ICEGATE EGM: Status Check, Error Codes and Refund Fixes

EGM status is the most common reason an Indian exporter’s refund does not arrive. The Shipping Bill is filed, Let Export Order granted, the vessel sailed, and the money still does not come. EGM status tells you whether the carrier has filed the Export General Manifest and whether customs has matched it to your Shipping Bill, and every export incentive waits on that one event.

EGM stands for Export General Manifest, the carrier’s declaration to Customs that your cargo physically departed India, filed under Section 41 of the Customs Act, 1962. You do not file it. The shipping line, airline or their agent does, and their delay becomes your cash flow problem.

That asymmetry is the point of this guide. You cannot control the filing, but you can monitor it, read the error codes correctly and escalate to the party who can fix the defect. For export compliance support, see our ICEGATE registration process service.

What EGM Status Means and Who Files the Manifest

The Export General Manifest lists all cargo loaded and departing from an Indian port or airport. Under the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations, 2018 the sea version is labelled SDM, the Sea Departure Manifest.

Customs treats goods as exported once the manifest is filed and matched against your Shipping Bill. That matching event is EGM closure, and everything financial hangs on it.

Exporters cannot file an ICEGATE EGM, and neither can customs brokers. The carrier files it using its own credentials and DSC. Your role is to verify, evidence and escalate.

Why EGM Status Decides Your IGST Refund

Four benefits depend on EGM closure. The automatic IGST refund runs only when the Shipping Bill, the EGM, your GSTR-1 invoice data and a PFMS validated bank account all align. Duty drawback scroll generation requires the Shipping Bill to attain EGM status. RoDTEP and RoSCTL eScrip generation depends on the same closure, and your AD bank cannot complete EDPMS closure without it.

A two week EGM delay is a two week delay on every incentive tied to that consignment.

EGM vs IGM

You track an IGM by Bill of Lading and EGM status by Shipping Bill. For the import side, see our ICEGATE container tracking guide.

How to Check ICEGATE EGM Status in 6 Steps

Step 1. Open the enquiry hub.

Go to icegate.gov.in, then Services, then Enquiry, then Public Enquiries 2.0. No login needed for basic status.

Step 2. Open Document Status and select Shipping Bill.

Enter the customs location code, Shipping Bill number and Shipping Bill date. Use the Shipping Bill date, not the invoice date.

Step 3. Read the EGM field.

A date present means the carrier has manifested your cargo. Absent means it was not filed, or was filed with an error that prevented matching.

Step 4. Run the DGFT integration enquiry.

Inside Public Enquiries 2.0, this returns each Shipping Bill with its EGM date and integration status against DGFT records, for a single Shipping Bill or a date range across your IEC.

Step 5. Note the SB response code precisely.

Record the code, not the message. Codes stay stable across portal versions while wording changes.

Step 6. Check the scroll status.

Log in and open the IGST refund and scroll status enquiries to see whether a Shipping Bill has entered a scroll, is on hold or carries an error. Worth registering for this view alone if you export on payment of IGST.

EGM Status Error Codes and Who Fixes Each

These are the official SB response codes used in IGST refund validation.

SB000 but Still No Refund

CBIC lists four reasons a validated Shipping Bill still produces no credit. Exports were made under LUT or bond, so no refund is due. The refund is below ₹1,000. The bank account is not validated with PFMS. Or the IEC is under suspension.

The bank account is the most common. If yours is not PFMS validated, our export promotion bank account registration service handles it, and AD Code registration must be in place at the port first.

Gateway EGM Status and ICD Exports

Exports from an inland container depot have two manifest events. Cargo clears at the ICD, moves to a gateway port for loading, and the gateway EGM is filed at the port of actual export.

SB006 arises when that gateway EGM is missing or was filed manually rather than electronically. The Shipping Bill looks clean at the ICD and the refund still does not release. This is the most under diagnosed refund blocker for inland exporters.

Ask your forwarder for the gateway port, vessel and EGM number, then verify against the Shipping Bill enquiry.

How ICEGATE EGM Amendments Work

Amendments are permitted but not freely. The carrier files the request and a Customs officer approves it. Minor corrections happen at officer level, substantial changes may require adjudication.

Mismatches needing a carrier amendment include package count, container count, gross weight, container numbers, cargo description, a Let Export Order date later than the sail date, or the Shipping Bill already appearing in another EGM. None can be fixed by the exporter.

The sequence that works:

1. Identify the exact mismatched field from the error

2. Write to the carrier quoting the Shipping Bill, EGM number and conflicting values

3. Ask for a written amendment reference once filed

4. Recheck the Shipping Bill enquiry after two working days

5. Escalate to the customs location if the carrier does not act

How JPARKS INDIA Helps With EGM Status

ICEGATE EGM is the checkpoint that turns a shipped consignment into a legally exported one. Until the manifest is filed and matched, your IGST refund, drawback and RoDTEP benefits stay frozen. Check status within a week of every sailing, separate carrier errors from your own GST data errors, and escalate in writing quoting the Shipping Bill number, date, port code and container numbers.

JPARKS INDIA handles export refunds, backed by S.K. Agency, AEO-LO customs brokers since 1990. We read the validation codes, clear SB001, SB003 and SB005 through Form 9A amendments, push carriers on missing and supplementary EGMs, and unblock refunds through our IGST refund status service.

Sailed weeks ago and the EGM still not showing? Send us the Shipping Bill number, date and port code through our contact page.

Need help with this? Book a free consultation with the JPARKS INDIA EXIM compliance team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Who files the EGM, the exporter or the carrier?

The carrier, meaning the shipping line, airline or authorised agent. Exporters and brokers cannot file it.

Q2. How do I check ICEGATE EGM status?

Public Enquiries 2.0, then Document Status, then Shipping Bill. Enter the location code, Shipping Bill number and date. No login needed.

Q3. What does SB002 mean?

The Export General Manifest has not been filed by the carrier. Approach the shipping line. If they confirm it is filed, ask the customs location to revalidate it.

Q4. What does SB006 mean?

Gateway EGM not available, common in ICD shipments. A supplementary EGM must be filed by the shipping line and approved by the gateway port officer.

Q5. My status is SB000 but the refund has not come. Why?

Four usual reasons: export under LUT or bond, refund below ₹1,000, bank not PFMS validated, or IEC under suspension.

Q6. Can the Shipping Bill be amended to fix an invoice mismatch?

Not once the EGM has been filed. SB001, SB003 and SB005 are corrected by amending GSTR-1 through Form 9A.