Online Marketplace Subsidy for UP Exporters: Get 75% of Joining Fees Back

Verified as on 5 October 2026 against Government Order No. 874/18-4-2025 dated 3 December 2025 and its three annexures. Written by Pratham Agarwal, Founder, Rasp International.

UP e-commerce onboarding assistance: the short answer

Under Government Order No. 874/18-4-2025 dated 3 December 2025, the E-commerce Onboarding Assistance Scheme, a Micro, Small or Medium Enterprise (MSME) exporter of Uttar Pradesh can get back 75 percent of what it spends on the first year of onboarding on an international e-commerce platform. It is a one time reimbursement with a cap of Rs 3,00,000 per exporter unit per year. It covers one platform only and the first year only. The unit must send at least one export consignment through the platform in the onboarding year, stay active on it for a full year and then file the claim on the Export Promotion Bureau portal within 90 days. The platform must be one that the scheme’s Authorised Committee has notified. Payment is subject to approval and budget.

The rule that decides everything: check that the platform is on the Authorised Committee’s notified list and that your Export Promotion Bureau and UPEPC registrations are in place before you pay the onboarding fee, because you cannot fix either of these once the year has started.

Key facts table: UP e-commerce onboarding assistance

What GO 874 is for

The order states its purpose in its opening paragraph. It aims to promote industry, trade and exports from the state, expand the logistics network, and give products made in Uttar Pradesh, including One District One Product items, a wide global platform by connecting units to international digital marketplaces, so that they become more competitive.

The cost it targets is the cost of getting started. Some international platforms charge a sign-up or annual seller fee before the first sale. Others charge a setup or verification fee. For a small unit in Agra, Moradabad or Bhadohi, paying that money before knowing whether overseas buyers will order is a real risk. GO 874 repays most of the first year’s onboarding fee, but only after the unit has proved it stayed on the platform for a year and exported through it.

GO 874 is one of seven orders under the UP Export Promotion Policy 2025-30. Our guide to all UP export subsidy schemes sets the seven side by side.

Who can claim GO 874 onboarding assistance

The opening paragraph of GO 874 and its five conditions decide eligibility. An exporting unit qualifies when all of these are true:

1. It is an MSME of Uttar Pradesh. The order uses the definition in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006, as amended from time to time. The affidavit refers to the notification dated 21 March 2025 that revised the MSME limits, and the application form asks for the Udyam registration number.
2. It is registered with both state bodies at the time of the work. The unit must be registered with the Export Promotion Bureau UP and the UP Export Promotion Council. The application form has separate lines for both membership numbers.
3. The platform is an international e-commerce platform that the committee has notified. Condition (5) allows assistance only for a platform that facilitates trade abroad, offers international payments in line with the rules and has been notified by the Authorised Committee from time to time.
4. It claims for one platform. Condition (3) limits the assistance to onboarding on one e-commerce platform.
5. It exports through that platform. Condition (4) requires at least one export consignment sent through that platform in the onboarding year.
6. It stays active for a year. Paragraph 2(1) requires the unit to remain active on the platform for one year from the onboarding date.
7. It has not taken a similar benefit. Paragraph 5 allows the assistance only if the unit has not taken a full or partial benefit of a similar nature, for the same purpose, under any central or state scheme.

The affidavit asks whether the unit is in the merchant or manufacturing category, so both kinds of exporter can apply. The Chartered Accountant’s certificate describes the unit as exporting goods or services from Uttar Pradesh.

Units that should not expect a payment

• Units that are not MSMEs under the MSME Act.
• Units that registered with the Export Promotion Bureau or UPEPC only after onboarding on the platform.
• Units whose platform is not on the committee’s notified list, or that sell only to buyers in India.
• Units with no export consignment through the platform in the onboarding year.
• Units that leave the platform before the year is over.
• Second and later platforms, and fees for the second year onward.
• Claims filed after the 90 day window.

Check the notified platform list before you pay

This is the condition most guides skip. GO 874 does not name any platform. Condition (5) says the assistance is available only for an international platform that offers trade abroad and international payments and that has been notified by the Authorised Committee from time to time. A well known marketplace is not automatically covered. It has to be on the committee’s list.

As of 5 October 2026 we have not seen a published list of notified platforms. Before you pay an onboarding fee that you plan to claim, ask the Export Promotion Bureau in writing whether the platform is notified, and keep the reply with your claim file. The committee includes the state nodal officer of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and a representative of the regional office of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, so platform questions are part of its remit.

