The Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly set to launch a fully faceless operational regime for foreign trade licensing and enforcement under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), effective October 5, 2026. 

This represents a major overhaul of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP). Digital governance is expected to streamline trade facilitation and eliminate manual intervention across the country.

This Faceless Trade Facilitation (FTF) will mark a new initiative to go paperless and introduce jurisdiction-free processing. Eliminating manual intervention will enhance transparency, speed up approval timelines, and improve the ease of doing business for Indian traders.

A newly conceived Central Processing Department (CPD) will be a central hub for trade applications in Delhi, announced in October 2026. 22 officers from DGFT headquarters and regional offices will be relieved by September 30 for training starting 5th October 2026. Following the week-long program, they will join Delhi’s Central Processing Department.