How to Apply for Import Export License: Step by Step
Most people searching how to apply for import export license think they are applying for a licence. They are not. They are applying for the Importer Exporter Code, a 10-digit number issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, and the whole thing is done on one government portal for Rs 500 in about two working days. The paperwork is not the hard part. Knowing which screen asks for what, and what happens after the certificate lands in your inbox, is where most first-time applicants lose two weeks. At StartupFlora, we file IEC applications for MSMEs and first-time exporters every week, so this guide is the actual sequence, not the marketing version. This is the process guide. If you want the wider picture on what the IEC is, what it costs you over a lifetime and which entity type suits your business
Who Should Apply Now, and Who Should Wait
Strong fit
You have goods or a buyer, a current account in the business name, and a shipment expected in the next quarter. Apply now, since the IEC costs Rs 500 and never expires.
Marginal fit
You are exploring export as an idea with no buyer and no product line locked. The IEC is cheap enough to take early, but remember it starts an annual update obligation from the following April.
Not a fit yet
You have not registered the business entity or opened its bank account. The application will fail on bank proof. Fix the entity first.
Possibly not needed
Personal imports for your own use, and certain service exports settled in rupees, do not require an IEC. Check before paying.
Import Export License at a Glance
How to Get Import Export License in India: The Full DGFT Process
Register on the DGFT portal
Go to dgft.gov.in, click Register on the top right, and choose Importer/Exporter as the user category. Enter your PAN, name, email and mobile. You will get two separate OTPs, one to the mobile and one to the email. Both must be entered in the same session.
Set your password and log in
The portal issues a temporary password by email. Change it at first login. The username is usually your registered email.
Start the application
Go to Services, then IEC Profile Management, then Apply for IEC, then Start Fresh Application. This opens form ANF 2A.
Fill the entity details.
Business name exactly as it appears on the PAN, entity category, date of incorporation, address. If you already have a GSTIN, most of this auto-populates. Do not correct the auto-populated spelling to what you think is right. It has to match the PAN database character for character.
Add proprietor, partner or director details
Every partner or director needs their PAN, DIN where applicable, and address. A single missing DIN holds the whole form.
Enter bank details and upload documents
Account number, IFSC, and the cancelled cheque or bank certificate. Uploads must be PDF or JPEG and under the size cap shown on screen. Scan at 200 dpi rather than photographing documents on a phone, because blurred uploads are a common rejection trigger.
Pay Rs 500
Payment goes through the Bharatkosh gateway. Save the transaction receipt. If the gateway times out mid-payment, do not repay immediately. Check the payment status inside the portal first, because duplicate payments take weeks to refund.
Sign and submit
Sign with Aadhaar OTP or with your Class 3 DSC. This is the step that fails most often for company applicants, because the DSC needs the DGFT signing utility installed and the browser has to allow it.
Register on the DGFT portal
Go to dgft.gov.in, click Register on the top right, and choose Importer/Exporter as the user category. Enter your PAN, name, email and mobile. You will get two separate OTPs, one to the mobile and one to the email. Both must be entered in the same session.
Set your password and log in
The portal issues a temporary password by email. Change it at first login. The username is usually your registered email.
Start the application
Go to Services, then IEC Profile Management, then Apply for IEC, then Start Fresh Application. This opens form ANF 2A.
Fill the entity details.
Business name exactly as it appears on the PAN, entity category, date of incorporation, address. If you already have a GSTIN, most of this auto-populates. Do not correct the auto-populated spelling to what you think is right. It has to match the PAN database character for character.
Add proprietor, partner or director details
Every partner or director needs their PAN, DIN where applicable, and address. A single missing DIN holds the whole form.
Enter bank details and upload documents
Account number, IFSC, and the cancelled cheque or bank certificate. Uploads must be PDF or JPEG and under the size cap shown on screen. Scan at 200 dpi rather than photographing documents on a phone, because blurred uploads are a common rejection trigger.
Pay Rs 500
Payment goes through the Bharatkosh gateway. Save the transaction receipt. If the gateway times out mid-payment, do not repay immediately. Check the payment status inside the portal first, because duplicate payments take weeks to refund.
Sign and submit
Sign with Aadhaar OTP or with your Class 3 DSC. This is the step that fails most often for company applicants, because the DSC needs the DGFT signing utility installed and the browser has to allow it.
Import Export License Online Application
How to Make Import Export License in India by Entity Type
Import Export License Process in India: What It Really Costs
FAQs
Procedure for Import Export License Renewal
The IEC never expires, but it dies quietly if you ignore it.
DGFT requires every holder to confirm or update their IEC details on the portal between 1 April and 30 June each financial year, even when nothing has changed. Miss the window and the IEC is deactivated. A deactivated IEC stops shipping bills at customs and blocks export remittances until you reactivate it.
The confirmation itself is free and takes under five minutes. Log in, open IEC Profile Management, select Update IEC, verify the details and e-sign. Set a calendar reminder for the first week of April, because DGFT does not chase you.
Our full breakdown sits in the import export license fees guide.
The Step Almost Nobody Mentions: AD Code Registration
Your IEC does not let you ship anything.
Before your first consignment clears, you need an Authorised Dealer Code from your bank, registered on ICEGATE against each port you plan to ship from. No AD code registration at that port means no shipping bill, which means the goods sit there. It is registered port by port, so a Nhava Sheva registration does nothing for you at Delhi air cargo.
Get the AD code letter from your bank in the format your bank uses, then register it on ICEGATE. Most first-time exporters discover this the week their first order is ready, which is the worst possible time.
Conclusion
How to apply for import export license comes down to eight screens on the DGFT portal, Rs 500, and having your PAN, bank proof and address proof matching each other before you start. The application is genuinely straightforward. The two things that catch people are the annual April to June confirmation, which silently deactivates codes that miss it, and the AD code registration, which is what actually lets a shipment leave the port.
If you would rather have the filing, the annual update reminders and the AD code registration handled together, StartupFlora files IEC applications end to end. Get a consultation and we will tell you within a call whether you need a DSC or whether Aadhaar OTP will do.
Disclaimer: StartupFlora is a consultancy service provider specializing in startup consultation. We are not associated or in collaboration with any Government/Non-Government Agency / Institutions / Organisation / Department. For service payments, please ensure all transactions are made directly to our official company account.