Why it matters
Without it, customs will not clear your consignment and your bank will not process the trade remittance. There is no workaround.
It is issued against your PAN and, once granted, is valid for life — there is no renewal fee and no expiry date.
It is a prerequisite for most export incentive schemes and for opening the trade facilities banks offer exporters.
The application itself is quick and entirely online, which makes it one of the few registrations that rarely justifies delay.
Who needs this
The process, step by step
Register on the DGFT portal
An account is created against your email and mobile, verified by OTP.
Complete the application
Entity details, PAN, address, and the details of directors or partners are entered in the prescribed form.
Upload the supporting documents
Address proof and a bank proof — a cancelled cheque or a banker's certificate in the name of the business.
Pay and sign
The government fee is paid online and the application is signed with a digital signature or through Aadhaar authentication.
Code issued
The IEC certificate is generated on the portal, usually very quickly for a clean application.
Documents you will need
Sent to you as one consolidated checklist, not as a trickle of requests across a week.
Typical timeline
1–3 working days, often within 24 hours for a clean application
WHAT ACTUALLY MOVES IT
These are honest working ranges, not guarantees. Departmental workload, objections and document quality all move the real duration — and where an office is running behind, we say so at the quote stage rather than after you engage us.
Common mistakes
Forgetting the annual update
The code is lifetime-valid but must be confirmed or updated on the portal every year between April and June. Skip it and the IEC is deactivated — usually discovered when a consignment is already at the port.
Address proof that does not match the PAN
The details on the application must agree with the PAN record. Small differences in the address are enough to hold it up.
Applying for a second IEC
One PAN, one IEC. A second application against the same PAN will not be granted; an additional business line is added to the existing code instead.
Bank proof in a personal name
The account must be in the name of the business entity applying, not the proprietor personally where the applicant is a company or firm.
What happens after
The certificate is not the end of the matter. These are the obligations that start the day it is issued — and they are on the calendar we hand over, whether or not you engage us for that work.
Questions we are actually asked
Does an IEC expire?
No, but it must be updated annually on the portal between April and June. An IEC that is not updated is deactivated, which has the same practical effect as not having one.
Do I need an IEC to export services?
Not for every service transaction, but you do need one to claim benefits under the foreign trade policy. Most service exporters obtain it for that reason.
Can a proprietorship get an IEC?
Yes. It is issued against the PAN, so a proprietor can hold one in the business's name.
What if my details change?
Update the code on the portal. An IEC carrying an old address or a closed bank account causes problems at exactly the wrong moment.