IEC Verification: How to Check Any IEC Code and Its Status on DGFT and ICEGATE

To verify an IEC, go to dgft.gov.in, open View Any IEC, enter the 10-character IEC and the first three letters of the firm name, and the result shows whether the code is active and free of any Denied Entity List flag. It is free, needs no login and takes under a minute. Then check the BIN status on ICEGATE to confirm Customs will accept it. Run both for a full import export code status check, because a code can be live on DGFT a day or two before it reaches Customs.

Key takeaways

• IEC verification online is free and needs no login on both DGFT and ICEGATE.
• DGFT's View Any IEC needs the IEC, which is the firm's PAN, plus the first three letters of the firm name.
• ICEGATE's BIN status shows whether Customs will accept the code; a new or updated IEC takes 24 to 48 hours to appear there.
• A code that suddenly reads Deactivated almost always means the 1 April to 30 June annual update was missed, and completing it reactivates the code.
• A DEL flag means the firm is on the Denied Entity List; do not trade with it until DGFT clears it.
• Customs checks the IEC on every shipping bill and banks reference it on export proceeds, so a lapsed code can stop goods and money together.
• Services exporters need an IEC only for Foreign Trade Policy benefits, though banks may ask for one on payments from abroad.

To check IEC code details on DGFT, use the public View Any IEC search, which works for your own code or anyone else's:

• Go to dgft.gov.in, open the Services menu and choose View IEC Related Details.
• Click the View Any IEC tile.
• Enter the 10-character IEC, which is the same as the firm's PAN, and at least the first three characters of the firm's name.
• Type the captcha and select View IEC.

If the status reads Active and there is no DEL flag, the code is valid at source. If the page says details for the IEC are not found, recheck the IEC and the first letters of the name before assuming the code is invalid.

Registered users can also log in to IEC Profile Management for annual-update status and shipping-bill details. An IEC status check on DGFT does not show Customs status, so run the ICEGATE check below too.

Your IEC BIN status on ICEGATE shows whether Customs will actually process your shipping bills and bills of entry. There are two checks, and neither needs a login for the basic result.

Check IE Code/BIN Status

• Go to icegate.gov.in and open Services, then Enquiries.
• Choose Check IE Code/BIN Status, enter the IEC and captcha, and submit.
• Look for 'Registered by DGFT and Accepted by ICEGATE', which means the code is synced and ready for filing.

A new or just-updated IEC can take 24 to 48 hours to reach ICEGATE, so a short lag after approval is normal. A first-time exporter in Rajkot saw the code Active on DGFT the day it was issued while ICEGATE still showed it unregistered; it synced overnight and the shipping bill went through the next morning.

ICEGATE Registration Verification with your PAN

If you or your customs broker file on ICEGATE, its Registration Verification utility confirms the ICEGATE registration itself. Enter the details it asks for, usually your PAN, and the captcha, and it shows the ICEGATE ID, role, registration date and registered filing details. Use it when filings fail even though the IEC reads Active on both DGFT and the BIN check.

Both checks are quick once you know where they live. Use this table to run them side by side.

Most IEC results that are not Active trace back to one of three causes: a sync delay between DGFT and ICEGATE, a missed annual update, or a typing mismatch. Each message below has its own meaning and fix:

A DEL flag is the one result to treat as a stop sign, for your own code or a counterparty's. Every other message on this list has a fix you can complete online, usually within a day.

You can download your own IEC certificate free from the DGFT portal in a few clicks; banks, buyers and export marketplaces often ask for it during onboarding:

• Log in to dgft.gov.in with your registered mobile number or email.
• Open IEC Profile Management from your dashboard.
• Choose Print IEC and download the PDF.

The certificate shows the firm name, address, IEC number, date of issue and branch details. Newer certificates carry a QR code that opens the IEC record on DGFT when scanned, so the receiver can check it is genuine. If yours is an older certificate, DGFT's portal now asks holders to modify the IEC and generate the certificate with the new QR code, so do that before you send it to a bank or buyer.

You cannot search an IEC by company name alone. DGFT's View Any IEC needs the IEC plus the first three letters of the firm name, so IEC code verification of a counterparty starts with getting their code. Because the IEC is the same as the firm's PAN, any document that shows the PAN gives you the IEC.

A clean result confirms a registered, active trader at the stated address with no DEL flag. It does not prove the firm is creditworthy, but a business without a valid IEC cannot legally import or export from India, so treat a missing or inactive code as a reason to pause the deal.

An IEC does not expire, but it is not permanent by default either. DGFT requires every holder to confirm or update the IEC profile once each financial year, between 1 April and 30 June, even when nothing about the business has changed (as of October 2026). This is the single most common reason a long-held code stops working.

