How to Verify an Indian Exporter: IEC, APEDA, FSSAI, GST and Other Checks

Verifying a supplier before you pay protects you from fraud and poor performance. These checks apply to any Indian exporter of agricultural products.

Registrations to ask for

• IEC (Importer-Exporter Code) — issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT); required to export goods from India. It can be verified on the DGFT website.
• GSTIN — the exporter’s Goods and Services Tax identification number, which can be checked on the GST portal.
• APEDA RCMC — registration-cum-membership certificate from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, relevant for many agri-food products. Spices exporters may also register with the Spices Board of India.
• FSSAI licence — the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India licence for food businesses, which can be checked on the FSSAI licensing portal.
• Company registration and bank details — registered address, PAN and an authorised-dealer bank account in the company’s name.

Practical checks

• Ask for registration numbers and verify each on the official portal.
• Check that the name on the invoice, the bank account and the registrations match exactly.
• Search the company name and address independently, and call a number you have found yourself.
• Request a sample and a lot-wise certificate of analysis before the first order.
• Consider a third-party inspection of quality and packing before shipment.
• Pay only to an account in the registered company’s name, and verify any change of bank details by phone.

VegTradeHub credentials

VegTradeHub publishes its GSTIN (08ABCFV9918K1ZH), IEC (ABCFV9918K), APEDA RCMC (RCMC/APEDA/35467/2026-2027) and FSSAI licence (12226999000694) in the header of every page so that buyers can verify them directly.