Used by 450+ corporate clients across India since 2015

Import Export Code Registration in India for Businesses

No business in India can import or export goods without an Importer-Exporter Code unless it falls in an exempt category, and DGFT deactivates any IEC that is not updated each April to June. For import export code registration, LexComply prepares and files your ANF-2A application on the DGFT portal, updates the IEC when your details change, and tracks the annual confirmation on a platform used by 450+ corporate clients.

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An Indian business owner with a tablet at a container port in India, representing LexComply's import export code registration service for importers and exporters in India

Our Import Export Code Services

One route for a new IEC, the yearly confirmation DGFT requires, and the changes and import licences that follow.

New IEC Application on the DGFT Portal

An online ANF-2A application under paragraph 2.08 of the Handbook of Procedures, filed with the prescribed fee and any bank or address proof the portal still asks for, so the 10-character IEC is generated against your PAN.

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Annual IEC Update and Confirmation

DGFT requires every IEC holder to update or confirm its details online each year between April and June under paragraph 2.05 of FTP 2023. LexComply files the confirmation in time, so your IEC is not deactivated mid-shipment.

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IEC Modification and Reactivation

A change in constitution, address, bank details or other primary details must reach your IEC within 30 days. LexComply files the modification, and the missed update with an answer to any flagged risk, so DGFT can reactivate the code.

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IEC Applicability Check

A written view on whether you need an IEC at all, checked against the 12 permanent IECs and exempt categories in paragraph 2.07, such as imports for personal use, before you apply for one you may not need.

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LMPC Registration for Importers

Importers of pre-packaged goods usually also need legal metrology registration under Rule 27 of the 2011 Packaged Commodities Rules. LexComply files it alongside your IEC so both records carry the same entity details.

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Import Compliance Tracking

Your IEC, its annual April to June deadline and every product licence linked to it sit in LexComply's compliance platform, which monitors 200+ government portals so a DGFT change reaches the accountable owner directly.

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A compliance professional in India reviewing a bank certificate and an IEC application file, the document preparation step in LexComply's import export code registration process

How Import Export Code Registration Works With LexComply

Applicability and PAN Check

We confirm that your business in India needs an IEC rather than one of the exempt categories, and that its PAN, entity name and constitution match. Only one IEC is issued against a single PAN, so we check for an existing IEC before anything new is filed.

Document Preparation

The portal validates your details online against government and bank records and asks for documents only where it cannot, typically a cancelled cheque or bank certificate and proof of the entity's address. We prepare both in advance and check them against the details on the PAN before upload.

ANF-2A Filing on the DGFT Portal

We file the online ANF-2A application with the applicable fee. The IEC is generated online and the applicant is told by email and SMS, after which the e-IEC can be downloaded from the DGFT dashboard. We keep every acknowledgement for your audit trail.

Post-Verification Support

Online IECs are subject to post-verification under guidelines that DGFT headquarters issues from time to time. If a query is raised or the system flags your IEC for scrutiny, we answer it with the documents already on file so the risk is closed and the IEC is not deactivated.

Annual Update and Change Tracking

Your IEC then sits in LexComply's compliance platform. The April to June confirmation, every change you must report within 30 days and any linked import licences are tracked, so your IEC stays active for every shipment your business in India imports or exports.

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Is outside support worth it

When an IEC Needs a Specialist

A sole proprietor whose PAN, address and bank details are unchanged can usually file an ANF-2A application on the DGFT portal without help. Outside support earns its place when your entity has changed its constitution, address or bank since its IEC was issued, when an IEC was deactivated for a missed April to June update, or when your imports also need LMPC, CDSCO or EPR registration. That is the output LexComply produces: the IEC filed or corrected, the annual confirmation tracked, and the product registrations your imports depend on filed with the same entity details.

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Rows of cartons on pallets in an import warehouse in India, the kind of business that needs an active Importer-Exporter Code and linked product registrations

From LexComply users

What Clients Say About the LexComply Platform

it keeps us updated with all regulatory and statutory changes, updates as soon as they're implemented/rolled out. It's been our saviour and alarm clock !!!

RachnaLawyer★★★★★

Contains every bit of information and the best part is it keeps updated with latest changes in acts rules etc.

Gaurav KapoorLegal Services★★★★★

Useful software for the organisation. Provide good control mechanisms for top management

Automotive IndustryHead Legal & Company Secretary★★★★☆

Registration plus tracking

Why Choose LexComply for IEC Registration?

