The export-import compliance year for FY 2026–27 — the annual IEC update window, LUT renewal, RCMC expiry, export obligation reporting under EPCG and Advance Authorisation, and the realisation timelines that follow every shipment.
Trade compliance has few dates but severe consequences for missing them. An unupdated code stops shipments; a lapsed undertaking makes exports taxable; an unmet export obligation triggers a demand for duty saved plus interest. This calendar covers the year.
Annual Dates
| Task | When | Consequence of missing it |
|---|---|---|
| Update the IEC on the DGFT portal | April to June 2026, and every year thereafter | The code is liable to deactivation, halting shipments |
| File the letter of undertaking for FY 2026–27 | Before 1 April 2026 | Exports become liable to integrated tax |
| Renew the RCMC | Before its expiry date | Loss of eligibility for Foreign Trade Policy benefits |
| Register the AD code at any new port | Before shipping through it | Shipping bill cannot be filed at that port |
| Annual reporting of export obligation under EPCG | As specified in the authorisation | Duty saved becomes payable with interest |
| Advance Authorisation redemption | Within the export obligation period | Duty and interest on unfulfilled inputs |
Two of these fall within days of each other and are easily conflated. The LUT must be in place before 1 April; the IEC update window opens in April. Do the LUT in March and the IEC update in April, and diarise both separately.
Per-Shipment and Ongoing
- Claim RoDTEP by making the declaration on the shipping bill at the time of export. It cannot generally be added afterwards.
- Claim duty drawback with the shipping bill or within the period allowed.
- Track realisation of export proceeds within the period permitted under the foreign exchange rules, and ensure the realisation is recorded electronically.
- Monitor shipping bills against realisations — outstanding entries are pursued by the authorised dealer bank and the DGFT.
- Reconcile scrips issued, utilised and transferred.
The GST Cycle That Runs Alongside
| Obligation | Due |
|---|---|
| Outward supply return, including export invoices with shipping bill details | 11th monthly, or the quarterly date |
| Summary return and payment | 20th monthly, or the quarterly date |
| Refund application for accumulated input tax credit on zero-rated supplies | Within the limitation period from the relevant date |
| GST annual return | 31 December |
Shipping bill details in the GST return must match what was filed with Customs. Refunds on zero-rated supplies are processed by matching the return against customs data. A mismatched shipping bill number, port code or invoice value stops the refund, and correcting it after the fact is slow. Check the match at the time of filing, not when the refund fails to arrive.
Quarterly Review
- Reconcile shipping bills filed against export invoices booked.
- Reconcile realisations against shipping bills, and follow up anything ageing.
- Check progress against any export obligation, expressed as a percentage of the target with time elapsed.
- Review the status of refund claims.
- Confirm the IEC, LUT, RCMC and AD code registrations are all current.