• Confirming with no changes is free.
• Amending any detail costs a ₹200 fee (as of October 2026).
• Miss the 30 June window and DGFT deactivates the code shortly after. The Deactivated status is transmitted to ICEGATE, and Customs stops processing any shipping bill or bill of entry linked to it.

The relief is that reactivation is not a fresh application. Log in to the DGFT portal and complete the same annual update, even after the deadline. Once it is processed, the IEC reactivates automatically and the updated status flows back to Customs. The Tiruppur exporter above was trading again within a day of re-confirming the profile, with no penalty and no re-registration. Setting a recurring April reminder is the simplest way to avoid the problem.

You need an IEC if you import or export goods, because Customs will not clear a shipping bill or bill of entry without it. If you only export services, the Foreign Trade Policy does not require one unless you claim a benefit under that policy.

Services exporters are still often asked for one. Some banks request an IEC when they process payments from abroad, and software exporters filing SOFTEX forms usually need it, so many register anyway. Getting one costs ₹500 once, and keeping it active is free if nothing changes.

With or without an IEC, services exporters need proof of every foreign receipt. Those paid through Xflow receiving accounts get an eFIRA for each payment, the proof of export income your bank and GST refund claims rely on.

IEC verification is checking, on the government's own portals, that an Importer Exporter Code is real, active and not blocked before you rely on it for a shipment, a payment or a deal. The IEC is a 10-character code issued by DGFT, and it is the same as the firm's PAN.

Two portals hold two parts of the answer. DGFT, which issues the code, confirms it exists and is active at source. ICEGATE, the customs gateway, shows the BIN status that decides whether shipping bills and bills of entry clear at the port. A code can read Active on DGFT before ICEGATE has it, so exporters and importers check both.

An unverified or lapsed IEC does not sit quietly; it blocks trade on three fronts at once.

• Customs holds. Once the code reads Deactivated on ICEGATE, no shipping bill or bill of entry linked to it clears. Consignments stay held at the port until the code is live again.
• Payments freeze. Banks reference an active IEC to process inward export remittances and issue realisation documents. A lapsed code can stall a client's payment mid-settlement, as it did for the Tiruppur exporter.
• Schemes and refunds stall. Duty drawback, RoDTEP, and FIRC for GST refund claims tied to your exports can pause while the code is inactive.

None of this carries a fine on its own. The cost is delay, and delay on a live shipment or a pending payment is expensive enough. Completing the annual update clears all three at once. For services exporters, an EDPMS compliance trail also depends on the code staying clean.

If verification shows no IEC exists, apply online on dgft.gov.in using form ANF-2A and pay the ₹500 government fee. There is nothing to send by post. You need:

• The entity's PAN, which becomes the IEC.
• A mobile number and email for the DGFT login.
• A bank account in the firm's name, with a cancelled cheque or bank certificate.
• Proof of the business address, with the owner's NOC if the premises are rented.
• Aadhaar of the proprietor or signatory for e-signing, or a digital signature certificate (DSC).

The IEC is usually issued within one to two working days and reaches ICEGATE up to 48 hours later. Confirm the current documents on the DGFT portal before you apply.

A verified, active IEC is what lets Customs clear your goods and lets your bank process the money coming in. The next friction point is the inward payment itself, where a share of the value is often lost to poor exchange rates and where the paperwork proving realisation has to line up. Many exporters only discover this after they receive international payments in India bank account through a standard bank wire and see the deductions.

This is the layer Xflow works on for Indian exporters. You get virtual receiving accounts in currencies such as USD, EUR, GBP, and AED, so overseas clients pay into local account details instead of routing an expensive international wire. Settlements convert at the mid-market rate, with no markup on the exchange itself, and land in your Indian account on a same-day basis.

On compliance, Xflow generates an eFIRA automatically for each receipt, so the paperwork proving realisation and repatriation of export proceeds, which your bank and GST filings need, is produced without a separate request. The same evidence trail feeds the RBI purpose codes and the bank realisation certificate explained, both records your bank closes each remittance against. Xflow operates under a final RBI Payment Aggregator - Cross Border (PA-CB) authorisation for exports and imports (as of February 2026), with ISO 27001 and SOC 2 controls, so the money moves inside the regulated FEMA framework. The IEC gets your trade cleared; the payment rail decides how much of it you keep.

IEC verification is two quick, free checks: DGFT for the code at source, ICEGATE for its BIN status at Customs. Read the status against the tables above, and if a valid code suddenly stops, the annual April to June update is almost always the cause and the fix. This guide is educational and not a substitute for advice from a chartered accountant or the official DGFT and ICEGATE portals. Keep the code active, and the rest of the trade cycle, from customs clearance to getting paid, has one less thing to snag on.