Export Promotion Bureau and UPEPC registration comes first

The opening paragraph says the assistance goes to MSME exporter units that are registered with the Export Promotion Bureau UP and the UP Export Promotion Council at the time of the work. The order does not define “the time of the work” for onboarding. The reading that protects you is the onboarding date, the date you join the platform and pay its first year fee.

If a unit joins a platform in January and registers with the Bureau in March, expect the claim to be refused, however good the rest of the file is. Register with both bodies first, then onboard. Our guide to Export Promotion Bureau and UPEPC registration explains how both registrations work.

What counts as a first year onboarding fee

The order speaks of the expense on first year onboarding. The application form in Annexure I breaks that expense into three lines, each with the amount paid and the invoice number and date:

Two features of the form decide most borderline cases. Every line is a fee charged by the platform. And every line is a one time or first year onboarding fee.

Costs the order clearly excludes

• Renewal and recurring fees. Condition (2) says the assistance is for first year onboarding only, and renewal or recurring fees after the first year are not admissible.
• A second platform. Condition (3) limits the assistance to one platform.
• Taxes. Line 4 of the form and the Chartered Accountant’s certificate both show the fee exclusive of taxes.

Costs we expect not to count

The order does not list these one by one, but they do not fit a first year onboarding fee charged by the platform. Do not build your budget around them:

• Commission, referral or closing fees on each sale. These are selling costs, not onboarding.
• Advertising and sponsored listings on the platform.
• Fulfilment, warehousing and storage charges.
• Shipping and postage. Postage through a Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra has its own order, GO 838.
• Payment gateway charges on each transaction.
• Fees paid to an agency, photographer or consultant for listings or account setup. The form’s lines are for fees charged by the platform itself.

If a platform bills a cost that sits on the border, such as a one time verification or setup charge billed in the platform’s own name, show it in line 3 with a clear description and the invoice. The Authorised Committee decides, and under paragraph 8 it also interprets the order.

How much you get: 75 percent, up to Rs 3 lakh

The working is: total eligible first year onboarding fees, without taxes, multiplied by 75 percent, limited to Rs 3,00,000. The order calls this a one time reimbursement. The cap is written as Rs 3 lakh per exporter unit per year, but because only the first year on one platform is covered, a unit should plan on one claim.

The figures below are round numbers chosen to show the working. They are not any platform’s price list.

Example 1: below the cap

If the invoices also showed Rs 36,000 of GST and Rs 50,000 of advertising, neither would enter the claim. The GST is a tax and the advertising is not an onboarding fee.

Example 2: above the cap

Above about Rs 4 lakh of eligible fees, the cap applies, because 75 percent of Rs 4,00,000 is exactly Rs 3,00,000.

Fees paid in foreign currency

Many international platforms bill in US dollars or another currency. The form asks for the amount paid in rupees. The order does not say which exchange rate to use. The figure that is easiest to support is the rupee amount actually debited by your bank, backed by the bank’s remittance advice. Agree the method with your Chartered Accountant and use it consistently.

The timeline: one year on the platform, then 90 days

Paragraph 2(1) sets two periods. The unit must stay active on the platform for one year from the date of onboarding. After that year is complete, it must file the claim on the Export Promotion Bureau portal within 90 days.

This table counts the day after the year ends as day 1. The order does not set the counting method, so treat day 90 as the outer limit and file earlier.

Two practical points follow. First, the money arrives more than a year after you pay the fee, so GO 874 does not help cash flow in the launch months. Second, the export consignment through the platform must fall inside the onboarding year. A first export in month 13 does not meet condition (4).

How a GO 874 claim moves after you file

Paragraph 2 of the order sets the steps:

1. Online filing. You file the claim within 90 days after the year on the platform and upload copies of all the required records with it.
2. 15 days to correct yourself. For 15 days from the application date you can correct mistakes in the form yourself.
3. Bureau portal. After those 15 days the claim appears on the portal of the Export Promotion Bureau, Lucknow.
4. Bureau check. The Bureau examines the claim. Complete claims go on the committee agenda. Incomplete claims are reverted to you with the gaps recorded online. Unlike GO 838 and GO 830, GO 874 sets no day limit for this check.
5. 15 days to fix gaps. You must remove the gaps and upload the relevant records within a maximum of 15 days. If you do not, the claim is treated as cancelled automatically.
6. Re-examination. Once you upload the records, the Bureau examines the claim again and puts it on the agenda.
7. Committee and payment. The Authorised Committee decides claims first come, first served. Payment goes by Direct Benefit Transfer within the year’s budget.

