Star Export House: Thresholds, the New 2026 Rule and How to Apply

Star Export House status is DGFT’s recognition of an exporter’s track record, granted in five tiers from One Star to Five Star. It is not an incentive you claim on a shipment. It is a standing under Para 1.25 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 that changes how customs and DGFT treat your filings, and it costs nothing to apply for. A great many exporters already cross the One Star threshold and never apply, because they assume the bar is higher than it is.

In August 2026 DGFT lowered that bar again. This guide covers the five thresholds, the new rule, the double weightage route that small exporters miss, and what the application actually asks for.

Star Export House or Status Holder Certificate?

DGFT calls the holder a Status Holder. Star Export House is the same thing in everyday use, and the document you receive is the Status Holder Certificate.

The logic is simple. Exporters who have shipped consistently are treated as lower risk, so parts of the compliance load are lifted. You are not buying a benefit, you are being recognised for volume you have already done, which is why there is no application fee and no scheme window to catch.

Performance is counted over the current financial year and the three preceding ones, or the current year plus two preceding years for the gems and jewellery sector. It is the cumulative FOB or FOR value that matters, so a Star Export House application draws on shipping bills you have already filed rather than anything new.

The Five Thresholds, and Which One You Are Closer To Than You Think

Three million dollars over four years is roughly six crore rupees a year at current rates. Plenty of mid-sized manufacturers clear that without ever considering themselves a Star Export House candidate.

Two points that change the arithmetic. Deemed exports count where they qualify, and exports through an SEZ or EOU route count too, which is why the application asks for them separately. And if you fall into one of the double weightage categories below, the threshold effectively halves.

The August 2026 Change That Made One Star Easier

This is the part most pages have not caught up with. Under Notification No. 33/2026-27 dated 21 August 2026, DGFT relaxed the One Star criterion.

Previously an applicant had to show export performance in every one of the preceding financial years. Now, for One Star Export House status outside the gems and jewellery sector, export performance in any two out of the three preceding financial years is sufficient, subject to the rest of Para 1.25.

That matters to any exporter who had a blank year. A pandemic gap, a year lost to a plant shift, a buyer who paused, any of these used to disqualify an otherwise comfortable applicant. They no longer do. If you were told you did not qualify before August 2026, the answer may have changed.

Double Weightage: The Route Most Small Exporters Miss

Double weightage counts your eligible exports at twice their value for the threshold test. Two and a half crore of exports counts as five. It applies to the One Star category only, and a shipment can only take it once.

Under Para 1.27 of FTP 2023 it is available to:

• Micro and small enterprises as defined under the MSMED Act, 2006. Note that medium enterprises are outside this.
• Manufacturing units holding ISO or BIS certification.
• Units in the North Eastern States, on the terms set out in the paragraph.
• Exporters of fruit and vegetables under the specified ITC HS chapters.

Combine double weightage with the new two-out-of-three rule and the practical One Star bar for a small ISO certified manufacturer is far lower than the headline figure suggests. This is the single most useful thing on this page for a first-time applicant.

What Star Export House Status Gets You

Para 1.29 sets out the privileges. In practice the ones exporters feel are:

• Self-declaration for authorisations and customs clearance, on both the import and export side.
• Exemption from furnishing a bank guarantee under schemes such as Advance Authorisation and EPCG. For anyone running those, this alone is worth the application.
• Self-certification of origin, within the limits DGFT prescribes.
• Free export promotion supplies up to the prescribed limits.
• Standing with buyers and banks. Not a policy benefit, but a Status Holder Certificate is a credential overseas buyers understand.

From Two Star upwards there is also an obligation, not just a benefit, covered next.

How to Apply for Star Export House Status

The application is ANF 1B, filed online at dgft.gov.in. It is fully electronic, with nothing filed in paper.

Step 1: Log in to the DGFT portal with the account your IEC is linked to. If the IEC is not linked or is inactive, fix that first. Our guides on checking whether an IEC is active and reactivating an IEC cover both.

Step 2: Open Services, then Certificate Management, and start a Status Holder Certificate application.

Step 3: Complete Parts A to E of ANF 1B. Part A is applicant detail, Part B the export performance across the relevant years, Part C your product and service categories with your top items, Part D the skilling and mentorship undertaking that applies from Two Star upwards, and Part E the declarations.

Step 4: Attach the professional certificate. A certificate from a Chartered Accountant, Cost and Works Accountant or Company Secretary is mandatory. It verifies your export records, deemed exports, any double weightage claim and SEZ or EOU exports, using DGFT’s Formats A to E, each page signed and stamped.

Step 5: Submit. There is no application fee, and the certificate once granted is valid for five years from the date of issuance.

What Trips Star Export House Applications Up

How JPARKS INDIA Helps With Star Export House Applications

Three things to carry away. The One Star threshold is three million dollars of cumulative performance, not annual. Since 21 August 2026 you need performance in only two of the three preceding years outside gems and jewellery. And if you are a micro or small enterprise, or an ISO or BIS certified manufacturer, double weightage can halve the distance to the line.

JPARKS INDIA handles DGFT work, backed by S.K. Agency, AEO-LO customs brokers since 1990. We test eligibility against your actual shipping bill data, build the ANF 1B and the Formats A to E annexure with your CA, put double weightage claims on a defensible footing, and deal with DGFT’s queries.

Not sure whether you already qualify? Send us your IEC and the last four years of export figures through our contact page and we will tell you which star, if any, you are already past.

Want to know which star you already qualify for? Book a free consultation with the JPARKS INDIA EXIM compliance team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the minimum turnover for One Star Export House status?

US$3 million FOB or FOR, counted cumulatively over the current financial year and the preceding three, not in a single year.

Q2. What changed in August 2026?

Notification No. 33/2026-27 dated 21 August 2026 provides that for One Star Export House status, other than for the gems and jewellery sector, export performance in any two out of the three preceding financial years is sufficient.

Q3. Who gets double weightage?

Micro and small enterprises under the MSMED Act 2006, manufacturing units with ISO or BIS certification, units in the North Eastern States, and fruit and vegetable exporters under the specified chapters. It applies to One Star only.

Q4. Can one shipment be counted twice for double weightage?

No. A shipment or service can take double weightage only once.

Q5. Is there a fee for the Status Holder Certificate?

No. DGFT charges no application fee.

Q6. How long is Star Export House status valid?

Five years from the date of issuance.

Q7. Which form is used?

ANF 1B, filed online on the DGFT portal, with a Chartered Accountant, Cost and Works Accountant or Company Secretary certificate in Formats A to E.

Q8. Does the gems and jewellery sector follow the same rule?

No. That sector counts the current year plus two preceding years, and the August 2026 relaxation does not extend to it.