IEC code, explained: who needs one, how to get it, and the annual update that switches it off

The Import Export Code is a ten-character identifier issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992. Since 2017 it is the same as your PAN: a proprietor’s IEC is their personal PAN, a company’s is the company PAN. There is one IEC per PAN, valid across all branches and all ports.

Customs will not clear a bill of entry or a shipping bill without it, banks will not process trade remittances without it, and every export incentive under the Foreign Trade Policy is claimed against it. It is the first registration an importer or exporter needs and the one most often assumed to be permanent.

You need an IEC if you import or export goods in the course of business, in any quantity. That includes e-commerce sellers shipping abroad through courier or postal channels, and businesses importing samples, machinery or inputs for their own use.

Services exporters do not need an IEC to receive foreign currency for services; a bank will remit against the purpose code and the GST letter of undertaking. They need one only if they claim benefits under the Foreign Trade Policy, such as a scheme scrip, or if a client or platform insists on it.

Exempt: imports and exports for personal use not connected with trade, agriculture or manufacture; government ministries and departments; and a few notified categories that use a permanent generic IEC instead.

1. Register on the DGFT portal with your PAN, mobile and email. The login is authenticated by Aadhaar OTP for individuals or by a Class 3 digital signature for firms and companies.
2. File the online application (the old Form ANF-2A) with the entity details, the branch addresses, and the bank account that will receive trade proceeds.
3. Upload the documents: PAN, proof of the premises (a rent agreement with the owner’s consent, or an ownership document, plus a utility bill), and a cancelled cheque or a bank certificate for the account.
4. Pay the government fee of ₹500 online.
5. The IEC is generated automatically, usually within a working day or two, and the certificate can be downloaded from the portal. No physical certificate is issued and no inspection takes place.

Afterwards you register the IEC and an AD code with the bank at each port through ICEGATE, without which shipments cannot be filed even with a valid IEC. Exporters also take a Registration-cum-Membership Certificate from the export promotion council for their product if they intend to claim scheme benefits.

Since 2021 every IEC holder must confirm or update the IEC details on the DGFT portal each year between 1 April and 30 June. If nothing has changed, the confirmation is free and takes minutes. If details have changed — a new address, a new director, a new bank — the modification carries a small fee.

Miss the window and DGFT deactivates the IEC. A deactivated IEC is rejected by ICEGATE the moment a shipping bill or bill of entry references it, which is usually how holders find out: a container is at the port and the filing bounces. Reactivation is done by completing the update, after which the IEC is restored, but the days lost at the port are yours.

Put the update in the compliance calendar alongside the GST letter of undertaking, which also renews every April. Both are free, both take minutes, and both stop trade when forgotten.

Any change in the constitution, the name, the registered address, the directors or partners, or the bank account must be updated on the portal. The IEC number itself never changes because it is the PAN. Branch additions are recorded in the IEC profile so that goods can move through the new location.

A change of entity — a proprietorship converting to a private limited company, for instance — is a new PAN and therefore a new IEC. The old one is surrendered once open shipments and incentive claims are closed.

Premises proof in the wrong name. The address proof must be in the name of the entity, or be supported by a consent letter from the owner. Utility bills in a director’s name without a consent letter are the most common rejection.

Bank account not in the entity’s name. Proprietors may use a personal account; firms and companies must use the entity account, and it must match the cancelled cheque uploaded.

DSC mismatch. For companies, the digital signature must belong to a director or authorised signatory whose details match the MCA record.

No AD code registration at the port. A valid IEC with no AD code registered at the port of shipment cannot file a shipping bill. Register before the first consignment, not after it arrives.

Applications are made on the DGFT portal. Our IEC service covers the application, the AD code registration and a calendar reminder for the annual update.