Step 05 / 07
Get an RCMC from the right Export Promotion Council or Board
The Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) makes you eligible for export benefits. It is now applied for on DGFT’s common digital platform and is valid for five years.
- 1Choose your business form and get a PAN
- 2Open a current account with a bank that handles foreign exchange
- 3Get your Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) from DGFT
- 4Register for GST and file a Letter of Undertaking (LUT)
- 5Get an RCMC from the right Export Promotion Council or Board
- 6Get the licences your product needs
- 7Make your first shipment
- Official fee
- Each council or board sets its own membership fee — check on the council’s site or on the e-RCMC screen before paying.
- Time
- Depends on the council’s review — check the application status on the DGFT e-RCMC dashboard.
Apply to the council or board that covers your main product. Examples: APEDA for agricultural and processed food, MPEDA for marine products, Spices Board for spices, Tea Board, Coffee Board, EEPC for engineering goods, AEPC for garments, Pharmexcil for medicines. If no council covers your product, or you export many products, apply to FIEO.
Since 1 April 2022 RCMCs are filed and issued only through DGFT’s common digital platform (e-RCMC) on dgft.gov.in. Log in with your IEC, choose the registering authority, fill form ANF-2C, upload documents and pay the council’s membership fee online. The certificate carries a QR code that anyone can verify on the DGFT site.
An RCMC is valid from 1 April of the year of issue for five years, ending 31 March. If your ownership, name or address changes, tell the council within one month.
For some products the RCMC is more than a formality. APEDA registration is needed for its scheduled products and basmati contracts; Spices Board registration (CRES) is needed to export spices; MPEDA registration is needed for marine products. Check your product’s page before you apply.