How to Start Importing Door Hardware from India: DGFT, IEC and Customs Explained

Indian export of hardware sits at the intersection of four regulatory bodies. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) administers the Foreign Trade Policy and issues the Importer Exporter Code (IEC) without which no one can lawfully export goods from India. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) operates the customs function at every port and airport. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governs foreign exchange movement through FEMA and assigns AD Codes for forex transactions. ICEGATE is the Indian Customs electronic gateway through which shipping bills are filed and export benefits are claimed.

As an overseas buyer, you do not deal with any of these directly — your manufacturer does. What you benefit from understanding is the role each plays, because it shapes which documents the manufacturer produces, why, and when.

Every legitimate Indian hardware exporter holds three identifiers. The IEC (Importer Exporter Code) is a 10-digit alphanumeric issued by DGFT through an online application on the DGFT portal — typically processed in 1–5 working days once PAN, address proof, and bank details are submitted. The AD Code is an Authorised Dealer Code mapped to the exporter's bank account, which allows that bank to receive foreign currency on the exporter's behalf and to issue Foreign Inward Remittance Advice (FIRA). The GSTIN is the GST registration number used for invoicing and for claiming any input tax credit refund on export.

All three appear on the manufacturer's commercial invoice, PI, and shipping bill. As a buyer, you can verify the IEC on the DGFT website using the manufacturer's PAN. This is a low-cost, high-confidence check before wiring an advance.

On your side of the trade, your country's customs authority will require an importer registration. The specific format varies by market — but the function is the same: a unique identifier that ties imported cargo to your business for customs clearance and duty payment.

The Harmonised System (HS) code is the international classification standard used by customs authorities worldwide. The first 6 digits are common globally; beyond that, individual countries add 2–4 additional digits for their national tariff. Most brass and iron door / window hardware falls inside HS Chapter 83 — "miscellaneous articles of base metal" — and specifically inside headings 8301 and 8302.

The commercial invoice is the primary value document for both Indian export filing and your destination customs assessment. It must carry the shipper (Indian manufacturer with IEC and GSTIN), the consignee (your registered business with importer ID), the HS code per line, the quantity, the unit value, the total invoice value, the currency, the Incoterm (typically FOB India), the port of loading (JNPT for sea, IGI Delhi for air), and the country of origin (India).

The packing list complements it with carton-level detail — number of cartons, gross and net weight, dimensions per carton, and an SKU-wise breakdown of contents. This is what your destination customs uses to physically verify cargo against the declaration.

A Certificate of Origin (CoO) is a document issued by an authorised body in India — typically a Chamber of Commerce — confirming that the goods were manufactured in India. Two types are commonly issued: the non-preferential CoO, which simply states origin, and the preferential CoO (often Form A or a country-specific format), which is used to claim duty relief under bilateral or unilateral trade preferences.

Although the United States ended GSP eligibility for India in 2019, several other markets still extend preferential treatment to Indian-origin goods. Canada's GPT (General Preferential Tariff) applies a reduced duty rate to many Indian-origin products. The EU's GSP arrangement applies in reduced form. Australia, Japan, and several smaller markets have similar mechanisms. Whether your specific HS code qualifies needs to be confirmed with your customs broker — but in markets where it does, the duty saving on a container of hardware can run into thousands of USD.

India operates several schemes designed to support exporters. RoDTEP (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) refunds central, state, and local duties and taxes embedded in exported goods — claimed by the exporter at the time of shipping bill filing through ICEGATE. The applicable rate is published in a notified RoDTEP rate schedule keyed to HS code.

EPCG (Export Promotion Capital Goods) allows an exporter to import capital equipment at concessional duty in exchange for an export obligation. The Advance Authorisation Scheme allows duty-free import of raw materials used in exported goods. Drawback refunds customs duty on imported inputs used in exports. None of these are visible to the overseas buyer in the transaction itself — but they shape the manufacturer's cost base and therefore the pricing they can offer.

Every export from India is filed through ICEGATE, the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway. The manufacturer or their customs house agent (CHA) files a shipping bill electronically against the commercial invoice, packing list, and shipping documents. Once filed and processed, customs issues a "Let Export Order" (LEO) and the cargo can physically leave the port or airport.

The shipping bill is also the document against which RoDTEP and any other export benefit is computed. As an overseas buyer you will typically not see the shipping bill itself, but the Bill of Lading or Air Waybill that the freight forwarder issues to you references it.

Once cargo arrives at your destination port or airport, your customs broker files an import declaration with the local customs authority. The declaration carries the commercial invoice value, HS code, country of origin, your importer registration, and any preferential claim under GSP or equivalent. Customs computes duty and any applicable VAT / GST / sales tax, your broker pays on your behalf, and the cargo is released.

The most common cause of clearance delay on a first-time import is mismatched documentation — invoice value not matching packing list, HS code difference between origin and destination declarations, missing CoO. Catching these on the scan copies of shipping documents before the cargo physically arrives saves days of demurrage at the destination port.