IEC Annual Update: The April to June Window and If You Miss It

Every IEC holder must update or confirm the IEC details on dgft.gov.in once a year, between 1 April and 30 June. It is free inside that window, even if nothing has changed. Miss it and DGFT deactivates the code until you update it, and the fee schedule then charges Rs 200 for the late update.

What is the IEC annual update?

Your Importer Exporter Code (IEC) is the 10-character code DGFT, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, issues against your PAN so you can import or export goods. It has permanent validity. There is no renewal.

So why the yearly task? Para 2.05(d) of the Foreign Trade Policy says the holder must make sure the IEC details are updated electronically every year in the April to June period. If nothing has changed, you still log in and confirm it. Think of it as telling DGFT, once a year, "this business still exists, and these details are still right".

Why does the rule exist? Customs, banks and DGFT all rely on the IEC record. A code nobody has confirmed for years may belong to a business that moved, changed banks or closed. The yearly confirmation keeps the record current, and deactivation is how DGFT enforces it.

The window, the fee and your IEC status

The nil fee and the Rs 200 late fee are rows 7(A) and 7(B) of Appendix 2K, DGFT's fee schedule, in the version annexed to Public Notice 02/2025-26 dated 15 April 2025. Pay whatever the portal shows at the payment step.

How to do the update: step by step

1. Log in on dgft.gov.in with the user account linked to your IEC. If you applied yourself, that is the mobile number and email you registered with.
2. Open Services, then IEC Profile Management, then the option to update or modify the IEC.
3. Go through each section: business details, addresses, bank account, partners or directors, and branches. Correct anything that is out of date and upload proof for the change, such as a new rent agreement.
4. If nothing has changed, review the details and proceed to confirm them as they are.
5. Sign the submission. DGFT has accepted Aadhaar e-sign by a proprietor, partner or director whose name and PAN are on the IEC, or a digital signature certificate.
6. Submit and download the updated e-IEC from your dashboard. Keep it with your export papers.

On time and with nothing to change, this is a ten-minute job. Do it in the first week of April, before the June rush when everyone remembers at once.

What happens if you miss it?

Para 2.05(e) of the policy is short: an IEC not updated in the prescribed period is deactivated, and it may be activated again on successful updation. Handbook para 2.10 adds that deactivation is separate from suspension or cancellation, so your code is not lost.

The practical cost is bigger than the Rs 200. DGFT passes IEC status to the customs system, so a deactivated code can hold up your shipping bill or bill of entry until you finish the update. If a shipment is waiting at the airport or with the courier, that delay is the real bill. Our guide on getting a deactivated IEC working again covers the fix in detail.

There is a second route to deactivation. Para 2.05(f) says an IEC may be flagged for scrutiny, and if you do not address the risks the system flags in time, the IEC is deactivated. So when you log in for the yearly update, look for any alert on your dashboard as well.

A worked example

Ritu exports block-printed cushion covers from Jaipur, about Rs 60,000 a month through courier. She confirmed her IEC in April 2025 but forgot in 2026. In August 2026 her courier partner tells her a consignment of Rs 85,000 cannot be cleared because her IEC shows as inactive.

She logs in that evening, updates the IEC, and pays Rs 200. The code shows active again. But the parcel lost three days, and the buyer in Melbourne asked for a Rs 4,000 discount for the delay. One forgotten ten-minute task cost her Rs 4,200. Had she done it in April, it would have cost nothing.

The mistake people usually make

Most people assume the update is only for those whose details changed. It is not. The policy asks every holder to confirm, so "nothing changed" is not a reason to skip it.

The second mistake is the opposite worry: paying someone a yearly "IEC renewal fee". There is no renewal. The update is free in the window and simple enough to do yourself. Our article on IEC fees sets out what the government actually charges.

A third trap is the 30-day rule. If you move office or change your bank in October, Handbook para 2.14 expects you to update the IEC within 30 days of that change. Do not wait for next April.

Should you do it yourself or pay someone?

Do it yourself if you can log in to DGFT and your Aadhaar-linked mobile is with you. It takes minutes. Get help when the person who signed up has left the business, the DGFT login is lost, the bank account on record is closed, or the partners and directors listed are no longer right. Those cases need documents and a modification, not just a confirmation.

What to do today: put a calendar reminder for 1 April every year, and check your IEC status on the DGFT website if you are unsure whether last year's update went through.

Frequently asked questions

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