Step 5 is the one to watch. Name one person to check the portal and the claim’s email address twice a week while the claim is open.

Who decides your claim: the Authorised Committee

Paragraph 3 gives the Authorised Committee the power to decide the online filing process, the records units must provide and any changes to them, and to approve claims. Its members are:

This committee also notifies the platforms that qualify under condition (5). Under paragraph 8 it has the power to interpret the order and clarify its provisions.

Documents GO 874 asks for

The order prescribes three annexures. Paragraph 2(2) adds that copies of all required records must be uploaded with the claim.

Annexure I: the application form

The first part of the form asks for:

• Name of the exporting unit
• Registered business address in Uttar Pradesh
• IEC number
• Udyam registration number
• Authorised Dealer (AD) code and the name of the issuing bank
• Export Promotion Bureau UP membership number
• UP Export Promotion Council membership number
• Name of the e-commerce platform
• Total products listed, with description
• Date of onboarding
• First year onboarding period, from and to

The second part is the fee breakup shown earlier, with the amount and invoice number and date for each line, the total exclusive of taxes and the 75 percent claimed.

The form ends with a declaration signed by the authorised signatory, with name, designation, seal and date. It says the details relate to the unit’s first registration on an international e-commerce platform for carrying out export activity, and that the information is true and verified. Read that line before you choose which platform to claim for. See Not yet confirmed below.

Annexure II: the affidavit on Rs 10 stamp paper

The affidavit is given by the proprietor, partner or director, with the Udyam registration number, IEC, Export Promotion Bureau registration number and date. It states five things:

1. How many times the unit has filed a claim under the scheme in the financial year.
2. That the unit falls in a stated MSME category under the MSME Act 2006 and the notification dated 21 March 2025.
3. That the unit is in the merchant or manufacturing category, as stated.
4. That the firm has not received a financial grant or benefit from any scheme of the state or the Government of India against this claim.
5. That all information given is true, nothing has been hidden, and strict action can be taken if false facts are found later.

The order prescribes Rs 10 stamp paper. It does not say whether the affidavit must be notarised. Many units have it notarised anyway, which removes one possible query.

Annexure III: the Chartered Accountant certificate

The certificate is issued by a Chartered Accountant on official letterhead. It certifies that the named unit, with its registered office, is engaged in exporting goods or services from Uttar Pradesh, registered on the named international e-commerce platform during the stated financial year, and bore a stated total of net eligible onboarding fees, excluding taxes, during the first year onboarding period.

A small table then shows the total fee paid exclusive of taxes and the admissible amount at 75 percent, maximum Rs 3.0 lakh. The Chartered Accountant confirms that the details have been checked against the records and documents produced and are true and correct to the best of their knowledge, and that the certificate is issued only for this claim. It ends with signature and seal, date, the Chartered Accountant’s name, membership number and place.

The order does not mention a UDIN, but the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India requires a Unique Document Identification Number on certificates its members sign. Ask your Chartered Accountant to generate one.

Records we suggest you keep for the claim

The order does not print a full list of supporting records, and paragraph 3 lets the Authorised Committee decide them. Until the portal shows its own list, these are the records we prepare:

• Signed Annexure I, Annexure II and Annexure III.
• The platform’s invoices for each fee in the breakup, with tax shown separately.
• Proof of payment from the unit’s own bank account, such as the bank statement and, for foreign currency payments, the bank’s remittance advice.
• Proof of the onboarding date, such as the platform’s account activation email or seller dashboard record.
• Proof of at least one export consignment through the platform in the onboarding year: the platform order record, the export invoice, the shipping bill or Postal Bill of Export, and the bank’s record of the export proceeds.
• Proof that the account stayed active for the year, such as dated screenshots of the live seller account and listings.
• The Bureau’s written reply that the platform is notified, if you obtained one.
• Export Promotion Bureau and UPEPC certificates with dates earlier than the onboarding date, Udyam registration and IEC.
• Bank account details for the Direct Benefit Transfer, usually with a cancelled cheque.

