“A buyer asks which papers I will send, and I cannot say.”
Send the list before the order. Our view: it tells the buyer that you have shipped before.
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Export documentation checklist for exporters
For first-time and small exporters. See which papers a shipment needs, who issues each, and what a buyer abroad asks to see.
A strategist calls you in one working day.
/ 01 Export documentation
What export documentation is, and who prepares each paper
Export documentation is the set of papers a shipment needs to leave India and for you to be paid. It includes an invoice, a packing list, a transport receipt and a customs shipping bill.
This page lists them by stage and says who issues each. PromotEdge does not clear shipments or file customs papers. A customs broker or freight forwarder does.
A customs broker is a licensed person who does customs work for you. A freight forwarder books space on a ship or plane and moves your cargo. Ask which of them files your shipping bill, the customs form for exports.
Your IEC comes first. It is the export code from DGFT, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade; see our IEC code page. An RCMC is a council's membership certificate, needed only for some benefits; see export promotion councils.
Facts come from official pages opened on 1 November 2026. Where we found no rule, we say "check the current text". The wider picture is on our export marketing for Indian exporters page.
These papers also work as proof for a buyer who has never met you. The last part shows how to put that proof on your website and catalogue.
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/ 02 The checklist
Export documentation checklist, stage by stage
Read on 1 November 2026. Your product and your buyer's country can add papers.
| Stage and paper | Who issues it | Where it is filed or kept | What a buyer abroad may also ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Before shipping: IEC | DGFT | DGFT portal. Steps and yearly update: IEC code | To look up your IEC on DGFT's public page |
| 2. Before shipping: GST letter of undertaking (LUT) | You, in Form GST RFD-11, naming two witnesses | The GST portal, before the export, each financial year | Nothing. It is a tax paper |
| 3. Before shipping: proforma and export invoice | You. GST rule 46 sets a tax line and the country of destination on the invoice | Uploaded with the shipping bill. Copy to your bank | An advance against the proforma. Customs abroad use the invoice for duty |
| 4. Before shipping: certificate of origin, if asked | An agency DGFT lists, through trade.gov.in | Online, with invoice and packing list. ₹200 each, non-preferential | Some countries require it. It can help the buyer claim lower duty |
| 5. Before shipping: product papers | Depends on the product. Plant produce: the plant protection directorate | Its online portal (PQMS), before every export | An inspection or plant health certificate, if required |
| 6. At the port: packing list | You | Uploaded with the shipping bill as a signed PDF | Items, package types and weights, to match the delivery |
| 7. At the port: shipping bill, then the order to load | You or your customs broker file the bill. A customs officer gives the order | Online, on the customs portal ICEGATE | Seldom. Your bank links the payment to the shipping bill |
| 8. At the port: bill of lading or airway bill | The carrier. Road and rail have their own receipts | You receive it after loading. Check names and weights | Usually an original bill of lading, as proof of ownership |
| 9. After shipping: payment and the bank's record | Your bank (the authorised dealer). At an electronic port the export declaration is part of the shipping bill | The bank closes the EDPMS entry (RBI's export data system) when money arrives | The shipping set, to clear the goods. Our view |
| 10. After shipping: eBRC (electronic bank realisation certificate) | You self-certify it on DGFT's portal from bank payment messages | DGFT portal. Export schemes use it as proof of payment | Nothing. It is for your own claims |
Our beliefWhat can't be measured can't be achieved.
Go deeper
Read more about Export documentation
Deeper reading if you want the research behind the plan.
