IEC Registration Guide

The Import Export Code is the single registration that turns a domestic business into an exporter. The application looks simple. Most first attempts still come back, and almost always for the same small reasons.

This guide is written from applications we have filed and corrected for exporters across India. It covers the process end to end, and it spends most of its pages on the failure points, because that is where people actually lose weeks.

What this guide covers

• What an IEC is, who legally needs one, and who is exempt
• The exact document set to assemble before you open the DGFT portal
• Both authentication routes, Aadhaar OTP and Class 3 Digital Signature, and when each one is the right choice
• A screen by screen walkthrough of the DGFT application
• Branch address entry, and why it must follow the serial order on your GST certificate
• Annual updation between 1 April and 30 June, and what happens if you miss it
• Reactivating an IEC that has already been deactivated

The mistakes that cause most rejections

These are the four we correct most often.

• Documentation that does not match across sources. Name spelling, case, and punctuation must be consistent between PAN, Aadhaar, GST and your bank record. A trailing initial or a different case in the firm name is enough to return the application.
• PAN and Aadhaar not linked, or a mismatch between them. This blocks Aadhaar OTP authentication entirely. Check the linkage before you start, not after the application stalls.
• A cheque that is not pre printed with the account holder name. A handwritten cancelled cheque is routinely rejected. Where a shipment deadline is close, a bank certificate in the prescribed format is the faster route, and the guide reproduces what that certificate must contain.
• Bank account name not matching the official firm name. The account must be held in the exact registered name of the entity, not a trading variant.

Who this is for

Business owners applying for an IEC themselves, and anyone whose application has already been returned once. Written in plain language, not regulatory language.

Format and delivery

PDF, downloadable immediately after payment. Yours to keep. Current with DGFT requirements as of the publication date shown inside the file.