Checked on the live ICEGATE 2.0 portal on 5 October 2026.
Short answer. To check shipping bill status at ICEGATE, open icegate.gov.in, go to Services, Enquiry, Public Enquiries 2.0, choose Document Status and then Shipping Bill. Select the customs location where the bill was filed, enter the shipping bill number and the shipping bill date in DD-MM-YYYY format, clear the captcha and click Search. No login is needed. The result shows where the bill stands: assessment, examination, Let Export Order (LEO), and the Export General Manifest (EGM) that unlocks your refunds and incentives.
Most failed searches are not missing filings. They are the wrong port selected, a date typed in the wrong format, or a number copied with a digit missing. This guide walks through every route ICEGATE now offers, what each status means for your money, and the errors we see exporters lose weeks on.
What Is a Shipping Bill?
A shipping bill is the export declaration an exporter, or the customs broker acting for the exporter, files with Indian Customs before goods leave the country. It is filed under Section 50 of the Customs Act, 1962, electronically through ICEGATE and the Indian Customs EDI System, under the Shipping Bill (Electronic Integrated Declaration and Paperless Processing) Regulations, 2019.
It is not just a customs form. The same document carries almost every money decision on the shipment:
- Customs clearance. Customs assesses the bill, may examine the cargo, and then grants the Let Export Order. The LEO date is treated as the date of export.
- IGST refund. For exports on payment of Integrated GST, the shipping bill itself is treated as the refund application once the EGM is filed and your GST returns match.
- Duty Drawback. The drawback claim is made on the shipping bill by quoting the drawback serial number.
- RoDTEP and RoSCTL. The incentive is claimed by marking the scheme declaration on each item of the shipping bill at the time of filing. It cannot be added later.
- Foreign exchange tracking. The bill is reported to the Reserve Bank of India’s Export Data Processing and Monitoring System (EDPMS), where your bank closes it against the export proceeds.
Types of shipping bill
| Type | When it is used |
|---|
| Free shipping bill | Goods with no export duty and no drawback claim |
| Drawback shipping bill | Goods on which Duty Drawback is claimed |
| Dutiable shipping bill | Goods that attract export duty or cess |
| Ex-bond shipping bill | Goods exported from a customs bonded warehouse |
| Courier and postal export declarations | Small consignments sent through authorised couriers or India Post, tracked under a separate ICEGATE enquiry |
Before you file, it helps to know what the shipment will actually return to you. Our export duty and incentive calculator estimates duty, drawback and RoDTEP on a line before the bill goes in.
Shipping Bill Status at ICEGATE: Step-by-Step
ICEGATE moved its public enquiries to the ICEGATE 2.0 front office in 2026. ICEGATE’s own Enquiry page lists Public Enquiries 2.0 with a release date of 29 January 2026. The steps below are the current path.
- Open the ICEGATE website. Go to www.icegate.gov.in.
- Go to Services, then Enquiry. The Enquiry page lists Payment Status, Post Login Enquiries and Public Enquiries 2.0.
- Open Public Enquiries 2.0. This opens the ICEGATE 2.0 Public Enquiries screen on foservices.icegate.gov.in.
- Click Document Status. A list opens: Air Consol, ICD BL Status, Manual/Courier/Postal Shipping Bill, Shipping Bill, Air-IGM, SAM/IGM Enquiry and others.
- Click Shipping Bill. The form asks for three things, all mandatory.
- Select Location. Pick the customs location code where the bill was filed, for example the seaport, air cargo complex or ICD. This must be the filing location, not your factory or the port of discharge abroad.
- Enter Shipping Bill No. Type the number exactly as it appears on the bill or on your customs broker’s checklist.
- Enter Shipping Bill Date. Use DD-MM-YYYY, for example 03-10-2026.
- Complete the captcha and click Search. The current status and the key dates appear on screen.
Save the direct link for repeat checks: ICEGATE 2.0 shipping bill status enquiry. If you ship through a courier or by post, use Manual/Courier/Postal Shipping Bill in the same Document Status list instead.
What each shipping bill status means
| Stage | What it means | What you should do |
|---|
| Filed, awaiting assessment | The declaration is in the customs system. The Risk Management System decides whether it is facilitated or goes to an officer. | Nothing yet. Keep the invoice, packing list and any licence ready. |
| Query raised | Customs needs a clarification on value, classification or documents. | Reply through your customs broker quickly. The clock stops until you answer. |
| Examination ordered | Customs will physically check the cargo at the port or ICD. | Make sure the cargo matches the declared description, quantity and weight. |
| Let Export Order (LEO) given | Customs has cleared the goods for export. The LEO date is the date of export. | Check the LEO date against your incentive and scheme deadlines. |
| EGM filed | The shipping line or airline has filed the Export General Manifest after the goods sailed or flew. | Refund and incentive processing can now start. Watch for the drawback and IGST refund scroll. |
| Scroll generated | Drawback or IGST refund has been sanctioned and sent for payment. | Confirm the credit in the incentive bank account registered on ICEGATE. |
How to Track Your Shipping Bill on ICEGATE
“Tracking” a shipping bill means following it from filing to the money landing in your account. The status screen covers the customs part. Three other ICEGATE enquiries cover the rest, and together they answer most questions an exporter has after the ship leaves.