Who files the shipping bill, and what stays with you
Broker, forwarder and exporter
Many freight forwarders hire customs brokers for export clearance, says DGFT's guide. Our view of the usual split, which you should confirm with yours:
| Job | Broker or forwarder | Stays with you |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping bill | Files it | The truth of the declaration |
| Bill of lading | The forwarder books. The carrier issues it | Checking the draft |
| Invoice and packing list | Copies the details | Writing them correctly |
| LUT, eBRC and bank follow-up | Not their job | You and your chartered accountant (CA) |
Source: DGFT, How to Export: a practical guide and Customs Act, 1962 (CBIC copy), read 1 November 2026
Papers that depend on your product and country
Example: rice
APEDA, the government body for farm and food exports, lists these for rice: an IEC, an e-RCMC, a phytosanitary certificate (a plant health paper) and a registration-cum-allocation certificate. For Europe it adds a certificate of inspection from the Export Inspection Council or an Export Inspection Agency. The page has no date. The plant protection directorate says to register once on its PQMS portal and apply online well before every export.
Source: APEDA, Requirements for export of rice and plant protection directorate, FAQ (updated 30 October 2026), read 1 November 2026
Where to look up the rule for your goods
The Foreign Trade Policy (para 2.06) lets the regulator for a product notify more papers. DGFT's customs guide points to CBIC's Customs Compliance Information Portal, where you enter a product code. For farm and food lines, see tea and agribusiness.
Source: Foreign Trade Policy 2023 and DGFT, Customs Import Export Procedures, read 1 November 2026
Showing your papers to a buyer abroad
Why buyers look at your papers
Our view: a buyer abroad cannot visit your factory, so your papers are the nearest thing to a visit. DGFT's public page shows basic details of any IEC, and whether the firm is on its Denied Entity List. The certificate-of-origin portal has a Verify Certificate link.
Source: DGFT, View IEC Related Details and trade.gov.in, read 1 November 2026
Where each paper sits
Our view: give each paper a place.
| Paper | Where it goes on your site or catalogue | What the buyer can check |
|---|---|---|
| IEC | About page, catalogue footer, quotes | DGFT's public IEC page |
| Product certificates and test reports | A certificates page, with number, issuer and date | The issuer |
| Certificate of origin | A line saying you supply one when asked | The Verify Certificate link |
| A sample set of shipping papers | A Documents we provide page, with names and prices blanked | What will arrive with the goods |
Source: For what these papers are, see International Trade Administration, Common Export Documents (a US page), read 1 November 2026
What we do, and where it stops
We design the export website and catalogue, write search pages for importers and take factory and packing photos. Then export lead generation brings the buyers who read them.
/ 03 Sound familiar?
Common problems for first-time exporters
“I do not know who files the shipping bill.”
A customs broker often does. The exporter must still make sure it is true. Agree in writing who signs.
“A new buyer wants proof that I am a real exporter.”
Your papers are the proof. Show them on your site. See the last part and our export website and catalogue work.
“My site, certificate and invoice spell the firm name three ways.”
A buyer can look up your IEC on DGFT's page with the firm name. Use one spelling, also on your website and catalogue.
/ 04 Cost
What affects the cost
No price list. These things move the number.
PromotEdge does not prepare or file export papers, so we charge nothing for them. Brokers, forwarders, agencies and banks set their own charges. For our website and catalogue work we don't publish a price list. A written quote follows within 2 working days of a 30-minute call.
What affects the cost
- Papers shown. A certificates page is small. A full sample set is larger.
- Certificates. Each needs a clear scan.
- Languages. Pages for buyers who read another language.
- Photos. Real factory and packing photos, if you lack them.
How we price it
- We talk for 30 minutes about what you ship and where
- We read your site as a buyer would, then list what is missing
- A written quote follows within 2 working days
What you get in the quote
- The pages and files in scope
- What you give us, and by when
How you pay
| Way of working | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Project fee | A website or catalogue, built once. A website takes 4 to 6 weeks |
| Monthly retainer | Buyer outreach. Minimum 3 months, 30 days' notice |
Broker, forwarder, agency and bank charges are paid to them.
/ 05 Rules to know
Rules for export papers in India
Five points from official text, read on 1 November 2026. Check the current text before you act.
