IEC maintenance and update

Distinguish annual confirmation from a business change

DGFT guidance requires IEC details to be updated electronically during the annual April–June period, including online confirmation where details have not changed. Check the current policy and notices for the relevant year rather than relying on a historical extension.

An address, constitution, bank or authorised-person change needs its own review and supporting records. Do not wait for the annual exercise if a current transaction depends on accurate particulars. Likewise, possessing an old IEC certificate does not prove that the annual confirmation was completed.

Review the profile before submitting

• Legal name, PAN and constitution against current entity records.
• Registered and branch addresses against supporting documents.
• Bank account details and any pending validation issue.
• Directors, partners or other persons where the profile requires their details.
• Contact information and access controlled by the business.
• Existing status, last update and unresolved DGFT communications.

Prepare evidence for actual amendments

Collect the documents relevant to each changed field and check the current upload requirements. Ensure names and identifiers agree across the records. Keep the reason and effective date of the change in the file.

For example, changing a bank account in the accounting system does not update the IEC profile. Review the DGFT record and any separate customs or banking processes used by the business; an update in one system should not be assumed to have corrected all others.

Complete the official workflow

Use DGFT’s IEC profile-management service through an authorised business account. Review the final particulars, complete the required authentication and retain the submission reference and resulting profile or certificate. A saved draft does not establish completion.

Verify the update status through the official service and keep the confirmation with the annual compliance record. If an application remains pending or a validation fails, record the issue and follow up rather than marking the task complete.

Handle deactivation and access problems

If the IEC is shown as deactivated for non-update, inspect the actual reason and use the applicable update or reactivation process. Preserve the prior status and submission evidence. Do not assume all inactive statuses have the same cause or remedy.

For an access problem, use the official account-recovery or helpdesk route and retain ticket references. Keep credentials and authentication devices under business control; avoid handing unrestricted account access to an unknown intermediary.

Keep IEC separate from transaction permissions

An IEC is not a blanket authorisation to import or export every product. Assess the relevant product policy, restricted-item permissions, customs requirements and sector approvals separately. A successful profile update does not resolve a shipment-specific restriction.

Similarly, review export realisation, GST records and scheme obligations on their own terms. Maintain links between the IEC file and those records without treating one acknowledgement as proof of all compliance.

Create a repeatable maintenance record

Assign an owner for the annual review and a backup for access. Retain a dated checklist, the details confirmed or changed, supporting documents and completion evidence. Record the next review and any unresolved issue affecting shipments.

Bring the current IEC, entity records, bank details, prior update confirmations and DGFT correspondence to Kosha.Services. We can organise the profile review and change checklist, with current portal requirements checked before submission.