Import Export Code (IEC) Registration
The DGFT registration every importer and exporter needs before the first shipment moves — plus the annual update that keeps it active, which most businesses forget until it's overdue.
An Import Export Code (IEC) is the registration the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issues before a business can import or export goods or services commercially. DGFT allows one IEC per PAN, and the number itself is your business's PAN — a separate numbering series stopped once every trade registration was linked to PAN. You apply on the DGFT portal using ANF-2A, and the government fee is ₹500.
Most commercial importers and exporters need one; a few categories don't, including Central and State Government departments, and imports or exports for personal use unconnected with trade, manufacture or agriculture. If you're outside those categories and you plan to import or export for trade, an IEC is the entry ticket — customs will not clear a commercial shipment without one, and a bank will not process an inward or outward foreign remittance tied to trade without it either.
An IEC is permanent, with no periodic renewal — you never file a renewal application. But it is not "set and forget": every IEC holder must complete an online update between 1 April to 30 June each year, even if nothing about the business has changed. Miss the window and DGFT deactivates the code, no notice given — which is the single most common way a business discovers its IEC has stopped working, usually at the worst possible moment, mid-shipment.
Enquire about IEC Registration
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If any of these describe where you are right now, this is the service you are looking for.
You're about to import goods or raw materials into India for your business, for the first time.
You've won an export order and need to ship against it — customs will not clear the shipment without an IEC.
You're setting up a new company, LLP or proprietorship that will trade internationally and want the IEC ready before the first order.
Your existing IEC has been deactivated because the annual update window was missed, and you need it reactivated.
You import or export services and need the IEC to receive or make the related foreign currency payment through your bank.
Everything handled, end to end
The full scope of the engagement, so there is nothing to discover halfway through.
Eligibility and PAN check
We confirm your entity qualifies and that no IEC already exists against your PAN — DGFT will not issue a second one.
Document preparation and verification
We assemble the full set for your entity type and check each one against the DGFT portal's format requirements before filing.
Application filing (ANF-2A)
Your business, bank and signatory details are filed correctly the first time, with the government fee paid on submission.
Digital signature or Aadhaar authentication support
We arrange whichever signing method your entity type needs, so the application isn't held up waiting on this alone.
IEC certificate handover
Your e-IEC, explained — what it says, and what to hand your bank and freight forwarder so they can act on it immediately.
Annual update reminder and filing
We flag the update window before it opens and file it on your behalf, so a forgotten update never deactivates your code.
What you'll need to hand over
Collected once, at the start. We tell you which of these apply to your case before you gather anything.
Every applicant
- 01PAN of the business or the proprietor
- 02Proof of the business's principal place of business — electricity bill, property tax receipt or rent agreement
- 03Cancelled cheque or bank certificate showing account name, number and IFSC, for the current account used for trade
- 04Aadhaar or another valid photo ID of the proprietor, partner, director or authorised signatory
- 05Active mobile number and email address for the authorised signatory (OTP is sent to both)
- 06Digital photograph of the applicant or authorised signatory
Proprietorship
- 01PAN and Aadhaar of the proprietor
- 02A personal current account is acceptable where the name matches the PAN
Partnership firm
- 01PAN of the firm
- 02Partnership deed
- 03Authorisation naming the partner who will sign the application
LLP and Private Limited Company
- 01PAN of the entity
- 02Certificate of Incorporation
- 03Board resolution or equivalent authorising the signatory
- 04Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate of the authorised signatory, where Aadhaar-based signing is not used
An IEC on its own does not clear a shipment through customs — you'll also need to register on ICEGATE and link an AD code from your bank, which is a separate step we cover under ICEGATE Registration.
5 steps, start to finish
Where the work actually goes, and what we need from you at each stage.
Eligibility and document check
We confirm your entity type, the right signing method, and list exactly what you need to send.
Confirm with us
Application filed
ANF-2A is filed on the DGFT portal with your business, bank and signatory details, and the government fee of ₹500 is paid on submission.
Confirm with us
DGFT processing
The application is processed and the e-IEC generated once the details are validated against your PAN and bank record.
1 to 2 working days
Certificate handover
We hand over your e-IEC along with what your bank and freight forwarder will need from it.
On approval
Annual update, every year
Filed between 1 April to 30 June, whether or not anything about the business has changed.
Confirm with us
What to expect, and what it costs
Timelines are indicative and depend on departmental processing and how quickly documents come back to us. Message us on WhatsApp for a written quote.
Enquire on WhatsApp- Document collection and review
- Confirm with us
- Application filing
- Confirm with us
- DGFT processing and e-IEC issued
- 1 to 2 working days
- Mandatory annual update (recurring)
- 1 April to 30 June
Professional fees
On request
Common questions
The questions we are actually asked about IEC Registration. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
Once your documents are ready and correctly signed, DGFT typically processes a fresh application in 1 to 2 working days. Most delays come from a mismatch between the application and your PAN or bank record, not from the DGFT queue itself — which is exactly what we check before filing.
No — an IEC is permanent, with no periodic renewal. There is no renewal application, ever. What you do have to do is complete a separate annual update between 1 April to 30 June, confirming your details are still correct. It's a different obligation from renewal, and skipping it has real consequences.
Your IEC is deactivated, and cannot be used for any import or export. You find out the hard way, usually when a shipment or a bank remittance stalls. Reactivation is automatic and free the moment the overdue update is filed — but that can still cost you days on a live shipment, which is why we file it proactively for clients.
No. DGFT permits one IEC per PAN. If your business already has one — even from years ago, unused — you cannot apply for a fresh one; you update the existing code instead. We check this before filing to avoid a rejected duplicate application.
For commercial trade, yes, with narrow exceptions — Central and State Government departments, and imports or exports for personal use unconnected with trade, manufacture or agriculture. If you're importing a personal item once, you're outside the IEC requirement; if you're a business bringing in stock to sell, you're not.
₹500, paid online on the DGFT portal at the time of filing ANF-2A. There's no separate fee for the certificate itself once issued — only the annual update, which DGFT does not charge for at all.
An IEC alone doesn't clear customs. You'll still need to register on ICEGATE, India's customs portal, and register an AD code from your bank against your IEC before your first shipment can move — a separate, short process we handle under ICEGATE Registration.
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