AD Code Registration explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
An Authorised Dealer (AD) Code is the fourteen-digit code of the bank branch through which an exporter receives foreign exchange. It must be registered with customs at every port the exporter ships from — without it, no shipping bill can be filed at that port.
The Step Most First-Time Exporters Miss
An exporter obtains an IEC, registers for GST, files an LUT, gets an RCMC, finds a buyer, manufactures the goods, and books a container. Then the customs broker says the shipping bill cannot be filed because the AD Code is not registered at that port — and the container sits while a bank branch is chased for a letter.
It is a small administrative step that stops everything, and it is invisible until the first shipment.
What the AD Code Actually Is
An Authorised Dealer is a bank licensed by the Reserve Bank of India to deal in foreign exchange. Each AD branch has a fourteen-digit code. When you register that code with customs against your IEC, you are telling customs which bank account will receive the proceeds of your exports.
That linkage does real work:
- It lets customs accept your shipping bill at that port.
- It routes IGST refunds on exports to the correct account.
- It routes duty drawback and scheme credits.
- It allows the shipping bill to be matched against the inward remittance in EDPMS, so the export closes properly.
Get it wrong and refunds land nowhere, EDPMS entries stay open, and your bank cannot issue a clean e-BRC.
Getting the Bank Letter
The AD Code letter comes from your bank branch, on its letterhead, in the format customs accepts. It should state:
- Your firm or company name, exactly as on the IEC
- Registered address
- IEC number
- Bank account number and account type
- The branch's fourteen-digit AD Code
- Branch address and IFSC
- Signature of the authorised bank official with the branch stamp
Two practical points. First, ask specifically for the letter "in the customs format for AD Code registration" — a general bank certificate is often refused. Second, the entity name must match the IEC character for character. A trailing "Pvt. Ltd." against "Private Limited" is enough to cause a rejection.
Registering at the Port
AD Code registration is done electronically through the ICEGATE portal, and the flow is:
- Register on ICEGATE against your IEC, with a valid class-3 digital signature in the authorised signatory's name.
- Have the bank upload or authenticate the AD Code against your IEC, where your bank participates in the electronic route.
- Submit the AD Code registration request for the specific port or customs station, with the bank letter, IEC, PAN, GST registration and the authorised signatory's identity documents.
- Add bank account details so that refunds and drawback credit to the right account.
- Wait for approval from the customs station, after which the code is live for shipping bill filing at that port.
Where your customs broker handles this, give them an authorisation letter — but keep the ICEGATE login yourself. Losing access to your own ICEGATE account when you change brokers is a common and avoidable problem.
Port by Port — Plan Ahead
This is the operational point that costs exporters money. Registration is per customs station, so an exporter shipping from more than one gateway must register at each.
| Situation | What you must do |
|---|---|
| New sea port for a new buyer | Register the AD Code at that port before the container is gated in |
| Switching from sea to air | Register at the air cargo complex separately |
| Shipping through an ICD to a gateway port | Register at the ICD where the shipping bill is filed |
| Courier or postal exports | Confirm the requirement for that route with the courier or the Foreign Post Office |
| Changing bank or branch | Fresh letter, and re-register at every port already registered |
Build this into your order acceptance process: when a new order will move through an unregistered port, start the registration the day the order is confirmed, not the week of shipment.
What Goes Wrong
- Name mismatch between the bank letter, the IEC and the PAN. Fix the source record, not the letter.
- Expired digital signature on ICEGATE, discovered at the moment of filing.
- Wrong account registered, so IGST refunds credit to a dormant account.
- Broker-controlled ICEGATE login, leaving the exporter unable to act when the relationship ends.
- Bank branch merged or renumbered after a bank amalgamation, invalidating the registered code.
- Assuming registration is national — it is not, and this is the single most common cause of a stuck first shipment at a new port.
Where It Sits in Your Export Setup
- PAN and GST registration
- IEC from DGFT
- Current account with an AD Category-I bank
- AD Code letter and port registration
- ICEGATE registration with a valid digital signature
- LUT in Form GST RFD-11 for the financial year
- RCMC from the relevant council or board
- ECGC policy and buyer limits, where credit terms are offered
Practical Tips
- Keep a register of which ports you are registered at, with the date and the AD Code used.
- Re-verify the registered bank account annually; refunds credited to a closed account are painful to trace.
- Get the bank letter in duplicate — customs stations occasionally retain the original.
- Renew the digital signature well before expiry; ICEGATE actions stop the day it lapses.
- After any bank merger, confirm your AD Code is still valid before the next shipment.