Norms?

Routing decides your timeline more than the merits do. DGFT runs several committees with distinct subject matter and separate meeting calendars, and a file that lands at the wrong one does not get quietly forwarded. It costs you at minimum one fortnight because of how the meeting cadence works.

In portal terms, an EPCG Committee matter is filed under Services → EPCG → Apply for EPCG Committee , while a PRC matter goes to ANF-2D. The practical rule of thumb: if the question is "does this machine qualify / does this count toward my EPCG benefit", it is EPCG. If it is "fix my norms", it is Norms. If it is "I missed a date and need relief", it is PRC.

How do you file ANF-2D on the DGFT portal, step by step?

ANF-2D is filed entirely on the DGFT Customer Portal. Three prerequisites have to be in place before you start, and the third one is where most first-time applicants get stuck.

Filing ANF-2D end to end

1. 1 Open the PRC application Navigate to Services >> Policy Relaxation Committee >> Apply for PRC Committee . Some portal builds label the same route Services > PRC / EPCG > Request for PRC / EPCG. Both reach ANF-2D.
2. 2 Choose Fresh or Review Fresh is a first-time request. Review is only available once an earlier PRC application has been decided. Committee Type defaults to PRC.
3. 3 Pick the Branch Code Once the branch is selected the remaining applicant fields auto-populate from the IEC. Check them rather than trusting them. A stale branch address on the IEC carries straight into the application.
4. 4 Select the Scheme Name Choose the scheme your request sits under. Where the subject is not on the list, select Others and describe it in the free-text field.
5. 5 Add each authorisation, scrip or shipping bill Enter them one by one into the grid, then Save & Next . There is no cap on how many rows the grid takes, so long as they share the same scheme and the same reason.
6. 6 Choose Personal Hearing: Yes or No The hearing is optional. Any authorised representative may attend on the applicant's behalf.
7. 7 Attach documents with type and remarks Each attachment carries a document type and a remarks field. Use the remarks. It is the only place to tell the reader what a scanned bundle is meant to prove.
8. 8 Declaration, Place, and Application Summary Tick the declaration, enter Place, then read the Application Summary screen. This is the last point at which anything can be corrected without a fresh filing.
9. 9 E-sign, which triggers payment Sign with DSC or Aadhaar e-Sign. Signing triggers the e-payment step and then the receipt. The completed file goes to DGFT headquarters, not to your Regional Authority.

What does a PRC application cost and how many documents can you attach?

PRC fees sit in Appendix 2K and they are modest. The cost of a PRC route is time and drafting effort, not money. The one place money bites is reviews, which are charged every time and have no documented cap.

The more consequential detail is that no document is mandatory . There is no prescribed checklist for ANF-2D and everything is filed under the Other attachment type. That sounds permissive and is actually the opposite: with no document carrying the argument for you, the reason and justification narrative is the case . The committee reads your explanation of the hardship and then looks at attachments only to verify it.

Worked example. One application, eleven authorisations

An engineering-goods exporter in Pune holds eleven Advance Authorisations issued between 2023 and 2024. All eleven have export performance on record, but the redemption applications were prepared late by an outgoing consultant and the EO periods lapsed before any of them were filed. The Regional Authority confirms it cannot condone the lapse.

• Committee: the question is a lapsed deadline, not capital-goods nexus and not norms. So PRC, not the EPCG or Norms Committee.
• One application, not eleven: all eleven share the same scheme and the same reason (consultant handover causing late redemption), so they go into a single ANF-2D grid. Fee paid: INR 2,000 total, not INR 22,000.
• Attachments: the bundle runs to 14 files. Ten (the authorisation copies, a consolidated export performance statement, and the RA correspondence) go up online. The remaining four are couriered to DGFT HQ inside the 7-day window, referencing the file number on the receipt.
• Narrative: one page explaining the handover, the fact that export performance was fully achieved, and the adverse trade impact of eleven authorisations being treated as defaults. Not eleven separate paragraphs of history.
• Timeline: filed on a Thursday, it misses that month's second Wednesday sitting and is listed for the fourth. Roughly a fortnight, assuming no deficiency is marked.
• After approval: the exporter goes back to the Pune RA with the relaxation letter to actually close the eleven EODCs. The PRC letter alone changes nothing on the RA record.

How long does a PRC decision take and what drives the timeline?

The honest answer is that the timeline is driven by a calendar, not a service level. The PRC sits on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, in physical mode . A file that is ready before a sitting gets heard at that sitting. A file that misses it waits two weeks. Nothing about the strength of your case accelerates that.

If you opted for a personal hearing, the proceeding runs through the portal. The path is My Dashboard >> Online Proceedings >> Proceeding Name >> click the UDIN >> View letter >> Submit under Response . The response requires a mandatory attachment, the declaration and Place, and is then e-signed. That same screen shows the Response Due Date and the Proceeding Status , which are the two fields worth checking on a schedule.

How do you track, amend, withdraw or review a PRC file?

