Imports & ExportsStart exporting
7 steps from zero to your first shipment

Export from India.
Start from zero.

The registrations, the rules for your product, the countries that buy it, the papers for the shipment and the schemes that pay you back — in plain words, from official sources.

7setup steps
53product guides
30country guides
18documents with samples

Where India’s goods go

US$ 441.5 bn of exports, across the world

India’s exports to our 30 country guides in 2025-26. The thicker the route, the bigger the trade. Tap a country.

United States of America: US$ 87.3 bnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 37.4 bnChina: US$ 19.5 bnNetherlands: US$ 17.5 bnUnited Kingdom: US$ 13.4 bnSingapore: US$ 11.9 bnGermany: US$ 11.5 bnBangladesh: US$ 10.6 bnSaudi Arabia: US$ 10.3 bnItaly: US$ 7.79 bnNepal: US$ 7.45 bnAustralia: US$ 7.28 bnFrance: US$ 7.1 bnSouth Africa: US$ 7.01 bnSpain: US$ 6.96 bnMalaysia: US$ 6.83 bnVietnam: US$ 6.67 bnJapan: US$ 6.04 bnSouth Korea: US$ 6.01 bnSri Lanka: US$ 5.52 bnCanada: US$ 4.67 bnRussia: US$ 4.49 bnIndonesia: US$ 4.49 bnOman: US$ 4.02 bnKenya: US$ 4.02 bnEgypt: US$ 3.87 bnKuwait: US$ 1.65 bnQatar: US$ 1.62 bnBhutan: US$ 1.25 bnMauritius: US$ 474 mnUnited States of America: US$ 87.3 bnUnited States of AmericaUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 37.4 bnUnited Arab EmiratesChina: US$ 19.5 bnChinaNetherlands: US$ 17.5 bnNetherlandsUnited Kingdom: US$ 13.4 bnSingapore: US$ 11.9 bnSingaporeGermany: US$ 11.5 bnBangladesh: US$ 10.6 bnBangladeshSaudi Arabia: US$ 10.3 bnItaly: US$ 7.79 bnItalyNepal: US$ 7.45 bnNepalAustralia: US$ 7.28 bnFrance: US$ 7.1 bnSouth Africa: US$ 7.01 bnSpain: US$ 6.96 bnMalaysia: US$ 6.83 bnVietnam: US$ 6.67 bnJapan: US$ 6.04 bnSouth Korea: US$ 6.01 bnSri Lanka: US$ 5.52 bnCanada: US$ 4.67 bnRussia: US$ 4.49 bnIndonesia: US$ 4.49 bnOman: US$ 4.02 bnKenya: US$ 4.02 bnEgypt: US$ 3.87 bnKuwait: US$ 1.65 bnQatar: US$ 1.62 bnBhutan: US$ 1.25 bnMauritius: US$ 474 mnIndia
Source: TradeStat, Department of Commerce · 2025-26
  1. 01United States of AmericaUS$ 87.3 bn
  2. 02United Arab EmiratesUS$ 37.4 bn
  3. 03ChinaUS$ 19.5 bn
  4. 04NetherlandsUS$ 17.5 bn
  5. 05United KingdomUS$ 13.4 bn
  6. 06SingaporeUS$ 11.9 bn
  7. 07GermanyUS$ 11.5 bn
  8. 08BangladeshUS$ 10.6 bn
  9. 09Saudi ArabiaUS$ 10.3 bn
  10. 10ItalyUS$ 7.79 bn
All country guides →

The path

Zero to first shipment

Seven steps in this order. Most are online and cost little; finish them before you promise a buyer a date.

Start at step one →
  1. 01Choose your business form and get a PAN

    Decide who will export: you as a proprietor, a partnership, an LLP or a company. Every later registration hangs on that entity’s PAN.

  2. 02Open a current account with a bank that handles foreign exchange

    Export money must come through an Authorised Dealer (AD) bank. Get a current account in the business name and ask the bank for its AD code.

  3. 03Get your Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) from DGFT

    The IEC is the 10-character code every Indian exporter and importer needs. It is issued online by DGFT for a fee of ₹500 and must be updated every April–June.

