IEC renewal is not a term the law uses: an Importer Exporter Code has permanent validity, but every holder must update or confirm its details on the DGFT portal each year between April and June under para 2.05(d) of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023. The update is free inside that window and costs ₹200 after it, and an IEC that misses it is deactivated until the update goes through. This guide explains the deadline, the fee, the steps on DGFT and what to do when your IEC is already deactivated.
Why IEC renewal really means the annual update
An IEC never needs renewing in the way a licence does. Handbook of Procedures para 2.10 gives it permanent validity unless suspended or cancelled, but also lets DGFT deactivate it for missing the yearly update. So "IEC renewal" in practice means the April to June update.
The yearly duty has two forms under the Foreign Trade Policy:
- Update. If any detail has changed, edit it online during April to June.
- Confirm. If nothing has changed, the same details must still be confirmed online in that period.
A separate rule in the Handbook of Procedures para 2.15 asks you to keep your importer-exporter profile current, updating it when a change takes place and in any case at least once a year. The annual IEC update is the natural time to check both.
IEC renewal fee and last date
The last date for the annual IEC update is 30 June, the end of the April to June period. Appendix 2K of the Foreign Trade Policy, as amended on 15 April 2025, charges nothing for an update in that window and ₹200 for one made after it.
| Action on DGFT | When | Government fee |
|---|---|---|
| Annual update or confirmation | 1 April to 30 June | Nil |
| Annual update after the window | From 1 July | ₹200 |
| Modification of IEC details | Within 30 days of a change | ₹200 |
The ₹200 modification figure comes from DGFT's IEC help file, version 4.1 of February 2026. DGFT can revise these amounts, so check the payment screen before you pay. Ofin's professional fee for the annual update starts at ₹1,899.
How to update your IEC on DGFT, step by step
The whole update is online and signed digitally; no document goes to a DGFT office. You need a DGFT login linked to the IEC and an active DSC or Aadhaar e-sign of the proprietor or a member of the firm.
- Log in at dgft.gov.in. If your IEC is not yet linked to your login, use Link IEC and sign with a DSC or Aadhaar e-sign.
- Register your signature under My Dashboard, View and Register Digital Signature Token, if you have not already done so.
- Open Update/Modify IEC from the dashboard, or from Services, IEC Profile Management.
- Go through each section: firm details and address with PIN, proprietor, partners or directors, bank accounts and other details. Edit what has changed and leave the rest as it is.
- Accept the declaration, sign the application and pay any fee that applies.
- Track the request, then download the updated certificate with Print Certificate.
Bank accounts entered in the update are checked with NPCI. Under Trade Notice 23/2025-26, a modification cannot be submitted while any account shows "Failed". One that is still "In Progress" is marked deficient if it then fails, and rejected if it fails again after you correct it.
IEC deactivated: how to get it active again
A deactivated IEC becomes active again once the annual update is completed successfully (FTP para 2.05(e)). There is no separate application for reactivation, but an update filed after 30 June attracts the ₹200 fee.
Example. Coastline Spices LLP (a made-up firm) forgot its update in 2026 and finds its IEC deactivated in August. It files the annual update on 20 August 2026, pays ₹200 under Appendix 2K and signs with its organisation DSC. Once the update is processed, the IEC is active again. Its next update is due between 1 April and 30 June 2027.
Two other situations look similar but are not fixed by an update:
- Suspended or cancelled. DGFT's help file says the Update/Modify IEC form cannot be used while an IEC is suspended or cancelled. File Request Revoke Suspension or Request Revoke Cancellation first.
- Flagged. FTP para 2.05(f) says an IEC can be flagged for scrutiny and is deactivated if the flagged risks are not dealt with in time. The Flag Details tab in your IEC profile shows what was flagged.
To see how Customs currently sees the code, use DGFT's View IEC Related Details, which shows the status of an IEC at Customs. Our free IEC Code Lookup explains each status you may see.
Changes during the year: the 30-day rule
The annual update does not replace in-year changes. Under Handbook of Procedures para 2.14(b), a change in constitution, address, bank details or any other primary detail must be updated online within 30 days of the change, and the yearly update is still due the next April to June.
Example. Brightwave Exim Private Limited (a made-up company) moves its export proceeds to a new bank account that becomes effective on 12 January 2027. It must record the new account on DGFT by 11 February 2027, 30 days later. It then still updates or confirms the IEC between 1 April and 30 June 2027.
- PAN change in an old numeric IEC. Filed online, but approved by the jurisdictional Regional Authority (para 2.14(c)).
- Merger, acquisition or transfer to an entity with a new PAN. The new entity must take its own IEC within 30 days, and the earlier IEC can be operationally linked to it (para 2.14(e)).
- Surrender. Possible online only once all authorisations and obligations under the IEC are closed or transferred (para 2.13).
Keep DGFT, ICEGATE and bank records in step
A change made on DGFT is not copied to your Customs bank registrations. ICEGATE's advisory of 1 October 2026 says the entity name, PAN, IEC, account number, IFSC and AD code must be consistent across ICEGATE, DGFT and bank records, and that the IEC must be updated with your bank.
So when the annual update or a modification changes a bank account, follow it through:
- Modify the AD code or the refund and incentive account on ICEGATE. Only an AD code account approved by Customs, or an incentive account accepted by Customs and PFMS, can be modified.
- Since June 2022, change an AD code's account details at the customs port where that code was registered.
- Ask your bank to record the IEC against the same customer profile as your PAN and account.
Ofin's AD code registration service covers the Customs side. If your DSC has expired, renew it before the window opens: see digital signature.
Common reasons an IEC update fails
Most failed updates come from a signature or a bank record that does not match what DGFT holds. Fix these before 30 June to avoid paying the late fee.
- An individual DSC used for a company, LLP or firm. Outside proprietorships and HUFs, DGFT accepts only an organisation DSC whose organisation name matches the name in PAN records, or Aadhaar e-sign by a member.
- A bank account whose holder name differs from the firm name, or a PAN-linked account left out of the list.
- An expired DSC, or one never registered on the DGFT dashboard.
- A new address supported by a document in someone else's name without the owner's NOC in the same PDF.
How Ofin handles IEC renewal
Ofin's CAs, CSs and legal professionals review your current IEC details, confirm or update them on DGFT, handle the signature and download the updated certificate, from ₹1,899.
Our packages also cover changes to address, bank and partners or directors, and an annual reminder before the next window. The work is 100% online and we reply within 24 hours. To get a fixed-price proposal, share your IEC and what has changed. For a new code, see IEC registration.
