The document list for an Importer Exporter Code is short. What trips people up is not the list — it is the four mismatches DGFT's system checks automatically, each of which sends the application back.
This page covers what you need by entity type and where applications actually fail. For the end-to-end process, see our complete guide to DGFT registration and IEC.
The core list — everyone needs these
- PAN of the entity. Since IEC and PAN were unified, your IEC is your PAN. For a proprietorship this is the proprietor's personal PAN; for a company or LLP it is the entity PAN.
- Proof of establishment or address. A recent utility bill, rent or lease agreement, sale deed, or a bank statement showing the address on the application.
- Bank account proof. A cancelled cheque with the entity name pre-printed, or a bank certificate on the bank's letterhead.
- Identity of the signatory. Aadhaar for e-signing, or a valid Digital Signature Certificate (DSC).
- Active mobile and email. Both are OTP-verified during the application; a number you cannot reach in the moment stalls the whole thing.
Entity-specific extras
Proprietorship
The lightest case: proprietor's PAN, address proof, and a cancelled cheque in the proprietorship or proprietor's name.
Partnership firm
Add the partnership deed, and identity proof for the signing partner.
LLP or Private Limited company
Add the certificate of incorporation, and a board resolution or authorisation naming the person who signs. DGFT will also expect the DSC to belong to a director or authorised signatory, not to a consultant.
Trust, Society, HUF
Add the registration or trust deed and proof of the authorised signatory's standing. Note that DGFT's portal prompts specifically for "proof of establishment/incorporation/registration" for these entity types — a step that catches people who assumed the proprietorship list applied to them.
The four reasons applications actually get rejected
1. The name does not match, character for character
The entity name on your PAN, your bank record and your application must match exactly. "M/s" in one and not the other, a missing full stop, "Private Limited" versus "Pvt Ltd" — any of these can fail the automated check. Copy the name from the PAN database rather than typing it.
2. The cancelled cheque has no pre-printed name
A handwritten name on a cheque leaf is not proof of anything. If your cheques are unprinted, get a bank certificate on letterhead instead. This is probably the single most common rejection.
3. The address proof is stale or in the wrong name
A utility bill in a landlord's name, without a rent agreement linking it to you, will not carry the address. Pair them, or use a bank statement showing the same address.
4. The document is unreadable
Phone photographs taken at an angle, in poor light, or scanned at low resolution get rejected on legibility alone. Scan flat, keep the whole page in frame, save as a clear PDF.
A note on file formats
DGFT's portal enforces file type and size limits per upload. These change from time to time, so check the limits shown on the upload screen rather than trusting any blog — including this one. If a file is rejected for size, re-export the PDF at a lower DPI rather than cropping content out of it.
Is a current account mandatory?
A dedicated current account is not strictly required to obtain an IEC — the requirement is a bank account in the entity's name that you can evidence. In practice, most banks will insist on a current account before they will process export or import remittances under FEMA, so you will usually need one anyway. Treat it as effectively required for trading, even if not for the IEC application itself.
After you have the code
Getting the IEC is the start. It must then be updated every year between April and June, even when nothing has changed, or it is deactivated — see why IECs get deactivated and how to reactivate one. You can confirm the current state of any IEC using DGFT's Know Your IEC lookup.
DGFT's requirements and portal behaviour change. Verify against dgft.gov.in before you file.
Once you are trading, Eximly keeps your IEC, AD code and licences alongside the documents that reference them, so a shipping bill is never filed against an expired credential. Start a free trial.
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