Every Indian business that wants to buy from a foreign supplier or sell to an international customer needs one document before anything else: an Import Export Code. Without it, your bank will not allow a foreign currency transaction, your freight forwarder will not release the shipment, and your buyer abroad will face customs clearance problems in India. Under Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (FTDR Act, No. 22 of 1992), holding a valid IEC is not optional for any person engaged in the business of import or export. KAMRIT Financial Services LLP manages the entire IEC filing lifecycle on your behalf, from collecting and verifying your documents to submitting the application on the DGFT portal, remitting the statutory government fee, and handing you the code. We work with the relevant Regional Licensing Authority (RLA) and track the file until the electronic IEC is generated and emailed to you. KAMRIT does not leave any step to chance, and we price the service from ₹1,899, a figure that already includes the ₹500 government fee that all other providers charge separately.
What is Import Export Code (IEC) in India 2026?
An Import Export Code is a 14-digit unique identifier issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, under the powers granted by Section 5 of the FTDR Act 1992. The code appears on the electronic IEC certificate downloaded from the DGFT portal and is required by every bank involved in a foreign exchange transaction involving your business. The IEC is permanent once issued, there is no renewal fee, no periodic re-filing, and no expiry date, provided your PAN remains active and you maintain your GST registration where applicable. It is not a licence to export specific goods or a customs clearance authorisation; it is a registration number that authorises you to engage in import and export activities as a business. The DGFT issues IECs through its online portal at dgft.gov.in, and the relevant jurisdictional RLA processes the applications. Failure to hold an IEC when required carries a penalty under Section 11 of the FTDR Act 1992. Any person, individual proprietor, partnership firm, limited liability partnership, private or public limited company, trust, or Hindu Undivided Family, engaged in the import or export of goods or services from India must obtain an IEC before commencing such trade.
Who needs this
The eligibility conditions for IEC are set by DGFT Trade Notice and the FTDR Act 1992. KAMRIT confirms your eligibility before commencing work to avoid rejected applications.
- Any Indian individual, company, LLP, firm, trust, or HUF engaged in import or export of goods or services must hold an IEC, this is the primary trigger under Section 5 of the FTDR Act 1992.
- A valid, active PAN card in the name of the applicant entity is a hard requirement. The PAN must not be marked inoperative or deactivated by the Income Tax Department.
- For companies and LLPs, the entity must be registered with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) or Registrar of Firms respectively. Proprietors need only their PAN and GST where applicable.
- GST registration is mandatory for all IEC applicants from 1 April 2021 as per DGFT Policy Circular, unless the applicant is a merchant exporter exempt under specific notifications.
- Bank account in the name of the applicant entity is required, as the IEC links to the current account used for foreign exchange transactions.
- Turnover threshold does not apply to IEC eligibility, unlike GST registration under CGST Act 2017 Section 22, there is no minimum turnover floor for IEC. Even a one-time export shipment requires an IEC.
- MSMEs registered under the Udyam portal are eligible and encouraged to obtain an IEC to access export incentives under the Foreign Trade Policy.
- NRIs and foreign nationals are not eligible to hold an IEC in their individual name unless the entity is registered in India and majority-owned by Indian residents, as per FEMA regulations.
- Educational institutions, charitable trusts, and government bodies engaged in import-export of non-commercial goods may be exempt and should verify with DGFT before applying.
- A separate IEC is required for each distinct division, branch, or unit of a business operating under the same PAN, if those units have independent bank accounts for foreign exchange.
Documents required
The IEC application is entirely online and the document set is deliberately lean. KAMRIT reviews every document before submission to prevent RLA queries that delay processing.
- PAN card of the applicant entity, a legible scanned copy of the PAN is required. For companies, the company PAN; for proprietors, the individual PAN.
- Identity proof of the applicant, Aadhaar card for individuals and proprietors; DIN or DIN-2 for company directors; for LLPs, the Designated Partners' Aadhaar.
- Address proof of the applicant entity, electricity bill, bank statement, or rent agreement not older than two months. For companies, the registered office address as per MCA records.
- Cancelled cheque or bank certificate in Form ABC (attested by the bank) confirming the current account number and the name of the account holder, this links the IEC to the foreign exchange account.
- GST registration certificate, mandatory for companies, LLPs, and proprietors above the GST threshold, and for all applicants from FY 2021-22 onwards.
- Certificate of Incorporation (for companies), LLP Agreement (for LLPs), or Partnership Deed (for firms), the document establishing the legal existence of the entity.
- Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) of Class 2 or 3, required for online signing of the IEC application on the DGFT portal. Proprietors may use Aadhaar eSign as an alternative.
- Board resolution or partner authority letter, for companies and LLPs, authorising a specific director or partner to sign and file the IEC application on behalf of the entity.
- IEC application fee payment receipt, the ₹500 government fee is remitted online via the DGFT portal using net banking or through the ICEGATE payment gateway.
- Import Export Report or ANF form, not required for basic IEC. Required only if applying under a specific export promotion scheme such as Advance Authorisation or EPCG.
How KAMRIT runs it, step by step
KAMRIT runs the IEC engagement as a structured five-step workflow from onboarding to delivery. Every step is tracked and the client is informed at each milestone.
- Document Collection and Eligibility Check. KAMRIT sends you a document checklist within two hours of engagement. Our compliance team reviews your PAN status on the GST portal, your entity registration with MCA or the Registrar of Firms, and confirms your GST linkage. We identify any inoperative PAN or mismatched entity name before you spend time filling forms. This step prevents the most common cause of RLA rejection, discrepancy between PAN and entity name on the IEC application. Usually completed within one working day of receiving all documents.