  4. 04Register for GST and file a Letter of Undertaking (LUT)

    Exports are zero-rated under GST. With an LUT in Form GST RFD-11 you export without paying IGST, so no money gets stuck waiting for a refund.

  5. 05Get 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.

  6. 06Get the licences your product needs

    IEC, GST and RCMC are the same for everyone. Food, medicines, marine goods and some other products need an extra licence, registration or test certificate.

  7. 07Make your first shipment

    Register on ICEGATE, link your AD code and bank account, hire a licensed customs broker and a freight forwarder, file the shipping bill, get Let Export Order, and collect your e-BRC once paid.

Products

What can you export?

Each guide gives the HS code, export policy, where to register, what buyers test for, and where it sells.

Start here

Products first-time exporters pick

See all →

Markets

Where to sell

India’s trade agreements cut the duty your buyer pays — if your certificate of origin is right.

See all →

Farm to port

How one export shipment travels

  1. 01
    Grow it or make it

    Farm produce from a registered farm or pack house; goods from your own unit or a supplier you have checked.

    Product rules →
  2. 02
    Sort, grade and pack

    Pack to the buyer’s specification, label every carton, test the lot if the buyer or the law asks.

    Packing list →
  3. 03
    Raise the papers

    Invoice, packing list and certificates; your customs broker files the shipping bill on ICEGATE.

    All documents →
  4. 04
    Stuff the container

    Load at your factory with self-sealing, or at a CFS or ICD. Truck it to the port before the cut-off.

    How a shipment moves →
  5. 05
    Customs and Let Export Order

    Customs checks the shipping bill and the goods, gives Let Export Order, and the container goes on board.

    Shipping bill →
  6. 06
    Sail, deliver, get paid

    The bill of lading goes to the buyer or the bank. Payment must come home within the RBI deadline; the bank issues an e-BRC.

    Getting paid →

Data

What is in high demand, and what is not

India exported US$ 441.5 bn of goods in 2025-26. Below, how our products changed from 2024-25 (those worth at least US$ 10 million).

All the data →

High demand

  1. GlasswareUS$ 38 mn → US$ 55.9 mn+47.1%
  2. Fresh bananaUS$ 380 mn → US$ 496 mn+30.5%
  3. Millets (Shree Anna)US$ 56.1 mn → US$ 67.2 mn+19.9%
  4. Fresh pomegranateUS$ 101 mn → US$ 121 mn+19%
  5. ToysUS$ 169 mn → US$ 201 mn+18.5%
  6. CoffeeUS$ 1.24 bn → US$ 1.41 bn+13%

Low demand

  1. Jaggery (gur)US$ 55.4 mn → US$ 24.4 mn-55.9%
  2. Cumin (jeera)US$ 732 mn → US$ 524 mn-28.4%
  3. Handicrafts (cane, bamboo, jute and natural fibre)US$ 29.4 mn → US$ 23.3 mn-20.7%
  4. Dairy productsUS$ 493 mn → US$ 407 mn-17.4%
  5. Sesame seed (til)US$ 491 mn → US$ 423 mn-13.8%
  6. Groundnut (peanut)US$ 795 mn → US$ 691 mn-13.1%

Paperwork

Every document, with a sample

See what an invoice, packing list, shipping bill and bill of lading look like before you need one.

See all →

Money back

Schemes that pay exporters

See all →

Work it out

Price, ship, get paid

How we check

Four rules

  1. Official sources onlyDGFT, CBIC, RBI, the commodity boards, export councils and the buyer country’s own customs. Every page links its sources.
  2. No guessed numbersWhere we could not find an official figure, we say so and point you to the portal to check.
  3. Status with a dateSchemes and policies change by notification. Each one shows its current status and the notification behind it.
  4. DatedContent is reviewed as a whole. Last review: 29 October 2026.

Ready to build it? Building Business has the rest.

Imports & Exports is a vertical of Building Business, India’s business encyclopedia. Go there for the project report, the bank loan, GST and compliance.

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