DGFT Services — Expert Solutions for Foreign Trade

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), headquartered in New Delhi with Regional Authorities (RAs) in 24 cities across India, is the nodal agency for administering India's foreign trade policy. Every aspect of export incentive scheme administration, import licensing, trade authorization, and policy representation flows through DGFT. For businesses engaged in Indian EXIM, having an expert DGFT partner is not optional — it is the difference between capturing every benefit available under the Foreign Trade Policy and leaving significant money on the table.

ISLF's DGFT practice was built alongside our customs and freight forwarding operations, recognizing that the most valuable service we can provide is not just moving cargo but optimizing the regulatory and financial performance of every trade transaction. Our DGFT team of specialists has represented clients before DGFT RAs across India — Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad — and at DGFT Headquarters in New Delhi. This multi-location experience gives us unparalleled knowledge of how different DGFT offices interpret and apply FTP provisions.

ISLF's DGFT service portfolio covers every aspect of the DGFT system: IEC lifecycle management, all DGFT scheme licences (EPCG, Advance Authorization, DFIA, SCOMET), export benefit scheme advisory (RoDTEP, Status Holder, TED refunds), SION advisory and fixation, and committee representations (PRC, EFC, EPCG Committee). We serve manufacturers, exporters, importers, trading companies, and EOU/SEZ units across all sectors.

IEC (Import Export Code) Services: ISLF manages new IEC registrations, IEC amendments (branches, authorized signatories, bank accounts, HS codes), annual IEC updation (mandatory compliance), IEC profile verification and correction, and IEC surrender for businesses exiting international trade. For multi-entity groups (parent company, subsidiaries, group companies), we manage the IEC portfolio across all entities, ensuring each IEC is correctly linked and maintained.

EPCG Licence Management: ISLF provides end-to-end EPCG service — from eligibility assessment and licence application through to capital goods customs clearance, EO monitoring, EODC filing, and licence redemption. For companies with legacy EPCG licences facing EO default, we file EO extension applications, EO condonation requests, and EPCG Amnesty Scheme applications. Our EPCG tracking system maintains a real-time dashboard of each licence's EO status, preventing defaults through proactive monitoring.

Advance Authorization (AA) Services: ISLF manages the complete AA cycle: SION identification (or SION fixation application for products not covered), AA application, customs clearance of duty-free inputs, EO monitoring and tracking, EODC filing after exports, and EODC follow-up with DGFT for redemption. For AA licensees who imported more than the permitted quantity or whose output norms varied from SION, ISLF manages regularization applications.

RoDTEP Advisory and Management: ISLF provides comprehensive RoDTEP services — including rate advisory (reviewing the RoDTEP rate schedule for each HS code exported by the client and identifying the applicable rate), SB003 declaration compliance at the Shipping Bill stage, ICEGATE scrip tracking and download, and scrip utilization advisory (whether to use scrips for own imports or sell at a premium to other importers). Our RoDTEP optimization service has generated significant additional revenue for exporters who were previously unaware of their entitlements.

SION (Standard Input-Output Norms) Advisory: SION norms define the permitted input-output ratios for Advance Authorization — how much raw material can be imported duty-free per unit of finished product exported. Where SION norms are available, ISLF verifies their applicability and optimal use. Where SION norms are not available for a specific product-input combination, ISLF files SION fixation applications with the relevant EPC/commodity board, supported by technical manufacturing details and consumption data.

DGFT Committee Representations: When businesses need policy relaxations — EO extensions, scheme regularizations, SION variations, or licensing issues — ISLF drafts and presents applications to the Policy Relaxation Committee (PRC), Exim Facilitation Committee (EFC), and the EPCG Committee. Our representations are known for their factual depth, legal accuracy, and persuasive presentation — qualities that have consistently produced positive outcomes for clients in genuinely difficult regulatory situations.