New Delhi Base, Pan-India Filing

LexComply's team, working from its registered office in New Delhi since 2015, prepares IEC applications and annual updates on the DGFT portal for businesses across India and answers each DGFT query until it is closed.

IEC and Product Licences Together

An IEC is often only the first approval an importer needs. LexComply files LMPC, CDSCO and EPR registrations against the same entity details, so your import records match across every authority.

No Missed April to June Window

The yearly IEC confirmation moves into LexComply's compliance platform, which 450+ corporate clients already use to track 10,000+ laws, so the deadline reaches an owner before DGFT deactivates the code.

About LexComply

A RegTech company built by legal and finance practitioners

LexComply is the anchor brand of RSJ Lexsys Private Limited, a RegTech company incorporated in New Delhi in 2015. Its registration services cover Central and State licences across India, from Import Export Code and legal metrology registration to EPR and CDSCO approvals, and its leadership brings more than 80 years of combined experience across law, chartered accountancy, company secretarial practice and enterprise technology. LexComply's compliance platform and services are used by manufacturing, automotive, consumer goods, healthcare, real estate and logistics enterprises, including two of the Big 4 global accounting and tax firms. Today 450+ corporate clients and 20,000+ active users run their obligations on the platform. Once an IEC is issued, its annual confirmation and every reportable change move into the same compliance register that tracks 10,000+ laws.

450+Corporate Clients
20,000+Active Users
80 yearsCombined Leadership Experience

Import Export Code Registration FAQs

What is import export code registration?

Import export code registration is the online process of obtaining an Importer-Exporter Code from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. The IEC is a 10-character code that is the same as the entity's PAN, and no business may import or export goods without one unless it is specifically exempted.

Who needs import export code registration?

Any person importing or exporting goods needs an IEC unless exempted under paragraph 2.07 of the Handbook of Procedures. Exempt categories include Central and State Government departments and persons importing or exporting goods for personal use not connected with trade, manufacture or agriculture. For services, an IEC is needed to claim Foreign Trade Policy benefits.

How is an IEC application filed?

The application is filed online in form ANF-2A on the DGFT portal with the applicable fee. The portal validates the applicant's details online and asks for a cancelled cheque or bank certificate and address proof only where it cannot exempt them. The IEC is then generated online, and online IECs are subject to post-verification under DGFT guidelines.

Does an IEC need renewal every year?

No. An IEC has permanent validity unless it is suspended or cancelled. However, the holder must update or confirm its IEC details online every year between April and June, even if nothing has changed. An IEC that is not updated in that period is deactivated, and it is activated again once the update is completed.

What happens if my IEC is deactivated?

A deactivated IEC is activated again only after its details are successfully updated online, under paragraph 2.05(e) of FTP 2023. An IEC can also be deactivated if risks flagged by the DGFT system are not addressed in time. LexComply files the update and answers any flagged risk so DGFT can reactivate the code.

What does import export code registration cost?

There are two parts. The government fee is set out in Appendix 2K of the FTP 2023 Appendices and Aayat Niryat Forms and is paid online with the application. The professional fee depends on whether you need a fresh IEC, a modification or a reactivation, and on any product registrations filed with it. LexComply quotes both before work starts.

Can one company hold more than one IEC?

No. Only one IEC is issued against a single PAN, and that IEC covers all branches, divisions, units and factories of the entity. If a merger, acquisition or business transfer creates an entity with a new PAN, an IEC must be obtained against the new PAN within 30 days of the change.

Do I need a consultant for import export code registration?

Many single-owner businesses file import export code registration themselves on the DGFT portal. A consultant is worth engaging when your entity details have changed, your IEC has been deactivated, or your imports also need LMPC, CDSCO or EPR registration that must carry the same details.

Not sure whether you need a new IEC or an update

A specialist can check your PAN, your existing IEC status and the annual update before anything is filed.

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Independent recognition

Awards and Recognition

Compliance Management System of the Year 2023

Awarded at the UBS Forum, Mumbai.

Prithvi Awards, Startup Focused on ESG

Presented by Union Minister Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Entrepreneur Awards 2023

MSME Online Business Entrepreneur of the Year, CS Gaurrav Jaiin.

Talk to an IEC Specialist Today

Tell us your entity type, whether you already hold an IEC, what you plan to import or export and whether your details have changed. A LexComply specialist will confirm what registration involves for you.

info@lexcomply.com

Request an IEC Assessment

Connect with one of our platform specialists to discuss how can we help your business stay out in front.

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