Mandatory papers. The Foreign Trade Policy 2023, para 2.06, lists three for goods: a bill of lading, airway bill or similar receipt; a commercial invoice cum packing list; and a shipping bill or bill of export. The customs board, CBIC, says in its eSanchit guide (September 2025) that a combined invoice cum packing list is also accepted.
The shipping bill. Section 50 of the Customs Act asks the exporter to file it electronically, declare it true, and make sure the information, the papers behind it and the goods' compliance with any ban are right. A customs broker needs a licence (section 146).
GST. Rule 96A says an exporter who does not pay IGST (integrated GST) must furnish a bond or LUT in Form GST RFD-11 before the export. The goods must go within three months of the invoice date, or tax and interest fall due, unless more time is allowed. Rule 46 sets a line on the export invoice.
Bank and RBI. The central bank's export regulations, in force from 1 October 2026, ask for an export declaration (EDF) at the time of export. At an electronic port it is part of the shipping bill.
Certificates of origin. The Handbook of Procedures, paras 2.90 to 2.93, says agencies issue them only through trade.gov.in. For a non-preferential one, upload your invoice and packing list and pay ₹200. For the agreements with the EFTA countries and the UK, self-declaration is also allowed.
General guidance, not legal advice.
/ 06 What happens next
What happens after you ask
For projects we think we can help, this is how it goes.
- 01
A strategist calls you
In one working day: a 30-minute call with one of our strategists about your business and what is not working.
- 02
You get a 1-page plan
A short, honest plan: what to fix first and what we would do. It is free.
- 03
A quote, if you want one
If you want to go ahead, we send a quote within 2 working days.
We confirm the timeline in the quote. Contracts start at 3 months, with 30 days' notice to stop. A single job, such as one event or one print run, is quoted as one project.
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Exporter, or about to ship?
Tell us what you export and where. We'll show you how to put your papers to work for a buyer
Common questions
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Export documentation is the set of papers a shipment needs to leave India and for the exporter to be paid. The main ones are a commercial invoice, a packing list, a transport receipt such as a bill of lading, and a customs shipping bill.
-
The Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (para 2.06) lists three for goods: a bill of lading, airway bill or similar receipt; a commercial invoice cum packing list; and a shipping bill or bill of export. Some goods need more. Check the current text.
-
Your IEC, the GST letter of undertaking if you ship without paying IGST, and a proforma and export invoice. Add a certificate of origin or other certificate if your buyer or the country asks. Then pack the goods and prepare the packing list.
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You write the invoice and packing list. A customs broker often files the shipping bill, and the carrier issues the bill of lading. Under section 50 of the Customs Act, the exporter who presents the bill must make sure it is true. Agree the split in writing.
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Not for every shipment. Some countries require one, and under a trade agreement it can help your buyer pay lower duty. Apply on trade.gov.in to an agency DGFT lists, with your invoice and packing list. The non-preferential fee is ₹200. Check the current text.
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At an electronic port, the export declaration is part of the shipping bill. When payment arrives, your bank checks the deal is genuine and closes the entry in RBI's EDPMS. For scheme claims you also self-certify an eBRC on DGFT's portal.
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A non-preferential certificate of origin costs ₹200 at the government portal. The IEC fee is on our IEC code page. A customs broker, forwarder, inspection agency and bank set their own charges, so ask each one for a written quote before you book.
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No. PromotEdge does not clear shipments, file customs papers or apply for certificates. A customs broker or freight forwarder does, and your CA handles GST. We build the export website and catalogue that show your papers to buyers. We promise no orders.
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Ongoing monthly work has a 3-month minimum. After that you can stop with 30 days' notice. A project has a clear end, and we confirm its timeline in the quote. The smallest first step, a free 30-minute call and a one-page plan, commits you to nothing.
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Before work starts, we agree in writing who your main contact is, how often you meet, and who signs off each piece of work. The person who plans your campaign talks to the person who designs it every day. The seniors you meet at the first call are the people who run your work.