On Monday, 9 February, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a trade notice inviting stakeholder comments on the draft Digital Trade Facilitation Bill, 2026, which aims to give statutory recognition to electronic trade documents and regulate digital identity and trust services for cross-border trade. The notice follows the Union Budget announcement on implementing BharatTradeNet as a digital public infrastructure for trade.
The Ministry of Commerce noted that the current legal framework does not fully recognise electronic trade documents or provide a comprehensive basis for cross-border digital trust services. This limits interoperability with global digital trade systems.
The draft Bill proposes to grant legal validity and enforceability to electronic trade documents, establish standards for their control, transfer, and endorsement. It also provides a framework for identity management and trust services, including electronic signatures, seals, timestamps, and registered electronic delivery.
It also envisages cross-border recognition of electronic trade documents and foreign trust services offering equivalent assurance levels.
The DGFT has asked stakeholders, including exporters, industry bodies, academia, and legal experts, to submit comments within 30 days of the trade notice.