Choosing the one platform you will claim for

Because the assistance covers one platform and the first year only, the choice is worth thinking through before you pay anything:

1. Is it notified? If the committee has not notified the platform, there is nothing to claim. Ask the Bureau first.
2. Does it charge onboarding fees at all? Some platforms charge mainly a commission on each sale and little or nothing to join. Since commissions are not onboarding fees, such a platform may leave little to claim. A platform with an upfront seller or membership fee gives a larger base.
3. Can you export through it within the year? Condition (4) needs at least one export consignment through that platform in the onboarding year. Pick a platform where your product can realistically sell abroad in the first twelve months.
4. Is it your first international platform? The declaration in Annexure I refers to the unit’s first registration on an international e-commerce platform. If you are already selling on one, ask the Bureau whether a new platform still qualifies.
5. Can you stay a full year? Leaving before the year ends breaks paragraph 2(1).

Our guide to cross-border e-commerce export setup covers the compliance side of selling abroad online, including IEC, LUT, shipping routes and payment reconciliation.

Where GO 874 claims go wrong

1. Platform not notified. Paying a large fee to a platform that the committee has not notified.
2. Registration after onboarding. Joining the platform in January and registering with the Bureau or UPEPC in March.
3. No export through the platform. Opening the account and paying the fee, but making no export through that platform within the onboarding year.
4. Filing too early. Filing after eight or ten months because the first export came quickly. The year on the platform must be complete first.
5. Filing too late. Starting the paperwork after day 90.
6. Taxes and selling costs in the base. Including GST, foreign taxes, commissions or advertising in the total.
7. Agency fees treated as platform fees. Claiming fees paid to a third party for listings or setup, which the form’s lines do not cover.
8. Payment from a personal account. Paying the platform from a proprietor’s personal card, which makes it harder to show that the unit bore the cost. Pay from the unit’s own account.
9. Missing the 15 day reply. Not noticing that the Bureau reverted the claim, so it is cancelled automatically.

Payment priority and the budget

Paragraph 4 says claims are approved first come, first served. Payment depends on the budget available. The money goes by Direct Benefit Transfer straight to the beneficiary’s bank account. Claims received in a financial year are paid only within that year’s budget. Whether claims left unpaid can be carried to the next year is for the Authorised Committee to decide.

Paragraph 6 adds a priority. Units that take part in national and international fairs and events sponsored by the state, or held through the Export Promotion Bureau or the UP Export Promotion Council, get priority when claims are paid.

Recovery and blacklisting for false claims

Paragraph 7 says that if at any stage the unit is found to have misused the assistance, or to have knowingly given or hidden false facts, the whole amount is recovered from the unit as arrears of land revenue. The unit is also blacklisted and declared ineligible for any government financial assistance in future.

Claim only fees the platform charged, without taxes, with an invoice for each, and only for a platform you actually exported through.

GO 874 and the other UP orders

These orders pay for different costs, so a unit can use more than one. The limit is paragraph 5: the same expense cannot be paid twice. The UP Marketing Development Assistance order, GO 811, also covers some marketing costs, so do not put the same platform fee in both claims.

Not yet confirmed

These points are not settled by the text of GO 874. We are asking the Export Promotion Bureau and will update this page when we have a written answer.

• Which international platforms the Authorised Committee has notified under condition (5).
• Whether the declaration about the unit’s “first registration on an international e-commerce platform” excludes units already selling on another international platform.
• Whether onboarding before the order’s date, 3 December 2025, can be claimed.
• Which exchange rate applies to fees paid in foreign currency.
• What proof the Bureau accepts that the unit stayed active on the platform for the full year.
• Whether the affidavit must be notarised, since the order only prescribes Rs 10 stamp paper.
• The web address of the claim portal, which the order does not print.

Frequently asked questions

What is the UP e-commerce onboarding assistance scheme?

It is a scheme under Government Order No. 874/18-4-2025 dated 3 December 2025. It repays Uttar Pradesh MSME exporters 75 percent of their first year onboarding fees on one international e-commerce platform, as a one time reimbursement, up to Rs 3 lakh, after a full year on the platform.

How much can I get under GO 874?

75 percent of the first year onboarding fees charged by the platform, exclusive of taxes, up to Rs 3,00,000. For example, Rs 2 lakh of eligible fees gives Rs 1.5 lakh. Above Rs 4 lakh of eligible fees the cap applies and the claim stays at Rs 3 lakh.

Which e-commerce platforms qualify under GO 874?

The order names none. A platform qualifies only if it facilitates trade abroad, offers international payments under the rules and has been notified by the Authorised Committee. We have not seen a published list, so ask the Export Promotion Bureau in writing before paying a fee you plan to claim.

Can I claim for more than one platform?

No. Condition (3) limits the assistance to onboarding on one e-commerce platform. You cannot split the Rs 3 lakh across several marketplaces or file one claim per platform. The application form also asks you to name a single platform and its onboarding date.

