AD code and ICEGATE registration for importers and exporters

Customs will not take a shipping bill until your bank's AD code is registered against your IEC. We set up your ICEGATE login with you. Then we prepare your AD code and refund account and file them from it.

AD code registration
AD code registeredReady for your first shipping bill

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Which registration do you need?

It depends on what you do. Pick the case closest to yours.

What do you do?

You need an AD code

Customs will not take your shipping bill without it. We register it with your refund account before your first export. Customs pays any IGST refund and drawback into that account.

Your bill of entry names your bank

Each bill of entry carries your bank's AD code. That is how your bank finds it and matches your payment. Customs asks you to register the code before you export. We register it for importers too so a first export never waits.

You need your own ICEGATE login

Your AD code, refund account and export incentive credits all run from it. You sign up with your digital signature and an Aadhaar check. We fill in the details with you.

Start with your IEC

Your AD code and your ICEGATE login both need an IEC first. We prepare and file that too.

IEC registration
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What you need before you register

Your AD code sits on your IEC and your own ICEGATE login. Many banks now confirm your account to ICEGATE online. If yours does not it writes a letter.

  1. PAN
  2. IEC
  3. Your own ICEGATE loginICEGATE
  4. Your bank's checkBank check
  5. AD code on ICEGATEAD code

What the letter must say if your bank is not linked

Your name and address

Just as they appear on your IEC.

Your IEC and PAN

Your Importer Exporter Code and the PAN it is linked to.

Your account

The account linked to your IEC and the account holder's name.

The PAN check

A line saying the PAN on your account is the PAN on your IEC.

The AD code or IFSC

The AD code for your export payments. The IFSC for your refund account.

The branch

Its name, address, phone number and official email.

From your branch

Signed by the branch. Some banks send it online.

A cancelled cheque

Or your latest bank statement stamped by the bank.

How to register your AD code on ICEGATE

Your bank confirms your account. We check the details and file them from your ICEGATE login. You sign only when you sign up for that login.

  1. We set up your ICEGATE login with you. Your authorised person signs with a digital signature and an Aadhaar check.

  2. Many banks confirm your account to ICEGATE online. If yours does not we send it the letter format customs asks for.

  3. We match the name, PAN and account to your IEC before anything is filed.

  4. We file your AD code and refund account from your ICEGATE login. You pick one port to register at.

  5. Customs approves it and links your AD code to your IEC. From then on it works at every port.

  6. We file your shipping bill under your IEC and AD code. Your goods can leave from any port.

How we keep your AD code working

Your AD code does not expire. We update it when you change banks and check it before each export.

  • Status check

    Before each shipment

    We check your IEC, AD code and refund account before we file your shipping bill.

  • The right bank

    Each export

    Each shipping bill we file names the right AD code. Then your bank can match your buyer's payment without delay.

  • Papers that agree

    Each export

    We prepare each shipping bill from the same invoice as your GST return. A mismatch holds up any IGST refund.

  • New AD code

    When you change banks

    We register the new bank before your next shipping bill goes in.

  • Refund account

    Each new port

    Your refund account needs a request for each port. We pick every port you use. Once one port approves it the system approves the others.

  • Digital signature

    Before it runs out

    We remind you to renew the digital signature on your ICEGATE login.

Where AD code registrations go wrong

Most of the trouble starts at the bank or with a change nobody passed on.

  • What goes wrong: Your PAN and IEC sit on different customer records at your bank. The online check fails.

    What we do: We spot it and tell you exactly what your bank must fix.

  • What goes wrong: The bank letter leaves out the line that your PAN matches your IEC.

    What we do: We send your bank the exact format. Then we check the letter before we file.

  • What goes wrong: Only the AD code goes in. Your refunds have no account to land in.

    What we do: We register your refund account at the same time.

  • What goes wrong: Your goods reach the port before the AD code is registered. They wait at the gate.

    What we do: We register it when we set you up, before your first export.

  • What goes wrong: You change banks but new shipping bills still carry the old AD code.

    What we do: We register the new bank first. Then we file under it.

  • What goes wrong: A shipping bill names the wrong bank. The payment then has to be matched across two banks.

    What we do: We check the AD code on every shipping bill before we file it.

Export from our warehouse under your own AD code

Your AD code names your bank, not a warehouse. So your stock can sit with us and still ship under it.

  • Packed and sealed with us

    We pack your export order at our warehouse and seal the container there. It leaves under your IEC and AD code.

  • Goods from several suppliers

    We gather goods from your suppliers into one export order. The shipping bill still names your IEC and your bank.

  • Cleared by our own team

    Our customs team clears your goods at the port. Your AD code is already on file when they arrive.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Still have a question?

Send your queryA short form Call us+91 98731 44145 Email us[email protected]
What is an AD code?
AD stands for authorised dealer. It is the code of a bank branch the RBI allows to deal in foreign currency. Customs links it to your IEC. Then your bank sees each shipping bill and can match your buyer's payment to it.
Is AD code and IEC the same?
No. Your IEC is your own code from DGFT. For most businesses it is the same as your PAN. The AD code belongs to your bank's branch. Customs links the two so it knows which bank handles your export money.
Is AD code registration mandatory for export?
Yes. Customs will not take a shipping bill under your IEC until your AD code is registered. That goes for manufacturers and merchant exporters alike.
Is AD code needed for import?
Yes, but you do not register it for imports. Your bill of entry names your bank's AD code. Your bank uses it to match each payment to the import. Customs asks you to register the code before you export. We register it for importers too so a first export never waits.
How do I register my AD code on ICEGATE?
First sign up on ICEGATE with your digital signature. Then add your AD code from your login and pick one port to register at. If your bank is linked to ICEGATE it confirms your details online. If not you upload its letter and a cancelled cheque. Customs checks the request and links the code to your IEC. We prepare and file it with you.
How do I get the AD code letter from my bank?
Many banks now confirm your account to ICEGATE online, so you may need no letter. Otherwise ask the branch that holds the account linked to your IEC. If that branch does not deal in foreign currency your bank gives you the AD code of a branch that does. We send you the format customs asks for.
Is AD code different for each port?
No. You register it once at one port. It then works at every port. Any change goes through that port of registration. Your refund account still needs a request for each port. You can pick every port at once.
Is AD code different for each branch?
The AD code belongs to your bank's branch, not to your own branches. One IEC covers all your branches. It can carry more than one AD code, for example one for each bank you use. Each shipping bill names the bank that will receive that payment.
What if I change my bank?
Ask the new bank to confirm your account. We register its AD code before your next shipping bill. A shipping bill under the old code sits with your old bank while your new bank gets the money. Matching the two then needs both banks and takes time.
Do I need my own ICEGATE login if my CHA files for me?
Not to clear each shipment. We file your shipping bills and bills of entry under our own customs broker licence. But your AD code and refund account are registered from your own login. You also need it for export incentive credits and duty refunds. And it lets you see your records yourself.
Can I register on ICEGATE without a digital signature?
No. Every new ICEGATE sign-up needs the digital signature of the person you authorise and an Aadhaar check. Old view-only logins must add a digital signature to use most services.
Why is my IGST refund not credited?
Often your shipping bill and your GST return disagree. Or the shipping line or airline has not filed its export manifest. Or your refund account has not passed the government's bank check. An alert on your IEC also stops it. If you export under a bond or LUT there is no IGST refund from customs. We register your refund account and prepare each shipping bill from the same invoice as your GST return.