Every submitted PRC file lives at My Dashboard >> Submitted Applications , filtered by Scheme = Policy Relaxation Committee (PRC) and sub-scheme Apply for PRC Committee - ANF 2D . If it is not there, it was never submitted. It is sitting in Draft.

Two of these are worth more attention than they usually get. View Life Cycle is a dated audit trail of every action on the file, which makes it the evidence you would rely on later if you need to demonstrate departmental delay in an escalation. And Withdraw is a request, not a switch. It goes to a DGFT officer for action, and the sibling EPCG Committee FAQ describes a two-day window for the withdrawal to be processed.

What must you do after the PRC approves your relaxation?

This is the most costly misunderstanding in the whole process: PRC approval is not self-executing . The committee grants relief from the policy or procedure. It does not itself amend your file. Once the relaxation is granted, the applicant must approach the respective Regional Authority to take corrective action. Closing the EODC, extending the export obligation period, revalidating the authorisation, whatever the relief contemplates.

Stop at the approval letter and the original default stays live on the RA record. Exporters discover this months later, usually when a new authorisation application is blocked by a default that they believed had been cured.

Escalation ladder if the RA does not act

1. :

Alongside the ladder, Grievance Redressal Committees exist both at DGFT headquarters and at Zonal Additional DGFT offices under Trade Notification No. 14 dated 24 August 2016, and every Regional Authority sets aside one hour daily for grievances. Those are real routes, but they work on the same principle as everything else in this process. On paper.

Frequently asked questions about PRC filing?

Can a Regional Authority condone a missed export obligation deadline?

No. Once a statutory deadline has actually lapsed, the Regional Authority has no condonation power. Only DGFT headquarters can grant exemption, relaxation or relief, and it does so through the Policy Relaxation Committee under FTP Para 2.58 on grounds of genuine hardship and adverse impact on trade. If the deadline is still alive, the position reverses entirely. The RA can act on the file directly and PRC is the wrong door.

What is the difference between the PRC, the EPCG Committee and the Norms Committee?

Routing is by subject matter. Capital-goods nexus and EPCG benefit questions go to the EPCG Committee, chaired by an Addl DGFT and filed under Services > EPCG > Apply for EPCG Committee. Fixation or modification of product input-output norms goes to the Norms Committee. Everything else goes to the PRC, chaired by the DG DGFT. PRC and the EPCG Committee both sit on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month in physical mode; the Norms Committee sits on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday.

How much does a DGFT Policy Relaxation Committee application cost?

Under Appendix 2K a fresh PRC application costs INR 2,000 and a review costs INR 5,000. Withdrawal after submission forfeits the fee. One application can carry unlimited authorisations, scrips or shipping bills for the same fee, provided they share the same scheme and the same reason.

How many times can I file a review of a PRC decision?

There is no documented cap on the number of reviews, but the INR 5,000 fee is charged on every one. A review can only be initiated after the fresh application has been decided (while the status is still In Progress the option is not available) and the flow is two-stage: sign first, then a separate Payment for Review step.

Does a PRC approval automatically fix my authorisation with the Regional Authority?

No. PRC approval is not self-executing. After the relaxation is granted you must approach the respective Regional Authority to take corrective action on the file. Closing the EODC, extending the EO period or revalidating the authorisation. Stopping at the approval letter leaves the original default live.

PRC filing checklist and common failure modes

Before you file ANF-2D

• Confirm the deadline has actually lapsed. If it is still alive, the Regional Authority can act on the file and PRC is the wrong door.
• Confirm the committee. PRC for lapsed deadlines and general relief, EPCG Committee for capital-goods nexus, Norms Committee for input-output norms.
• Check the IEC is neither cancelled nor suspended; either state blocks submission outright.
• Register a DSC or Aadhaar e-Sign under My Dashboard → View and Register Digital Signatures Token before you start filling screens.
• Group the file around one reason and one scheme ; that is the condition for putting unlimited authorisations, scrips or shipping bills into a single application.
• Write the reason and justification narrative as the case itself. No document is mandatory and everything is filed under the "Other" type, so the argument has to be in your words.
• Keep online attachments to 10. If the bundle is larger, courier the physical set to DGFT HQ within 7 days of submission.
• Complete the e-sign. Until it is signed the file is a Draft, and "I can't find my application" is almost always a Draft.

Related reading: FEMA repatriation for e-commerce exporters and eBRC filing , since export obligation closure usually turns on realisation evidence that has to be in place before an RA can act on a PRC relaxation.

Sources & citations

• [DGFT. Policy Relaxation Committee](https://www.dgft.gov.in/CP/?opt=policy-relaxation-committee).
• [DGFT. Details of all committees of DoC](https://content.dgft.gov.in/Website/Details+of+all+committes+of+DoC.pdf).
• [DGFT. Citizen Charter](https://content.dgft.gov.in/Website/Citizen+Charter+Latest.pdf).
• [DGFT. Orders (HQ)](https://www.dgft.gov.in/CP/?opt=order-dgft-hq).

Update history

• 2026-08-13 First published.