§1Who it is for

  • Every IEC holder who imports or exports goods or services

Useful if

Anyone starting to export or import.

Do not spend time on it if

Purely domestic traders.

§2Eligibility

  1. IEC is compulsory for import/export, except for exempted categories listed in HBP para 2.07 (e.g. Government departments, personal-use imports/exports)

§3Benefits

  • Umbrella policy for Advance Authorisation, DFIA, EPCG, RoDTEP, RoSCTL, Status Holder recognition, Districts as Export Hubs, e-commerce exports and the Amnesty scheme
  • No value limit per consignment for courier exports (FTP 2023 Chapter 9, current version)
  • Application fee for AA and EPCG reduced for MSMEs
  • Export settlement in Indian Rupees counted for benefits and export obligation, as per RBI rules

§4Norms — pattern of assistance

  1. Status holder thresholds (USD million, export performance): One Star 3, Two Star 15, Three Star 50, Four Star 200, Five Star 800
  2. Target in the policy presentation: USD 1 trillion merchandise and USD 1 trillion services exports by 2030

§5Documents

Not published

The guideline does not list the documents. Ask the portal or bank before you apply — we do not make up lists.

§6How to apply

  1. 1

    Each scheme under FTP is applied for online on dgft.gov.in with IEC and digital signature

§7Pros and cons

Merits

  • Most AA/EPCG issuance moved online; DGFT presentation says issuance time cut from 3–7 days to 1 day
  • Policy has no fixed five-year sunset, so it is amended through notifications instead of a fresh policy

Demerits

  • Rules change often through notifications (four FTP/HBP notifications in Jul–Sep 2026 alone), so a small exporter must track DGFT notices
  • Benefits like RoDTEP and RoSCTL run on short extensions (3–6 months at a time), which makes pricing uncertain

→Related schemes

Need help with FTP 2023?

Eligibility check, DPR and application file — ask us on WhatsApp.

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Our interestHelp is our paid service. You can also apply for the scheme yourself.

Sources

  1. DGFT presentation: Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (31.03.2023)
  2. DGFT — Notifications list
  3. TaxGuru reproduction of DGFT Notification 41/2026-27 (30 Sep 2026) — RoDTEP extended to 31 Dec 2026
  4. Foreign Trade Policy 2023, Chapter 9: E-commerce exports (DGFT, current version)

Checked on 18 October 2026. For information only — confirm with the department or bank. Spotted a mistake? Report it.