How to Find a Company’s IEC (Import Export Code)

The Import Export Code (IEC) is the ten-character identification number that every business engaged in cross-border trade must hold under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act. Whether you are checking your own certificate, verifying a supplier, or completing paperwork for customs and your bank, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) portal makes it straightforward to locate an IEC. This guide explains how the IEC works in 2026, how to print your own, and how to look up any IEC through the public search.

IEC and PAN are now the same number

Since the DGFT moved to a PAN-based system, the IEC is no longer a separate ten-digit numeric code. The IEC allotted to a business is identical to the Permanent Account Number (PAN) of the entity, which is a ten-character alphanumeric code. In other words, if you know a company’s PAN, you already know the number under which its IEC is registered, and there is one IEC per PAN across India.

This matters when you are searching. The certificate issued by the DGFT still carries an “IEC” field, but the value shown there is the entity’s PAN. When a form asks for your IEC, entering your PAN is correct.

Method 1: Print your own IEC after logging in to the DGFT portal

If the IEC belongs to your own business, the most reliable copy is the one you download directly from your DGFT account. Follow these steps.

1. Open the DGFT portal at dgft.gov.in and select Login at the top right.
2. Sign in with your registered username and password, completing the OTP verification sent to your registered mobile number and email.
3. From the Services menu, choose IEC Profile Management.
4. On the IEC dashboard, select the Print IEC option.
5. Review the details shown, then download the certificate as a PDF for your records.

The downloaded certificate displays the IEC (your PAN), the firm name, registered address, date of issue, nature of concern, and the current status. Keep a current copy on file, because customs brokers, authorised dealer banks, and export promotion councils routinely ask for it.

Method 2: Use the “View Any IEC” public search

The DGFT portal also offers a public verification facility that does not require a login. This is the tool to use when you want to confirm the IEC of a customer, vendor, or any other company before transacting.

1. Go to dgft.gov.in and open the Services menu.
2. Select the IEC section and choose the “View Any IEC” or “Verify IEC” option.
3. Enter the ten-character IEC (that is, the PAN of the entity) in the search field.
4. Type the captcha shown on the screen.
5. Select Search to display the record.

The result confirms the firm name, registered address as held by the DGFT, the branch details, and the IEC status. Because the public view is keyed to the IEC or PAN, you generally need that number in hand; the search is designed to verify a known code rather than to discover an unknown one by company name alone.

Other ways to trace an IEC

Check trade and shipping documents

An IEC appears on almost every export or import document a business generates. Shipping bills, bills of entry, bank realisation and remittance advices, letters of credit, and GST-linked export invoices commonly print the IEC. If you are trying to locate the code of a company you already deal with, these papers are often the quickest source.

Use the entity’s PAN

Because the IEC equals the PAN, a company’s PAN, which is frequently available on invoices, tax filings, and registration certificates, gives you the number to run through the DGFT verification tool. This is particularly useful for confirming whether a counterparty holds a valid, active IEC at all.

Ask the entity directly

For onboarding a supplier or buyer, the practical route is to request a copy of their IEC certificate and then confirm it against the DGFT public search. This gives you both the document and independent verification of its status.

Why IEC status matters: the annual updation rule

Finding an IEC is only half the exercise; its status is equally important. The DGFT requires every IEC holder to update or confirm their IEC details on the portal each financial year, during the window from 1 April to 30 June, even where nothing has changed. This annual updation is a mandatory electronic confirmation, not a fresh registration.

An IEC that is not updated within the window is liable to be deactivated. A deactivated IEC can hold up customs clearance of shipments, block inward and outward foreign trade payments through banks, and interrupt access to export incentives and council registrations. The code can be reactivated by completing the overdue update, without prejudice to any other action the DGFT may take. For the current cycle, holders should complete the FY 2025-26 updation between 1 April 2026 and 30 June 2026.