Track from filing to LEO
Use the Shipping Bill status enquiry above. Check it on the day of filing and again before the cut-off for your vessel or flight. A bill stuck in assessment or examination is the one thing that can still make you miss the sailing.
Track from LEO to EGM
The EGM is filed by the carrier, not by you. If your bill shows LEO but no EGM a week after sailing, ask your forwarder to chase the shipping line or airline. Without the EGM, the IGST refund, drawback and RoDTEP all wait. The SAM/IGM and Air-IGM enquiries in the same Document Status menu help where you need to confirm manifest details.
Track the bill against your bank (EDPMS)
Public Enquiries 2.0 has a separate option, SB in RBI- EDPMS, that shows whether the shipping bill has reached the RBI’s EDPMS. Your bank uses that record to match export proceeds. An open EDPMS entry long after payment came in usually means the bank has not mapped the remittance to the bill.
Track your RoDTEP or RoSCTL credit
If you marked the scheme declaration, the incentive is credited as an e-scrip in your ICEGATE ledger after the EGM, and you generate the scrip after logging in. RoDTEP runs to 31 December 2026 under DGFT Notification No. 41/2026-27, and RoSCTL for apparel and made-ups to the same date. See our guides to the RoDTEP scheme and claim process and the RoSCTL rebate for apparel exporters.
How to Download a Shipping Bill from ICEGATE
The public status enquiry shows status. It does not give you a document you can file with a bank, a buyer or a GST officer. For the copy itself you have three routes.
- Through your ICEGATE login. Log in to ICEGATE with the user ID registered against your IEC. Registered exporters can view and download their own documents through the post-login services. Some functions need a Class 3 digital signature certificate and ICEGATE’s signer utility installed on your computer.
- From your customs broker. The broker who filed the bill can share the electronically generated shipping bill and the LEO copy. Ask for it as standard after every shipment, not months later when a refund is stuck.
- From the customs station. Where an old bill is not available online, the customs house where it was filed can provide a copy on request.
Not registered on ICEGATE yet? Registration needs your IEC, PAN, a Class 3 DSC and bank details. Exporters who want incentives credited also need their AD Code and incentive bank account registered. Our guide to AD Code and port registration on ICEGATE covers that step.
Old ICEGATE Shipping Bill Status: How to Check
Many bookmarks and older guides still point to the old ICEGATE enquiry pages. Those standalone pages have been retired. The public enquiry now runs only through Public Enquiries 2.0.
To check the status of an older shipping bill, use the same route: Services, Enquiry, Public Enquiries 2.0, Document Status, Shipping Bill. Enter the original filing location, the number and the original date. A few practical points:
- Use the original filing date, not the LEO date or the sailing date.
- Select the original location code. If the cargo moved by rail from an ICD to a gateway port, the bill sits under the ICD where it was filed.
- For very old bills, if the online enquiry returns nothing, ask the customs broker who filed it or the customs house for a copy.
Shipping Bill Status at Customs and DGFT
Status at Customs
The ICEGATE status is the customs status. ICEGATE is the e-commerce portal of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), and the status it shows comes from the Indian Customs EDI System at the port. If the screen says LEO given, Customs has cleared the goods. If it is stuck, the reason sits with the assessing group or the examination shed at that customs station, and your customs broker is the fastest way to reach them. Our guide to customs clearance in India explains each customs stage in detail.
Status at DGFT
DGFT needs your shipping bill data for export incentives, export obligation tracking under EPCG and Advance Authorisation, and electronic bank realisation certificates. ICEGATE sends that data to DGFT, and you can check whether it reached DGFT:
- Open Public Enquiries 2.0 on ICEGATE.
- Click DGFT, then DGFT Shipping Bill Status Enquiry.
- Enter the Port Code, SB Number and SB Date (DD-MM-YYYY), and click Search.
If the bill has not reached DGFT, your export obligation or incentive linkage on the DGFT portal will look incomplete. Raise it with ICEGATE support, or with DGFT through its helpdesk, quoting the bill number, date and port.
Duty Drawback Status with Your Shipping Bill
Duty Drawback under the All Industry Rate is claimed on the shipping bill and paid into the bank account registered on ICEGATE. Checking drawback status means checking three things in order.
- Was drawback claimed on the bill? The drawback serial number must be on the item. Check the shipping bill copy.
- Is the EGM filed? Drawback is processed only after the EGM. Check it on the Shipping Bill status enquiry.
- Has the scroll been generated? Log in to ICEGATE and use the drawback enquiry in the post-login enquiries to see pending claims and scrolls for a date range and port. Your customs broker can also pull this for you.