Do I have to export through the platform before claiming?

Yes. Condition (4) requires at least one export consignment sent through that platform during the onboarding year. Registering and paying the fee is not enough. Keep the platform order record, the export invoice, the shipping bill or Postal Bill of Export and the bank record of the proceeds.

When can I file the GO 874 claim?

Only after you have been active on the platform for one full year from the onboarding date, and then within 90 days. For an onboarding on 1 April 2026, the year ends on 31 March 2027 and the last day to file is 29 June 2027 on our counting.

Are commissions and advertising covered by GO 874?

We do not expect so. The form’s fee lines are one time registration or subscription fees, one time seller fees and other onboarding fees charged by the platform. Commissions on each sale, advertising, fulfilment and shipping are selling costs, not first year onboarding fees.

Is GST included in the 75 percent?

No. The application form asks for the total fee paid exclusive of taxes, and the Chartered Accountant certifies net eligible onboarding fees excluding taxes. Take GST and any foreign tax out of each invoice before working out the 75 percent.

Can I claim second year renewal fees?

No. Condition (2) says the assistance applies only to first year onboarding, and renewal or recurring fees after the first year are not admissible. Plan the second year’s platform cost as a normal business expense.

Do I need Export Promotion Bureau and UPEPC registration?

Yes. The unit must be registered with both the Export Promotion Bureau UP and the UP Export Promotion Council at the time of the work. Treat that as the onboarding date. The application form asks for both membership numbers, and the affidavit asks for the Bureau registration number and date.

What does the Chartered Accountant certificate need to show?

It follows the Annexure III format on the Chartered Accountant’s letterhead. It names the unit, the platform and the financial year, states the net eligible onboarding fees excluding taxes and the 75 percent admissible amount, and carries the signature, seal, name, membership number, place and date. Ask for a UDIN as well.

What happens if the Bureau finds my claim incomplete?

The Bureau records the gaps online and reverts the claim to you. You have a maximum of 15 days to upload the missing records, or the claim is treated as cancelled automatically. Once you upload them, the Bureau examines the claim again before it goes to the committee.

Can I claim GO 874 and GO 838 together?

Yes, for different costs. GO 874 covers first year platform onboarding fees and GO 838 covers postage on parcels sent through a Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra. Paragraph 5 only stops the same expense from being paid twice under two schemes.

When will the money reach my account?

GO 874 does not give a date. The Authorised Committee approves claims first come, first served. Payment goes by Direct Benefit Transfer within the year’s budget. Since you can only file after a full year on the platform, expect the money well over a year after paying the fee.

How Rasp International helps with GO 874 claims

Rasp International is an ISO 9001:2015 certified EXIM and DGFT consultancy based in Agra, with a family legacy in international trade since 2005 and more than 500 exporters served. For GO 874 we check that Udyam, IEC, AD code, Export Promotion Bureau and UPEPC registrations are in place before you onboard, ask the Bureau whether your chosen platform is notified, set up a file of invoices and payment proofs from day one, track the onboarding year and the first export through the platform, brief your Chartered Accountant on Annexure III and file the claim early in its 90 day window.

We handle it end to end. When you engage us, we prepare the papers, file the application or claim for you in your unit’s name, answer queries and follow it through to a decision. If you prefer to file yourself, we guide your team instead.

The order leaves approval and payment to the Authorised Committee, so we do not promise either. We make sure the claim is complete, consistent and on time.

Planning to sell abroad on an online marketplace from Uttar Pradesh? Message Rasp International on WhatsApp before you pay the onboarding fee and we will check what you can claim.

Sources

• Government Order No. 874/18-4-2025 dated 3 December 2025, E-commerce Onboarding Assistance Scheme, opening paragraph with conditions (1) to (5), paragraphs 2 to 9, Annexure I (application form and fee breakup), Annexure II (affidavit on Rs 10 stamp paper) and Annexure III (Chartered Accountant certificate).
• Government Order No. 684/18-4-2025/18-4099/31/2025 dated 3 September 2025, UP Export Promotion Policy 2025-30.
• The orders are in Hindi. Official copies: upepc.org.

This is general guidance. Rules change. Verify against the current order or the current portal screen before you file or pay.

Related: UP export subsidy schemes 2025-30 | UP Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra postage support | Cross-border e-commerce export setup | Export Promotion Bureau and UPEPC registration | Conditions most marketplace sellers miss