IEC registration in Mumbai is done online on dgft.gov.in for the same ₹500 government fee as anywhere in India, and a Mumbai importer or exporter never has to visit a DGFT office. What is local is everything around the application: the Mumbai address proof, the DGFT Regional Authority your PIN code maps to, and the customs set-up at Nhava Sheva or the Mumbai Air Cargo Complex that comes next.
Which Mumbai businesses need an IEC?
Every Mumbai business that imports or exports goods needs an IEC unless it falls in an exempt category, under para 2.05(a) of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023. A Mumbai service exporter needs one only if it wants Foreign Trade Policy benefits.
Typical Mumbai cases:
- A hardware trading firm in Masjid importing tools through Nhava Sheva: needs an IEC before its first bill of entry.
- A garment maker in Byculla shipping to buyers abroad: needs an IEC, then the customs registrations described below.
- A software LLP in Andheri billing clients overseas: needs an IEC only to claim benefits under the Policy.
- A Bandra resident importing goods for personal use, not for trade: exempt under Handbook of Procedures para 2.07.
One PAN carries one IEC, so a Mumbai company with a warehouse in Thane or a branch in Pune lists them as branches on the same code.
Which DGFT office handles IEC registration in Mumbai?
DGFT lists a Regional Authority in Mumbai, shown as RA Mumbai on its RA contact page, but the IEC itself is generated online. The portal picks your jurisdictional Regional Authority from the PIN code you enter, and that office deals with the few IEC matters that still need an officer.
Under the Handbook of Procedures para 2.14(c), those matters include a request to cancel an IEC and a PAN change in an old numeric IEC. Every applicant also answers two questions, whether the firm is in a special economic zone and whether it is an EOU, STP, EHTP or BTP unit, and the portal maps it to an RA or an SEZ office on the basis of those answers. A new applicant in Mumbai, Thane or Navi Mumbai gets the e-IEC on the dashboard once the online checks pass.
Address proof for a Mumbai office: owned, rented, shared or at home
A Mumbai office may be owned, rented, shared or in a family member's name, and each set-up needs a different upload. DGFT accepts a sale deed, rent agreement, lease deed, electricity bill, landline or postpaid mobile bill, MoU or partnership deed, and a proprietor may also use Aadhaar, a passport or a voter ID.
| Mumbai set-up | What to upload |
|---|---|
| Office owned by the company or firm | Sale deed or an electricity bill in the firm's name |
| Rented shop or office, agreement in the firm's name | The rent agreement or lease deed |
| Premises in a director's, partner's or relative's name | Any listed document plus the owner's NOC, in one PDF |
| Shared or co-working space | The agreement or a bill for the premises, plus the owner's NOC in the same PDF if it is not in the firm's name |
| Proprietor working from home | Aadhaar, passport or voter ID showing that address |
DGFT validates IEC addresses through physical delivery of post. In a large Mumbai building, write the address as the postman needs it, with flat or unit number, wing, floor and building name, and make sure someone collects the mail.
Mumbai companies and LLPs: line up MCA and GST records first
A company enters its CIN and the DGFT portal pulls the firm and director details from the MCA, and directors fetched this way cannot be deleted in the form. So the MCA record has to be right before you apply: a director who has resigned, or a registered office that has moved, should be updated with the ROC first.
Since 16 February 2026, companies and LLPs registered in Mumbai City or Mumbai Suburban come under ROC Mumbai-I, while Thane, Palghar and Raigad, including Navi Mumbai, fall under ROC Mumbai-II, as the PIB release of 31 December 2025 explains. A company that has just moved its office from Thane to Mumbai should finish its registered office change before the IEC application.
On GST, every Maharashtra GSTIN starts with 27, and DGFT asks for the GSTIN of the firm and of each branch where one applies. ICEGATE later validates the IEC and the GSTIN together and only offers the email and mobile on DGFT and GSTN, so use the same contact details for both. A Mumbai business without a GSTIN can start with GST registration in Mumbai.
What IEC registration in Mumbai costs and how long it takes
The government fee is ₹500, paid online through Bharatkosh, and DGFT charges nothing extra for a Mumbai address. The IEC is generated automatically once your PAN, signatory and bank account pass DGFT's checks, so the time depends mostly on how fast your bank answers NPCI's verification.
Example. Harbourline Traders (a made-up proprietorship) in Masjid applies on 2 December 2026 with two current accounts at Mumbai branches. One account verifies at once; the second stays "In Progress" until its bank confirms on 9 December 2026, when the IEC is approved. The proprietor signs with Aadhaar e-sign, because a proprietorship may use an individual DSC or Aadhaar. Total government cost: ₹500.
DGFT's help file says some banks take up to two weeks to confirm. If any account comes back "Failed", the application cannot be submitted until the details match what your Mumbai branch holds, so check the account name and PAN linkage with the branch before applying. The national IEC registration guide lists every document and step.
After the IEC: customs set-up at Nhava Sheva and the Mumbai Air Cargo Complex
DGFT sends every new IEC to Customs, and you can check its status at Customs on DGFT's View IEC Related Details page. Before the first shipment, a Mumbai exporter registers on ICEGATE and records its bank's AD code with Customs.
- Sea cargo through Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House at Nhava Sheva comes under Mumbai Customs Zone-II.
- Air cargo is cleared at the Air Cargo Complex by the Import and Export Commissionerates of Mumbai Customs Zone-III, whose Airport Special Cargo Commissionerate handles courier, postal and precious cargo.
- Since June 2022, an AD code registered at one customs port can be used at every customs location, under JNCH Public Notice 33/2022-23.
The details, including which port to register at, are in our guide to AD code registration in Mumbai.
Keeping a Mumbai IEC active
Every IEC must be updated or confirmed online each year between April and June, which is free in that window, or it is deactivated. A Mumbai business that moves premises, changes banks or adds partners must also update the IEC within 30 days of the change.
When you edit the address and PIN, the portal again selects the Regional Authority from the new PIN, so a move from Fort to Navi Mumbai is recorded the same way. Ofin's IEC renewal in Mumbai service handles the yearly update and these changes.
How Ofin's Mumbai team handles IEC registration
Ofin's team works from Shanti Bhuvan, Mulund West, Mumbai, and handles IEC registration 100% online for businesses across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, from ₹2,499.
Our CAs, CSs and legal professionals check your Mumbai address proof, MCA and GST details and bank records, then prepare and file the application and guide you on documents. We reply within 24 hours, and you can visit the office if you prefer. Share your details to get a fixed-price proposal.
