The Technical Side of Exporting From India.

Import Export Code (IEC): The base licence issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). No goods can be exported from India without it.

AD Code registration: An Authorised Dealer code from the exporter’s bank, registered with customs at each port of shipment, enabling foreign-currency receipts.

GST registration: Exports are zero-rated under GST; exporters ship under a Letter of Undertaking (LUT) or claim refund of tax paid.

RCMC (Registration-cum-Membership Certificate): Fresh fruits, vegetables, and processed foods fall under APEDA; spices fall under the Spices Board of India. RCMC with the relevant council is required to access export benefits and, for several products, to export at all.

FSSAI licence: Food businesses in India, including exporters, hold a central FSSAI licence covering their food category.

Commercial invoice cum packing list: Product description, HS code, quantity, unit price, Incoterm, and packing details — the master commercial document.

Shipping bill: Filed electronically with Indian customs (ICEGATE) before export; the legal export declaration.

Bill of lading (sea) / Airway bill (air): The carrier’s transport document and, for sea freight, the document of title used in payment settlement.

Certificate of origin: Non-preferential (chambers of commerce) or preferential under a trade agreement where the destination qualifies, which can reduce your import duty.

Phytosanitary certificate: Issued by India’s Plant Quarantine authorities for fresh produce, grains, and many plant products, confirming pest-free status per the destination’s plant-health rules.

Health / sanitary certificate: Required by many destinations for food products, issued by the authorised Indian agency for the product category.

Fumigation certificate: Common for grains, pulses, and some dry goods, and for wooden packaging.

Insurance certificate: Marine cargo insurance, typically arranged by the party responsible under the agreed Incoterm.

HS classification: Every product ships under a Harmonized System code that drives duty rates and destination rules — confirmed per product before quoting.

Residue limits (MRLs): Destinations set maximum residue limits for pesticides; the EU, UK, Japan, and Gulf states are among the strictest. Pre-shipment lab testing at NABL-accredited laboratories verifies compliance.

Traceability: For several fresh products, APEDA operates farm-to-shipment traceability systems (for example for grapes, and for other horticulture produce), registering farms and packhouses for eligible export.

Packhouse & facility approval: Certain markets require produce to be packed in APEDA-approved or destination-approved packhouses, and some require specific treatments (such as hot-water or vapour-heat treatment, or irradiation for particular fruit/market combinations).

Labelling: Destination-compliant labels covering product name, origin, net weight, lot/batch, dates, storage instructions, importer details, and language requirements.

Wood packaging: Pallets and wooden packaging follow ISPM-15 treatment and marking.

Mode selection: Highly perishable fruit often moves by air; most vegetables, fruit with longer shelf life, spices, pulses, and grains move by sea.

Container types: Reefer (refrigerated) containers for fresh produce with product-specific temperature, humidity, and ventilation settings; dry containers for spices, pulses, grains, and shelf-stable goods, with moisture protection such as desiccants and liner bags.

Packing formats: Ventilated cartons, crates, mesh or jute bags, bulk sacks (25/50 kg), and retail-ready packs — matched to product and buyer.

Incoterms 2020: Quotes are typically structured as EXW, FOB (buyer books main freight), CFR/CIF (seller books freight to destination port, CIF adds insurance), or door-delivered terms by agreement. The Incoterm decides who arranges and pays for each leg, and where risk transfers.

Pre-shipment inspection: Buyer-nominated or independent inspection agencies can verify quality, quantity, and loading before dispatch.

Advance payment (TT): Common for first shipments and smaller orders — often structured as part advance, balance against shipping documents.

Letter of Credit (LC): Bank-secured payment against compliant documents; widely used for container-scale trade with new counterparties.

Documents against Payment / Acceptance (DP/DA): Bank-channel document release, used between established partners.

Credit insurance: Indian exporters can cover buyer-payment risk through export credit insurance (ECGC), which also supports offering credit terms to reliable buyers.

All export payments are routed through banking channels and reconciled per Indian foreign-exchange regulations.

European Union & UK: Strict MRL enforcement, plant-health entry rules with advance notification for regulated produce, and full labelling in the destination language.

United States: FDA facility registration and Prior Notice for food shipments; certain Indian fruits require specific approved treatments and USDA programme participation.

Gulf countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia & others): Food-authority registration and label approvals, Arabic labelling, and halal certification where the product category requires it.

East & Southeast Asia: Market-access protocols for specific fruits, import permits, and phytosanitary requirements that vary product by product.

Requirements differ by product and change over time — for any destination, we confirm the current rules for your exact product before shipment is planned.