Licenses & registrations
We get your Import Export Code issued, filed end to end on the DGFT portal, so your first international payment doesn't stall on paperwork.
An IEC application means a name-mismatch check across your PAN, bank, and entity records, an ANF-2A filing on the DGFT portal, and a wait for your certificate. Get the name formatting wrong and DGFT's automated bank validation bounces the whole thing. We handle the check and the filing.
An Import Export Code (IEC) is what DGFT issues under Section 7 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, before a business can import or export. Goods importers and exporters need one to move a shipment. Most SaaS and freelance service exporters don't need one under the statute's own proviso, but banks and payment gateways routinely ask for one anyway before they'll release an inward international payment.
The application itself is short: PAN, business address proof, a bank certificate or cancelled cheque, and Aadhaar or a Digital Signature Certificate to e-sign. What actually slows applicants down is a name that doesn't match exactly across those documents, which DGFT's real-time bank validation now catches automatically.
Scope
"Pvt Ltd" on a bank certificate against "Private Limited" as entered on the PAN record is enough to trigger a rejection under DGFT's NPCI-based bank validation. We check the three records against each other before we file.
Filed against the government's ₹500 one-time, non-refundable application fee.
Typically issued within 1-3 working days of a clean submission.
Specifics
If you're importing or exporting goods, yes. Section 7 of the FTDR Act requires it. If you're exporting services, such as SaaS or freelance work, the same section's proviso exempts you unless you're claiming a Foreign Trade Policy benefit like SEIS, or dealing in a restricted category of specified services or technologies.
Even where the statute doesn't require it, banks and payment gateways routinely ask for an IEC before processing a business's first international wire. That's a KYC convention on the bank's side rather than a codified requirement. A ₹500 application is cheap insurance against a stalled first payment.
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| PAN card | Of the business, or the individual applicant for a proprietorship. |
| Business address proof | Electricity bill, rent agreement plus owner NOC, or property tax receipt, dated within roughly 3 months. |
| Bank certificate or cancelled cheque | Must show business name, account number, IFSC, and bank name. Checked against DGFT's real-time bank validation. |
| Aadhaar or DSC | Aadhaar for OTP e-sign, or a Digital Signature Certificate token for companies and LLPs. |
DGFT now runs NPCI-based real-time bank validation on every application, checking the PAN name, bank account name, and account number for an exact match. A formatting difference as small as an abbreviation is enough to fail it. This is the single most common reason we see IEC applications bounce, and it's checkable before submission rather than after a rejection.
Process
Step 1 of 4
Document review
We check your PAN, bank records, and entity records against each other for a name-formatting mismatch before we file anything.
Common mistakes founders make
Clarifications
Not under Section 7 of the FTDR Act, unless you're claiming an FTP scheme benefit like SEIS or dealing in a restricted technology category. In practice, most founders get one anyway before their first international payment, since banks ask for it regardless.
₹500, a one-time government fee, non-refundable if the application is denied.
Typically 1-3 working days once your documents verify cleanly.
The most common reason is a name that doesn't match exactly across your PAN, bank certificate, and entity records. DGFT's automated bank validation catches this at submission.
No, it has lifetime validity. But you do need to file an annual confirmation between 1 April and 30 June each year, or it deactivates from 1 July.
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Get it done for you
Hand it to BuildWright — we handle the drafting, filing and compliance end to end.
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IEC Reactivation (Deactivated to Active)
If your IEC went inactive because the annual DGFT update was missed, we complete the pending update on the DGFT portal so it's back in force.
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LLP Incorporation
End-to-end LLP registration: name approval, MCA filing (FiLLiP), DSC and Designated Partner setup, and a drafted LLP Agreement, handled for you.
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Annual IEC Updation / Confirmation Filing
We file your mandatory annual IEC confirmation every year before the 30 June deadline, so it never lapses into deactivation.
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IEC Modification / Amendment
Changed your address, bank account, or entity name? We file the IEC modification via ANF-2A in modification mode so your code matches your current details.
Learn the details
Guides that walk through every step.
Guide
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Does Your SaaS or Freelance Export Business Actually Need an IEC?
The Foreign Trade Act exempts most service exports from needing an Import Export Code. Banks ask for one anyway. Here's why both things are true.
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IEC Application Documents Checklist (2026): Everything You Need Before You Apply
PAN, address proof, a bank certificate, and a way to e-sign. What DGFT actually asks for, and the one formatting mistake that causes most rejections.
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IEC vs GST Registration: Do You Need Both, and Which Comes First?
Two separate registrations from two separate departments. Neither is a precondition of the other, and most exporters end up needing both.
Specific fixes
IEC Reactivation (Deactivated to Active)
If your IEC went inactive because the annual DGFT update was missed, we complete the pending update on the DGFT portal so it's back in force.
Annual IEC Updation / Confirmation Filing
We file your mandatory annual IEC confirmation every year before the 30 June deadline, so it never lapses into deactivation.
IEC Modification / Amendment
Changed your address, bank account, or entity name? We file the IEC modification via ANF-2A in modification mode so your code matches your current details.
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