Implementation of Submission of Importer Exporter Code (IEC) for Bills of Lading Destined for India's Ports

27 November 2008

Dear Valued Customer,

We write to inform you of the impending implementation of the submission of Importer Exporter Code (IEC) by Indian Customs for cargo destined for India's ports.

Indian Customs, Jawahar Customs House, which handles the customs activities for the 3 Nhava Sheva Terminals recently issued a notice to require the submission of IEC details in the manifest for all cargo discharged and destined to these terminals. Indian Customs intend to extend this to the rest of terminals in India in the near future.

What is IEC code?

IEC stands for Importer Exporter Code and is a unique 10 digit code issued by Director General of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, (DGFT) to Indian Companies. It is a mandatory code to be submitted to Indian Customs for anyone who wants to import or export cargoes into or out of India.

Submisison of IEC code in shipping instruction

In order for carriers to comply with the new regulation, shippers at loading ports for cargo destined to India are required to submit the IEC code in their shipping instructions. The IEC code should precede the consignee/notify name and address with a single space and without salutations like M/s, Ms, etc interspersed in the text. It is also a submission requirement to have a zero digit in front of every IEC code.

For example:

We encourage shippers with cargo destined for India’s ports to contact their consignees to obtain the consignee’s IEC code and start submitting these together with the shipping instructions in the format as described in the example.

We appreciate your cooperation to get ready for this new regulation and to prevent any potential fines which may occur, when this becomes mandatory in the near future.

In the meantime, if you require further help, please contact your local Customer Service or APL representative.

Yours sincerely,