REX Registration in India: Full Form, REX Number and How to Apply

Position as on 5 October 2026.

Short answer. REX stands for Registered Exporter System. It is the European Union’s self-certification system for proving origin under its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). Instead of getting a Certificate of Origin for every shipment, a registered Indian exporter writes a short “statement on origin” on the commercial invoice and quotes a REX number. Registration is free, done once, and has no fixed expiry. For any GSP consignment to the EU above EUR 6,000, your buyer gets the preferential duty only if the statement is made by a REX-registered exporter.

What Is REX: Full Form and Meaning

REX is the Registered Exporter System. The EU introduced it from 1 January 2017 as part of the reform of its GSP rules of origin, laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447. India brought it into its Foreign Trade Policy through DGFT Public Notice No. 51/2015-20 dated 30 December 2016.

Before REX, Indian exporters obtained a Certificate of Origin Form A from a competent authority for each GSP shipment. REX replaced that. After a transition year, from 1 January 2018 GSP consignments above EUR 6,000 qualify for preference only with a statement on origin made out by a registered exporter. The same REX registration is used for the GSP schemes of the European Union, Norway and Switzerland, and of Turkey subject to its own conditions.

People often search for a “REX certificate”. There is no certificate in the old sense. What you get is a registration and a REX number, and each shipment carries your own statement on origin.

Who Needs REX Registration

• Exporters shipping to the EU under GSP with consignments above EUR 6,000. Without REX, your buyer pays the full Most Favoured Nation duty instead of the GSP rate.
• Exporters to Norway and Switzerland under their GSP schemes, which use the same REX system.
• Small consignments of EUR 6,000 or less can carry a statement on origin without registration, but registering once covers every future shipment.

Two caveats. First, GSP preference depends on your product still being eligible. The EU graduates some product sections of large beneficiary countries out of GSP, so check that your HS code still gets a GSP rate before you rely on it. Second, the EU-India FTA concluded on 27 January 2026 is not yet in force, so until it is, GSP and REX remain the route for preference into the EU. Shipments to the UK now run under the India-UK CETA. See our India-UK CETA certificate of origin guide.

What Is a REX Number

A REX number is the identifier you receive on registration. Indian REX numbers begin with “INREX” followed by your exporter identification. You quote it on every statement on origin. The importer’s customs in the EU can check a REX number against the EU’s public REX database, so it must be quoted exactly.

How to Apply for REX Registration in India

In India, the Department of Commerce is the authority for administrative cooperation with the EU, and registration is handled by designated local registration authorities, including DGFT regional authorities and other notified bodies. In practice you apply online through DGFT.

1. Get your basics in order. An active Importer Exporter Code, PAN, GSTIN and a Class 3 digital signature certificate.
2. Log in to the DGFT portal with your IEC and open the REX registration service.
3. Fill the application. Business name, address, contact details, IEC and PAN, and the products you export with their HS codes.
4. Upload supporting documents and submit to the registration authority.
5. Verification and registration. The authority verifies the details and registers you in the REX system.
6. Receive your REX number by email, with the date from which it is valid.

There is no fee. Keep your details current. If your address, products or legal entity change, update the registration, because the importer’s customs rely on what the database shows.

The Statement on Origin

The statement on origin is a prescribed text, set out in the EU rules, that you print on the commercial invoice or another commercial document that identifies the goods. It states that the goods are of Indian preferential origin under the GSP rules, gives your REX number, and shows the origin criterion for each product. It is signed by you, not by any agency.

Make sure the invoice that carries the statement describes the goods in enough detail to be identified, and that the HS codes match your shipping bill. A statement on origin is valid for 12 months from the date it is made out.

Origin Rules You Still Have to Meet

REX makes the paperwork lighter. It does not make the origin test easier. Your goods qualify only if they are wholly obtained in India, such as agricultural or mineral products, or sufficiently worked or processed in India under the product-specific rule in the EU GSP rules of origin.

For many manufactured products, the rule caps the value of non-originating materials you may use as a share of the ex-works price, or requires a change of tariff heading. The thresholds differ by product, so read the rule for your HS code rather than relying on a general figure. Keep cost sheets and supplier documents that prove the claim. The EU can ask India to verify your origin long after the shipment, and if the claim fails, your buyer pays the full duty.

Common REX Mistakes

1. Assuming REX means a certificate. There is no per-shipment certificate. The statement on the invoice is the proof.
2. Wrong or incomplete REX number on the statement on origin.
3. Product no longer GSP-eligible. Check graduation before you promise a buyer a GSP rate.
4. Origin not met. Too much imported content, or a missing tariff shift.
5. Outdated registration details after a change of address or legal entity.
6. Applying for a CoO instead. For EU GSP above EUR 6,000, a Certificate of Origin does not replace a REX statement. For other destinations, see our Certificate of Origin guide.

FAQ

Register once and get it right

Rasp International has advised Indian exporters on DGFT and origin compliance for over 20 years. We file your REX registration, check whether your products still qualify for GSP and meet the rules of origin, and draft the statement on origin for your invoices. Talk to our DGFT consultants.

Book a free consultation or WhatsApp +91 8218043048.