If the scroll is generated but the money has not arrived, the usual cause is the bank account, not Customs. The account and IFSC must be registered on ICEGATE for that customs location. See IFSC code registration on ICEGATE. For rates, Brand Rate and how drawback sits next to RoDTEP, see our Duty Drawback guide.
Common Errors When Checking Shipping Bill Status
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|
| No record found | Wrong location code, wrong date format or a digit missing in the number | Select the filing location, enter the date as DD-MM-YYYY and copy the number again from the bill |
| Captcha keeps failing | Expired captcha or a cached page | Refresh the page and enter the new captcha without delay |
| LEO given but no EGM after a week | The carrier has not filed or has filed the manifest with an error | Ask your forwarder to chase the shipping line or airline |
| EGM filed but IGST refund not paid | Mismatch between the shipping bill and GSTR-1, for example the invoice number (often shown as error SB005) | Correct the GST return or have the officer clear the error; keep invoice details identical across both |
| Drawback or RoDTEP credit missing | Scheme not claimed on the bill, or bank account and AD Code not registered at that port | Check the claim on the bill, then the ICEGATE bank and AD Code registration |
| Bill not visible at DGFT | Data transmission from ICEGATE to DGFT has not completed | Use the DGFT Shipping Bill Status Enquiry and raise a ticket quoting the bill |
ICEGATE runs a 24×7 helpdesk on 1800-3010-1000 for portal problems. For problems in the filing itself, such as a missing scheme flag or a wrong item description, the fix almost always runs through the customs broker and the customs station, and some mistakes cannot be corrected after LEO.
Shipping bill stuck or refund missing: get it checked
Send the shipping bill number, date and port. We will tell you where it is stuck and what can still be recovered.
FAQ
How do I check shipping bill status at ICEGATE without login?
Go to icegate.gov.in, then Services, Enquiry, Public Enquiries 2.0, Document Status, Shipping Bill. Select the location, enter the shipping bill number and date, fill the captcha and click Search. No login is needed for a status check.
What details do I need to track a shipping bill on ICEGATE?
Three things: the customs location where the bill was filed, the shipping bill number and the shipping bill date in DD-MM-YYYY format.
Why does ICEGATE show no record for my shipping bill?
Usually because the location code is not the one where the bill was filed, the date is in the wrong format, or the number has a typing error. Check all three before assuming the bill was not filed.
Is the old ICEGATE shipping bill enquiry still working?
The old standalone enquiry pages have been retired. Use Public Enquiries 2.0 on the ICEGATE website, which covers older bills through the same form.
What is the difference between LEO and EGM?
LEO, the Let Export Order, is Customs clearing the goods for export, and its date is the date of export. The EGM, the Export General Manifest, is filed by the shipping line or airline after the goods leave. Refunds and incentives are processed only after the EGM.
Can I download a shipping bill from ICEGATE without login?
No. The public enquiry shows status only. To get the document, log in to ICEGATE as a registered user or ask your customs broker for the ICEGATE copy.
How do I check duty drawback status with my shipping bill?
Confirm drawback was claimed on the bill and the EGM is filed, then log in to ICEGATE and use the drawback enquiry for your port and date range to see pending claims and scrolls.
How can I check shipping bill status at DGFT?
On ICEGATE Public Enquiries 2.0, click DGFT, then DGFT Shipping Bill Status Enquiry, and enter the port code, SB number and SB date. It shows whether the bill data has been transmitted to DGFT.
Can a missed RoDTEP declaration on a shipping bill be added later?
No. The RoDTEP or RoSCTL declaration has to be marked on the item when the shipping bill is filed. If it was missed, that consignment’s claim is lost.
Stuck shipping bill, missing refund or unclaimed incentive?
Rasp International has worked with Indian exporters for over 20 years on DGFT, customs and export incentive compliance. We coordinate filings through our pan-India network of licensed customs brokers and check every shipping bill for the scheme flags, bank registrations and GST matches that decide whether the money arrives. Send us the shipping bill number, date and port, and we will tell you where it is stuck and what can still be recovered.
Talk to our EXIM team or WhatsApp +91 8218043048.
| Reference | What it establishes |
|---|
| ICEGATE Public Enquiries 2.0 (foservices.icegate.gov.in), checked 5 October 2026 | Shipping bill status, DGFT shipping bill status and SB in RBI-EDPMS enquiries |
| Customs Act, 1962, Section 50 | Exporter’s duty to file a shipping bill |
| Shipping Bill (Electronic Integrated Declaration and Paperless Processing) Regulations, 2019 | Electronic filing of the shipping bill |
| CBIC alternative mechanism for SB005 invoice mismatch cases | Officer interface to resolve IGST refund invoice mismatches |
| DGFT Notification No. 41/2026-27 dated 30 September 2026 | RoDTEP notified to 31 December 2026 |
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