The IEC code renewal process is the annual online step where every Importer Exporter Code holder in India confirms or updates their IEC details on the DGFT portal. Your certificate never expires, but the Directorate General of Foreign Trade asks every holder to log in once each financial year, check their business details, and either confirm or change them. That one step keeps your code active so you can keep importing, exporting, clearing customs, and receiving foreign currency without a break. It is fully online, takes only a few minutes, and is free for most businesses.
On this page we explain, in plain terms, what the renewal involves, when it is due, and what it costs. If you want the exact click by click on the portal, that lives on our how to update your IEC guide.
This is the call we get most, so let us put your mind at ease. If your code has slipped into deactivated status, you do not start over and you do not apply for a fresh IEC. You simply complete the same annual renewal on the portal, and the status usually returns to active within a few hours. There is no standard late fee. One honest caveat we always share with clients: reactivation is allowed without prejudice to any other action DGFT may take under the Foreign Trade Policy, and a code can be flagged for scrutiny, so it is wise not to treat the deadline as soft. Act, and you are almost always trading again the same day.
In practice it is lighter than most owners expect. There is no fresh application and no stack of paperwork. You log in to the DGFT portal, open your profile under Update or Modify IEC, look over your firm details, then either confirm that nothing has changed or edit what has, and sign with a DSC or Aadhaar e-Sign. Your updated certificate is ready to download the moment you submit. It is built for self service. For the full screen by screen walkthrough, see our IEC update guide.
Your window runs from 1 April to 30 June each financial year. Confirm your IEC inside that window and you are done for the year. Miss it, and your code is automatically moved to deactivated status from 1 July. The certificate itself does not lapse, but you cannot use it until you complete the update. While it is deactivated, customs clearance is blocked at every Indian port, export incentives such as RoDTEP and duty drawback are frozen, and your bank cannot process foreign currency remittances tied to the code. That is why we tell every client to treat 30 June as a hard deadline, not a reminder.
Here is the part that decides whether you pay anything. If you log in and confirm with nothing changed, it is completely free. The Rs. 200 government fee applies only when you actually modify a detail, such as your registered address, directors, partners, or bank account. There is no separate yearly charge just for keeping the code alive. A lot of owners assume renewal carries a recurring fee, but DGFT has deliberately kept the annual confirmation free so that staying compliant is never a cost barrier to trade. For the full picture of every IEC charge, see our cost of IEC license guide.
If you are only confirming with no change, you need nothing beyond your login and a way to authenticate. If you are changing details, keep your PAN, a current cancelled cheque or bank certificate, the latest address proof for your principal place of business, and the KYC of any new directors or partners within reach. Signing with a DSC? Plug the token in and make sure the latest emSigner utility is installed. And check that the mobile and email linked to your IEC are ones you can still access, because OTPs are sent there during submission. That last one trips up more people than anything else.
The portal is built for self service, but plenty of owners would rather hand it over and not risk a login lockout, a DSC error, a document mismatch, or an accidental change that triggers the Rs. 200 fee for no reason. JParks India handles the complete IEC renewal at Rs. 1,700 all-inclusive for the no change annual confirmation, usually same day. If your business has changed, a new address, an added director, a new bank account, our team manages the documents, the portal submission, and the DSC or Aadhaar authentication end to end for you.
Applying for a brand new code instead? See our apply IEC online service. To see everything connected to your code, visit our IEC services hub, or book the IEC renewal service directly. To get going, call or WhatsApp +91 9167379073 with your IEC number and we will take it from there.
Yes. Every holder must log in to the DGFT portal between 1 April and 30 June each financial year and confirm their details, even with no changes. Miss it and the code is deactivated from 1 July.
Confirming with no changes is free. A Rs. 200 fee applies only when you modify details such as address, directors, partners, or bank account.
The window opens on 1 April and closes on 30 June every financial year, giving you a full quarter to complete the confirmation.
There is no standard late fee. Reactivation is automatic once you complete the update, but it is without prejudice to other action DGFT may take under the Foreign Trade Policy, so it is best not to delay.
Yes. Proprietorships and individuals can authenticate with Aadhaar based e-Sign. Companies, LLPs, and trusts must use a registered Class 3 DSC linked to an authorised signatory.
Our all-inclusive renewal is Rs. 1,700 for the no change annual confirmation, usually same day. Modifications are handled end to end and quoted based on the changes involved.
