Factors to compare
- Goods or services and destination
- Exporter entity, bank and tax profile
- Product-specific council or authority requirements
CROSS-BORDER REGISTRATIONS
Import & Export Readiness
Build the registration and documentation foundation for international trade before the first shipment or service export.Map my requirement →WHO THIS HUB HELPS
Start with the business situation.
DECISION SUPPORT
Check fit before choosing a service.
You may not need this route when: A domestic-only business may not need an IEC or export-council route unless its planned transactions or another applicable requirement call for one.
Prepare first
- Entity, PAN and bank records
- Product or service description
- Planned destination and transaction model
COMPARE YOUR STARTING POINT
Different situations need different work.
Use these questions to frame an enquiry, not to decide statutory eligibility. Follow the service guide that matches the work you need.
| Your situation | Facts to compare | Next guide |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing the exporter identity | The applicant entity, PAN and bank records, planned goods or services, and whether a new application or existing-record update is needed. | IEC preparation and applicability → |
| Considering an export-council route | The product or service, relevant council and the specific purpose for which registration is sought. | Map the RCMC requirement → |
| Exporting agricultural or processed products | The exact product and authority scope, alongside destination, customs, banking and other sector requirements. | Explore APEDA applicability → |
| Preparing customs account access | Existing ICEGATE account, importer/exporter role, authorised person and the functions needed; account setup is not shipment clearance. | Prepare ICEGATE access → |
| Adding or correcting a bank record | Bank-confirmed particulars, account purpose, relevant customs location and current request status. | AD-code bank preparation → |
Common pitfalls to avoid
- An IEC is not a substitute for checking the destination, product, customs, tax and banking requirements for a transaction.
- Do not treat export-council membership as an automatic entitlement to incentives or assume every exporter belongs to the same council.
IEC, RCMC and APEDA: build the applicable sequence
Begin with the product or service, destination and trading entity. These registrations answer different questions; do not purchase every service as a universal export bundle.
- Record the goods or services, proposed transactions and existing entity, tax and bank records.
- Review the IEC requirement and existing record; use the update guide when an IEC already exists.
- Identify the relevant registering authority and whether an RCMC or product-specific requirement applies. Discuss RCMC scope.
- For APEDA scheduled products, use the relevant APEDA preparation route. APEDA describes e-RCMC through DGFT after obtaining IEC.
- Review remaining destination, product, bank and customs requirements separately before the shipment or transaction.
Prepare the product description, exporter identity, existing IEC and relevant product/authority evidence. Confirm the current checklist for the actual category. APEDA official RCMC guidance · DGFT portal. Source check: 16 September 2026; no universal licence list or approval promise is asserted.
PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERNo professional endorsement recordedEducational information; not an individual professional opinion.
REVIEW RECORDSources checked 27 Sept 2026Rules, fees and eligibility must be checked before action.
What the source check covers
AI-assisted educational source research checked on 2026-09-27. This hub separates entity records, council selection, product requirements and customs-account preparation; it does not certify a shipment or claim a professional review.
- DGFT: Foreign Trade Policy 2023, chapter 2
Paragraphs 2.05, 2.06 and 2.57 distinguish IEC, goods documents and the RCMC requirement for specified policy purposes.
The published policy text was read. Transaction-date amendments, exemptions and product restrictions require a separate current check; this is not a clearance opinion.
- DGFT: Notification 36/2026-27, 15 September 2026
FTP paragraph 2.57(c) exempts consignments with FOB value up to INR 3,00,000 from the stated RCMC or Certificate of Registration requirement.
The complete signed notification hosted by APEDA was read, not the earlier consultation draft. This exemption is not a waiver of unrelated product, customs or destination rules.
- DGFT: Trade Notice 19/2024-25, 4 October 2024
The notice distinguishes post-export remission schemes and clarifies that RCMC is not required for Duty Drawback, RoSCTL or RoDTEP.
Both pages of the official notice were read. The separate eligibility and current operation of an individual scheme still require transaction-specific assessment.
- DGFT: e-RCMC customer manual, version 4.0
Main-business and registering-authority selection, e-RCMC application and certificate records.
The manual was read for the preparation workflow. Use the current authority-specific checklist and certificate terms for an actual application.
- APEDA: registration-cum-membership certificate
APEDA describes e-RCMC through DGFT after IEC for its applicable scheduled-product route.
- ICEGATE: login and dashboard manual, January 2026
Importer/exporter dashboard, profile management and the separate refund/incentive and foreign-remittance bank-account sections.
Official indexed sections were checked; direct PDF retrieval failed. Confirm the live portal and any operational advisory before submission.
SERVICE PATHS
Choose a focused guide.
Import Export CodeCore applicant, bank and entity data review.Open service guide →APEDA RegistrationFor eligible scheduled products and exporters.Open service guide →FIEO RegistrationMembership-category and export-profile review.Open service guide →RCMC RegistrationProduct-to-council mapping and application support.Open service guide →ICEGATE RegistrationRole, entity records and authorised account access.Open service guide →AD Code RegistrationBank particulars, account purpose and request-status preparation.Open service guide →Export Readiness ReviewA prioritised gap list, not a government export certificate.Open service guide →
EDUCATIONAL READING
Read the supporting articles
These explain a related question; they are separate from a service engagement. Check each guide's scope, source information and dates before relying on it.
HOW TO AGREE THE WORK
Clarify the requirement → agree the scope → prepare records → authorise the next step.
Confirm who prepares, checks and authorises the work, whether a qualified professional's review is needed, what fees and follow-up are included, and which authority decisions remain outside the engagement. No approval or ranking outcome is guaranteed.COMMON QUESTIONS
A clearer starting point.
Does IEC cover every export requirement?
No. Product, destination, customs, tax, banking and sector requirements may need separate review.
Does every exporter need APEDA or an RCMC?
No. Applicability depends on the product or service, the relevant authority and the purpose for which registration is sought.
What should I clarify before my first export?
Describe the product or service, buyer country, seller entity, banking arrangement and transaction model. Use those facts to map the relevant registrations and transaction documents; a single registration does not establish readiness for every shipment.
Is a readiness review the same as permission to export?
No. The review identifies preparation gaps and responsibilities. It does not replace a transaction-specific product, destination, customs, banking or tax decision, and it is not a government certificate.