Importer Exporter Code IEC
A code from DGFT, issued online against the business PAN, that any business needs before it imports or exports goods.
Last updated on
- Status
- Open
- Run by
- Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
What you get
- Needed for customs clearance of any commercial import or export, and for claiming export benefits under the Foreign Trade Policy
- Issued automatically online, with the e-IEC sent by email and SMS and available on the DGFT dashboard
- Valid for life unless suspended or cancelled, and covers all branches of the business
- Exporters of services generally do not need an IEC unless they claim Foreign Trade Policy benefits
Who can apply
- Open to proprietorships, partnerships, LLPs, companies, trusts, HUFs and societies
- Only one IEC is issued for one PAN
- IEC details must be updated online every year between April and June, even if nothing has changed. An IEC that is not updated is deactivated, and it is reactivated once updated.
- Exempt cases include imports or exports for personal use not connected with trade, manufacture or agriculture, government departments, and small consignments to Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar within set value limits
How to apply
- Register on the DGFT website
- Fill in the online IEC application (form ANF-2A) with PAN, bank and address details
- Upload a cancelled cheque or bank certificate and the address proof
- Pay the fee online
- Download the e-IEC from the DGFT dashboard
- Update the IEC every year between April and June
Documents to keep ready
- PAN of the business
- Cancelled cheque with the business name printed on it, or a bank certificate in the set format
- Address proof of the business
Where we found this
- DGFT Handbook of Procedures, Chapter 2, paragraphs 2.07 to 2.14 on IEC (external site) Official
- DGFT IEC profile management page (external site) Official
- DGFT form ANF-2A guidelines, IEC fee (external site) Official
- DGFT IEC module user help file v2.0 (external site) Official
- DGFT Trade Notice 31, deactivation of IECs not updated (external site) Official
An independent guide by The Company of Four, not a government website. Schemes change often, so check every detail on the official website before you apply. Links marked ↗ open external websites that we do not run, and we are not responsible for their content. Seen something out of date? Tell us and we will look into it.