Import Export Code (IEC) in
Maharashtra

IMAK Advisory is an ICAI-registered firm of chartered accountants in Whitefield, Bengaluru, handling import export code registration, annual updates, modifications and reactivations for proprietors, firms, LLPs and companies across India. The DGFT full form is Directorate General of Foreign Trade – the office of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that administers the Foreign Trade Policy and issues the code online through its portal.

A DGFT IEC is the 10-character number, the same as the PAN for PAN-based codes, that customs and banks need for every commercial import and export of goods. Only one is issued against a single PAN, and it covers all branches and units. The application is made in form ANF-2A, and since February 2026 the bank account is validated in real time with NPCI, so the account name and PAN must match the applicant exactly.

The code never expires, but it must be confirmed or updated online every year between April and June. If that is missed, it is deactivated from July until the update is completed. Changes in address, bank, partners or directors must be updated within 30 days, and a new entity with a new PAN needs its own registration within 30 days of the change.

To check your DGFT IEC status, log in to the DGFT portal, or use the public search on the DGFT website with the code and entity details. The IEC status shows whether the code is active, deactivated, suspended or on the Denied Entity List. IEC verification of a buyer, supplier or partner uses the same search, together with GSTIN and company record checks, before you ship goods or extend credit.

Proprietors and partners should also make sure their PAN is operative. The page at eportal.incometax.gov.in/iec/foservices/#/pre-login/bl-link-aadhaar is the income-tax portal's "Link Aadhaar" page – not a DGFT page – but an inoperative PAN can stop the trade registration and the bank validation from going through.

Some importers and exporters do not need a registration of their own. Government departments, travellers under baggage rules, diplomats, imports for personal use and goods for exhibitions under an ATA carnet use permanent exempt numbers notified by the DGFT instead. Service exporters generally need the code only if they claim Foreign Trade Policy benefits, although banks and online platforms often ask for it anyway, so many obtain one at the start.

After registration, most businesses also need GST and a Letter of Undertaking for exports, registration on the customs portal, a customs broker, and a clean record of foreign exchange receipts and payments with their bank. Exporters who use duty-free import schemes must track and close their export obligations on time. We set these up together, so that customs, GST and bank records agree at the year end.

We do not publish fees; the official DGFT fee is paid at actuals, and our team shares the exact total for our work after reviewing your requirements. Visit us at ITPL Main Rd, Pattandur Agrahara, Whitefield, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560066, call or WhatsApp +91 79798 50684, or email imakadvisoryteam@gmail.com, and the IMAK Advisory team will check your details and prepare your import export code application.