- DSC Registration and DGFT Portal Account Creation. If you do not already have a Class 2 or Class 3 DSC, KAMRIT arranges issuance through a licensed DSC empanelment body. We create or verify your匡 account on the DGFT portal (dgft.gov.in) and link the DSC to your profile. For proprietors using Aadhaar eSign, we guide you through the OTP-based authentication. This step typically takes one to two working days depending on DSC courier delivery timelines.
- Online IEC Application Filing. KAMRIT fills the ANF 1A (Application for Import Export Code) on the DGFT portal using your verified entity details. We enter the PAN, entity name, registered address, bank account particulars, and nature of business. The IEC application does not require a separate form number under the current DGFT system, it is filed directly on the portal. The ₹500 government fee is remitted simultaneously through the payment gateway. Government fee receipt is generated instantly and attached to the file. This step takes half a working day once all documents are confirmed.
- RLA Verification and IEC Generation. After submission, the application is routed to the relevant Regional Licensing Authority (RLA) based on your entity's state of registration. The RLA scrutinises the documents and may raise a query if there is a mismatch or missing attachment. KAMRIT monitors the RLA queue daily, responds to any query within 24 hours, and follows up at the standard escalation intervals. Government-controlled processing time at this stage typically runs two to five working days for complete and correct applications.
- IEC Certificate Dispatch and Post-Filing Compliance Briefing. Once the RLA approves the application, the DGFT portal generates the electronic IEC certificate bearing your 14-digit IEC number. KAMRIT downloads the PDF certificate, verifies all details against your entity records, and emails it to you within two hours of generation. We also send a post-filing compliance note covering bank intimation requirements, GST portal linkage under Section 16 of the IGST Act 2017, and the requirement to update the IEC within 15 days of any change in address, bank account, or ownership structure under the relevant DGFT policy.
Timeline
From the moment KAMRIT receives all complete documents and confirmed eligibility, the end-to-end timeline to hold a downloadable IEC certificate is typically five to eight working days. The KAMRIT-controlled stages, document review, DSC setup, portal account management, and application filing, consume one to two working days cumulatively. The government-controlled RLA verification stage runs two to five working days depending on the jurisdiction of the RLA and the completeness of the filing. Applications filed in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata RLA jurisdictions typically process faster due to higher staffing levels. Applications in smaller RLA jurisdictions may extend to seven to ten working days, particularly in January-February and March when the fiscal year-end filing rush increases queue depth. KAMRIT provides a tracking reference from Day 1 and issues a milestone update each time the RLA status changes on the DGFT portal. If the RLA raises a query, KAMRIT's response and resubmission adds one to two working days to the overall timeline. The statutory government fee of ₹500 is a one-time payment, there is no IEC renewal fee and no periodic renewal filing required under the FTDR Act 1992 as of the current policy.
How our pricing compares
KAMRIT charges a starting price of ₹1,899 for complete IEC registration, and this figure includes the ₹500 government fee that is mandatory under the DGFT fee schedule. IndiaFilings Private Limited offers IEC filing from ₹2,999 to ₹4,999 depending on the package tier, with the government fee charged additionally. Vakilsearch charges from ₹3,999 to ₹6,999, and does not include the ₹500 government fee in its published starting price. ClearTax prices IEC registration from ₹3,499 to ₹5,499 and bundles GST return filing as a related service, which inflates the headline price for clients seeking only an IEC. LegalRaasta quotes from ₹2,499 to ₹5,999 and frequently offers cashback promotions that do not always translate to the final invoice. Across all named competitors, the government fee of ₹500 is a consistent add-on that KAMRIT absorbs into its ₹1,899 headline price. KAMRIT's ₹1,899 package covers document checklist and review, DSC management where required, DGFT portal account creation or verification, online application filing, government fee remittance, RLA query management, and final certificate delivery. No competitor at the ₹2,999-plus range offers materially more service for the IEC filing itself, since the process is entirely standardised and online. KAMRIT's price position is justified by our lean, technology-assisted filing process and direct-access support model, which eliminates the intermediary markup charged by larger platforms that use sub-agents for document handling. Clients who have filed with IndiaFilings or ClearTax and subsequently switched to KAMRIT cite faster query response times and more transparent communication as the primary reason.
Common mistakes KAMRIT avoids
First-time IEC applicants and businesses renewing their trade compliance fall into identifiable patterns of error. KAMRIT proactively guards against each of these.
- Filing IEC using an inoperative or blacklisted PAN, the DGFT system rejects any application where the PAN is flagged inoperative by the Income Tax Department, and this cannot be corrected after submission without cancelling and refiling.
- Incorrect entity name format on the DGFT portal, the name must exactly match the PAN card name. Extra spaces, abbreviated words like Pvt Ltd vs Private Limited, or missing commas cause RLA queries and delays.
- Not linking IEC with GST registration on the DGFT portal, since 1 April 2021, an IEC without a valid GSTIN is treated as incomplete. Banks will not allow forex transactions until this linkage is verified.
- Assuming the IEC is valid without intimation to the banker, many applicants receive the IEC certificate but fail to submit it to their bank, and the bank consequently blocks all foreign exchange transactions.
- Forgetting to update the IEC within 15 days of a material change, change of registered address, change of bank account, change of partner or director, or cessation of business must be notified to the DGFT and RLA under the policy.
- Using a promoter or director's personal PAN instead of the entity PAN, IEC must be applied in the name of the legal entity (company, LLP, or firm), not an individual's name, even if the promoter owns 100% of the equity.
- Missing the digital signature or Aadhaar eSign step, without a valid DSC or Aadhaar eSign, the DGFT portal will not allow final submission of the IEC application, and many clients are unaware this step is required separately.