When you run a “View Any IEC” search and see a status other than active, or when your own Print IEC screen flags a pending update, treat it as a signal to complete the annual updation before relying on the code for any transaction.

Finding the IEC when you only know the company name

The DGFT search is built to verify a code you already hold, not to look one up from a name. But because the IEC is the entity’s PAN, anything that tells you the PAN also tells you the IEC. Three routes work in practice:

• From the GSTIN. A GST number is a 15-character string: two digits for the state, then the ten-character PAN, then the entity code, the letter Z, and a checksum. Characters 3 to 12 of any GSTIN are the PAN — and therefore the IEC. If the company shows its GSTIN on an invoice, a website footer or a purchase order, you already have the code.
• From an MCA filing. For a company or LLP, the PAN appears on filed financial statements and on several e-forms. The master data on the MCA portal gives you the CIN, from which the filings can be pulled.
• From the trade paperwork. The IEC is printed on the shipping bill, the bill of entry and the bank’s inward or outward remittance advice. If you have transacted with the party before, it is already in your own file.

Once you have the ten characters, run them through “View Any IEC” as described above to confirm the firm name, address and status actually match the party you are dealing with.

Checking an IEC before you ship or pay

Verifying a counterparty’s IEC takes a minute and occasionally saves a consignment. Four things are worth reading on the result screen:

• Status. An IEC that has not been confirmed in the April–June window is deactivated. A deactivated IEC cannot be used to clear a consignment.
• Firm name and address. These should match the entity on your invoice and your agreement. A mismatch usually means you are dealing with a group company, an agent, or something worse.
• Branch details. Exports routed through a branch that is not listed against the IEC cause avoidable queries at the port.
• Nature of concern. Proprietorship, partnership, LLP and company carry different documentation and different recourse if something goes wrong.

What to do once you have your IEC

The IEC on its own does not let you move a consignment or receive the money. Three things follow it:

1. Register the AD Code at each port. Your bank issues an AD Code letter, which is then registered on ICEGATE against every port or airport you ship from. Without it the shipping bill will not generate. We cover the documents and the format in our guide to AD Code registration on ICEGATE.
2. Confirm the IEC every year between April and June. This is a confirmation, not a renewal, and there is no fee — but missing it deactivates the code.
3. Keep the DGFT profile current. A change of address, bank account, partner or director has to be updated on the profile, or the details on the IEC stop matching the details on your shipping documents.

If you are applying for a fresh code rather than looking one up, our IEC registration service page sets out the documents required for each entity type and the full DGFT process.

Frequently asked questions

Is the IEC different from PAN?

No. Under the present PAN-based system, the IEC allotted to a business is the same ten-character alphanumeric code as its PAN. There is one IEC per PAN, so the two numbers are identical for a given entity.

Can I search for an IEC using only a company name?

The DGFT public verification tool is built around the IEC or PAN, so you ordinarily need that number to pull up a record. If you do not have it, obtain the entity’s PAN or a copy of its IEC certificate, then confirm the details through the “View Any IEC” search.

Do I need to log in to view an IEC?

To print or download your own certificate you must log in to your DGFT account. To verify someone else’s IEC, the public “View Any IEC” search works without a login; you only need the code and the captcha.

What happens if an IEC is not updated between April and June?

An IEC that misses the annual updation window is liable to be deactivated, which can stall customs clearances and trade payments. It can be reactivated by completing the pending update, but it is far simpler to update within the 1 April to 30 June window each year.

Is there any government fee to view or print an IEC?

Viewing an IEC through the public search and printing your own certificate from your logged-in account are free. Fees apply only to fresh IEC registration and, where relevant, to modification of details on the portal.

If you would rather not navigate the DGFT portal yourself, TAXAJ can handle your Import Export Code registration, annual updation, and the wider foreign-trade and FEMA compliance that goes with cross-border business. Reach out to our team for end-to-end support so your IEC stays active and your shipments keep moving.