APEDA registration is compulsory for anyone exporting a product scheduled under the APEDA Act, 1985, and the Act asks you to apply within one month of your first export. Since 17 July 2023 APEDA issues it as a Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) on DGFT's e-RCMC portal, for a fee of ₹5,900 (₹5,000 plus 18% GST) that covers 5 years. Renewal costs the same and amendments are free.
Who needs APEDA registration?
Every person exporting a product listed in the First Schedule to the APEDA Act must register with APEDA as an exporter of that product. Section 12 of the Act sets the deadline at one month from the date you start exporting, and APEDA may extend it for sufficient reason.
The First Schedule covers:
- fruits, vegetables and their products, meat, poultry and dairy products
- biscuits and bakery products, honey, jaggery and sugar products, cocoa and chocolates
- alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and cereal products (APEDA's circular lists cereals and cereal products, which takes in rice)
- cashewnuts, groundnuts, peanuts and walnuts, guar gum, and de-oiled rice bran (added in 2022)
- pickles, chutneys and papads, floriculture products, and herbal and medicinal plants
Seafood and spices are not APEDA products: they go to MPEDA registration and the Spices Board. Unlike an ordinary RCMC, which you need mainly to claim Foreign Trade Policy benefits, APEDA registration comes from a statute, so a scheduled-product exporter needs it even when claiming no benefits.
What the APEDA RCMC is and how long it lasts
The APEDA RCMC is the certificate APEDA issues through DGFT, and it is valid for 5 years. DGFT treats an RCMC as valid from 1 April of the licensing year in which it was issued, for 5 financial years ending 31 March, unless the certificate states otherwise. So the date of issue changes how much validity you get.
Example. Saffron Fields Foods Private Limited (a made-up company) plans to start exporting pickles in May 2027. Under DGFT's rule, an RCMC issued on 24 March 2027 falls in the 2026-27 licensing year and runs to 31 March 2031. If the certificate is issued on 6 April 2027 instead, it falls in 2027-28 and runs to 31 March 2032: almost a year longer for the same ₹5,900. The validity printed on the certificate is what counts.
The RCMC is linked to your IEC profile once issued. Anyone can check it on DGFT's View RCMC Details service with the IEC and the first three letters of the firm's name.
APEDA registration fees and documents
APEDA's fee is ₹5,900 (₹5,000 plus 18% GST), paid online with the application, and renewal after 5 years is another ₹5,900. The documents are short: a signed and sealed copy of your IEC, plus proof of manufacturing if you make the product yourself.
| Exporter category | What APEDA asks for |
|---|---|
| Merchant exporter (buys and exports) | Signed and sealed copy of the IEC issued by DGFT |
| Manufacturer, or manufacturer cum merchant | IEC copy plus signed and sealed manufacturing proof for each product |
Manufacturing proof depends on the product. For processed foods, meat, dairy, poultry, honey, cereals, groundnuts, pulses and guar gum, APEDA accepts an FSSAI registration or licence, or an Udyam registration certificate. Fresh fruit and vegetables can also be backed by the Department of Horticulture, floriculture and seeds only by the Department of Horticulture, and alcoholic beverages by the Excise Commissioner. If you need either document first, see FSSAI registration or Udyam registration.
DGFT adds two technical prerequisites: an active, updated IEC profile, and a digital signature token or Aadhaar e-sign linked to your DGFT account for signing the application.
How to apply for APEDA registration online
You apply on the DGFT portal, not on an APEDA website: log in with your IEC account, open Services, e-RCMC, choose APEDA as the registering authority, fill in the export details, upload documents, pay ₹5,900 and sign. APEDA then approves, rejects or marks the application deficient.
- Log in to dgft.gov.in and confirm your IEC profile is current. If your yearly IEC update is overdue, do it first; Ofin's IEC renewal service covers it.
- Go to Services, e-RCMC, Apply for e-RCMC, and select APEDA.
- Enter the products you export, your branches, the authorised representative and the countries you export to. Basic details such as the date of incorporation, CIN or LLPIN and directors come from the IEC profile.
- Upload the signed and sealed documents and pay the fee online.
- Sign with your DSC or Aadhaar e-sign and submit.
- Track the file under My Dashboard. If APEDA marks it deficient, the remarks appear under Submitted Applications, where you reply.
- Once approved, APEDA issues the RCMC and you download it.
APEDA's circular does not state a processing time. In practice the speed depends on whether the file needs a deficiency reply.
What happens after APEDA registration
The registration needs light upkeep: report changes, keep exporting, and renew after 5 years. The APEDA Rules let APEDA cancel the certificate of an exporter who has not exported any of its registered products for 12 consecutive months.
- Changes. A change in ownership, constitution, name or address must be reported to APEDA within one month. File it as an e-RCMC amendment, which is free.
- Cancellation. APEDA can also cancel a certificate obtained with incorrect information or for breach of its conditions, after giving you a reasonable opportunity to object. An appeal lies to the Chairman of APEDA within 30 days of the order.
- Returns. APEDA can, by order, ask registered exporters to keep records and file returns in a set format.
- Renewal. When the 5 years end, use Renewal of RCMC on DGFT's e-RCMC service and pay ₹5,900.
The rest of the export set-up, such as ICEGATE, the AD code and the LUT, is mapped in the Export Registration Finder.
Common mistakes in APEDA applications
Most problems come from the wrong category or missing proof: applying as a manufacturer without a manufacturing document, or as a merchant when you actually process the goods. Others are timing errors, such as missing the one-month deadline or letting a year pass without exports.
- Applying to APEDA for products it does not cover, such as spices or frozen shrimp.
- Uploading an unsigned or unsealed IEC copy; APEDA asks for signed and sealed copies.
- Applying with an IEC profile that has not been updated; DGFT requires an updated profile first.
- Listing only some products. Registration is product by product under section 12, so add new scheduled products by amendment.
- Ignoring a deficiency remark, which leaves the file pending.
How Ofin handles APEDA registration
Ofin's APEDA registration costs ₹11,999 inclusive of GST, and that includes the ₹5,900 APEDA fee. We prepare the e-RCMC application, compile and upload your documents, pay the fee, track the file and hand over the RCMC.
The Standard package adds FSSAI registration and the Premium package adds IEC registration as well. CAs, CSs and legal professionals handle the work 100% online, and we reply within 24 hours. Get a fixed-price proposal.
