The DGFT mandates an electronic IEC update every year between April and June, even if nothing has changed. Here is the exact portal walkthrough, the deactivation consequences at customs, reactivation steps, and the wider export compliance calendar around eBRC, RoDTEP and LUT.
Every IEC holder must electronically update and confirm their IEC details on dgft.gov.in between 1 April and 30 June each year, even when there is nothing to change. An IEC not updated in that window is deactivated and cannot be used for customs clearance or FTP benefits. Reactivation is free — log in, complete the update, and the code is restored, usually the same day.
The IEC has lifetime validity, which is exactly why exporters forget it exists. Then a container is booked, the shipping bill is filed, and ICEGATE returns an error because the code is inactive. Demurrage starts accruing on a compliance step that takes four minutes online. This article makes that never happen to you.
DGFT's notification dated 12 February 2021 amended Para 2.05 of the Foreign Trade Policy to require that an IEC holder 'ensure that details in its IEC are updated electronically every year, during the April–June period'. Two consequences follow. First, the obligation is unconditional — confirming that nothing has changed is itself the compliance. Second, non-compliance results in deactivation of the IEC, not a monetary penalty.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Window | 1 April to 30 June every financial year |
| Applies to | Every active IEC holder, including dormant ones |
| Fee | Nil where no details change; nominal modification fee if details change |
| If nothing changed | You still must log in and confirm |
| If missed | IEC is deactivated; customs and FTP benefits blocked |
| Reactivation | Complete the update any time; restoration is automatic and free |
| Penalty | No monetary penalty — the cost is operational disruption |
The DSC or Aadhaar used for e-sign must belong to a person listed on the IEC profile. A new director who has not been added to the profile cannot sign the update — add them first, then sign.
'Suspended' and 'Cancelled' are not the same as 'Deactivated'. Deactivation is an automatic consequence of a missed annual update and is self-curable. Suspension or cancellation follows an action by DGFT under the FTDR Act — typically a customs or enforcement issue — and requires a formal representation to the Regional Authority.
| Function | Impact of deactivation |
|---|---|
| Shipping bill / Bill of Entry | Rejected at ICEGATE; goods cannot be cleared |
| IGST refund on exports | Transmission from GSTN to ICEGATE fails |
| RoDTEP scrip generation | Blocked until the IEC is active |
| Duty drawback | Claim processing halted |
| Bank trade remittance | AD bank may decline the purpose code |
| RCMC renewal | Council will not process against an inactive IEC |
The IEC update is one item in a small but strict annual rhythm. Exporters who miss deadlines usually miss all of them together, because nobody owns the calendar.
| Compliance | Frequency | Deadline | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| IEC electronic update | Annual | 1 April – 30 June | DGFT portal |
| LUT in Form RFD-11 | Annual | Before the first export of the FY; ideally by 15 April | GST portal |
| eBRC generation against shipping bills | Per remittance | Within the FTP realisation period (usually 9 months) | DGFT / AD bank |
| RoDTEP claim in the shipping bill | Per shipment | Declaration at the time of filing the shipping bill | ICEGATE |
| GSTR-1 with Table 6A export invoices | Monthly/quarterly | 11th of the following month | GST portal |
| GSTR-3B | Monthly/quarterly | 20th (or 22nd/24th for QRMP) | GST portal |
| RCMC renewal | As per council (1–5 years) | Before expiry | DGFT common portal |
| AD Code registration at a new port | As needed | Before the first shipment from that port | ICEGATE |
Refunds fail when the invoice data in GSTR-1 Table 6A does not exactly match the shipping bill — invoice number, invoice date, taxable value, IGST amount, port code and the IEC must all agree. Check the 'ICEGATE — Refund Status Enquiry' page for the specific error code (SB000 means success; SB001–SB006 identify the mismatch) and file an amendment in the next GSTR-1 rather than raising a grievance.
The AD Code must be registered at the specific port. Registering at Nhava Sheva does not enable an air shipment from Delhi. Obtain a fresh AD Code letter from the bank branch and register it on ICEGATE for the new port before booking.
Three prerequisites: the RoDTEP declaration must have been made on the shipping bill itself (it cannot be added later), the IEC must be active, and the exporter must have created an e-scrip credit ledger on ICEGATE. Missing the declaration on the shipping bill is unrecoverable for that shipment.
Your IEC is deactivated. There is no fine — log in to the DGFT portal, complete the update and submit, and the IEC is reactivated, typically the same day. Plan around the ICEGATE propagation lag before booking a shipment.
Yes. The obligation attaches to holding the IEC, not to using it. Dormant exporters must still confirm their details each April–June.
No fee where you are only confirming that details are unchanged. A nominal modification fee (around ₹200) applies where you actually change details.
Yes, provided the e-sign is done using the DSC or Aadhaar of a person listed on the IEC profile. The signature must be that of the proprietor, partner or director, not the consultant.
Usually an ICEGATE synchronisation lag of a few hours after reactivation, or an entity-name mismatch between the DGFT record and the customs registration. Verify the name string character by character, including punctuation.
The IEC annual update is the cheapest compliance in the Indian export stack and the most expensive to miss, because the cost is measured in port demurrage rather than penalties. Diarise the first week of April for three tasks together — IEC update, LUT renewal and RCMC expiry check — and your foreign trade documentation will stay clean all year.
Senior contributor at Taxpex Consultancy. Reviewed by a practising Chartered Accountant. Published on 23 July 2026 · Updated on 23 July 2026.
MSME & Startup — done for you by Taxpex
Prefer a CA to handle this end to end? MSME / Udyam Registration is our dedicated, fixed-fee service — this guide explains the process, that page gets it filed.
Go to MSME / Udyam RegistrationA complete, practitioner-level guide to IEC registration on the DGFT portal — who needs it, who is exempt, the exact online process, documents, ₹500 fee, linkage with GST and RCMC, and the annual update that deactivates your code if you skip it.
22 May 2025 · 19 minEvery GST return explained — GSTR-1, 3B, 9, CMP-08, IFF and QRMP — with due dates, late fees, ITC rules and a step-by-step filing workflow used by Taxpex CAs.
12 May 2026 · 14 minThresholds, documents, timelines, penalties and Aadhaar e-KYC — everything a founder, freelancer or e-commerce seller needs to know before applying for GSTIN.
SIP averages your purchase cost across market cycles (rupee-cost averaging) and enforces discipline. Lumpsum works better only when markets are decisively undervalued.
via SIP CalculatorEMI is computed using the standard reducing-balance formula: EMI = P × r × (1+r)^N / ((1+r)^N − 1), where P is the principal, r the monthly interest rate and N the tenure in months.
via EMI CalculatorNo. Processing fees, insurance, GST on fees and stamp duty are excluded and vary per lender. Add them separately to arrive at the true cost of the loan.
via EMI CalculatorEMI is computed using the standard reducing-balance formula: EMI = P × r × (1+r)^N / ((1+r)^N − 1), where P is the principal, r the monthly interest rate and N the tenure in months.
via Personal Loan Calculator