No import licence
Import from China without an IEC code
We import on our own IEC and supply the goods to you within India against a GST invoice. For your books it is a domestic purchase. Here is exactly how it works — and what you give up.
The mechanism
Two transactions, not one
An import needs an Importer Exporter Code. That is not negotiable, and nothing on this page suggests otherwise. What is negotiable is whose IEC it is.
Transaction one — the import
We buy the goods from the Chinese supplier, ship them, and import them into India on our own IEC. We are named on the bill of entry as the importer of record. We pay the basic customs duty, the social welfare surcharge and the IGST at the border. If customs raises a valuation query or holds the consignment, that is our exposure, not yours.
Transaction two — your purchase
Once cleared, we sell the goods to you inside India and raise a GST invoice. Your side of it is an ordinary domestic purchase from an Indian supplier. No customs documentation enters your books and no foreign currency leaves your account.
What that means for your GST
The GST charged on our invoice is input tax credit to you, exactly as it would be on any other domestic purchase, provided you are GST registered. The basic customs duty is not creditable to anyone — it never is — so it sits inside the price as a real cost either way.
If you want to see how those components stack up on your own consignment, the landed cost calculator itemises every one.
The honest comparison
Your own IEC, or ours
Both routes are legitimate and both have real drawbacks. Which is right depends almost entirely on how often you intend to import.
Importing on your own IEC
In your favour- Complete control of the supplier relationship and the pricing
- No agent margin on the goods themselves
- The bill of entry is in your name — it builds an import history that banks and lenders recognise
- IGST paid at customs is credited directly to you
- Access to importer-specific schemes and benefits, where your category qualifies
- DGFT registration, then an AD code registered at every port you clear through
- You appoint and manage a customs broker, a forwarder and a transporter separately
- Every foreign remittance needs bank documentation and follow-up
- A valuation query, a hold or a penalty is entirely your exposure
- Product certification — BIS, WPC and the rest — is yours to obtain and evidence
- Realistically two to six weeks of setup before a first shipment moves
Importing on our IEC
In your favour- Nothing to register — you can start this week
- One supplier, one invoice, one point of contact
- No foreign remittance and no bank documentation in your books
- Customs risk, duty payment and clearance sit with us
- GST on our invoice is input tax credit to you
- Viable from a single CBM, so you can test a product properly
- You do not build an import track record of your own
- You do not hold the bill of entry or the customs documentation
- Importer-specific schemes and benefits are not available to you
- Our service sits inside the price — it is not free
- You depend on one supplier for the whole chain
- At high, regular volume, your own IEC will work out cheaper
Cost comparison
Where the money actually differs
| Item | Own IEC | Our IEC |
|---|---|---|
| DGFT / IEC registration | One-off fee plus annual update | None |
| AD code registration per port | Yours to arrange | None |
| Customs broker | Per consignment | Included |
| Basic customs duty | A real cost — not creditable | A real cost — not creditable |
| IGST | Creditable to you at customs | Creditable to you on our invoice |
| Bank remittance charges | Yours, per payment | None |
| Service margin | None on goods | Inside the price |
| Setup time before first shipment | 2–6 weeks | None |
Questions
About importing without an IEC
Is importing without my own IEC legal?
You are not importing. We are. We hold the IEC, we are the importer of record on the bill of entry, we pay the duty, and we then sell the goods to you within India against a GST invoice. Your side of it is an ordinary domestic purchase, which is how thousands of Indian retailers and traders buy imported stock.
What does my accountant see?
A tax invoice from an Indian supplier, with GST charged on it. No bill of entry, no customs documentation, no foreign remittance in your books. If you are GST registered, the tax on that invoice is input tax credit like any other purchase.
What is the honest downside?
You do not build an import track record of your own, you do not hold the bill of entry, and you cannot claim any importer-specific benefit or scheme. You are also dependent on us as the supplier. If you intend to import regularly and at scale, getting your own IEC eventually is the better long-term position — and we will tell you when you have reached that point.
How much does an IEC cost if I do get one?
The DGFT application fee is small and the code itself does not expire, though it must be updated annually. The real cost is not the fee — it is registering an AD code at each port you use, appointing a customs broker, and carrying the compliance risk yourself.
Can I switch to my own IEC later?
Yes, and we will help you do it. Plenty of our customers start on our IEC to test a product, then move to their own once the volume justifies the setup. We can act as your customs broker after that.
Do I still need a GST registration?
To claim the IGST back as input tax credit, yes. Without GST registration you can still buy from us, but the tax becomes a real cost rather than a cash-flow one.
Get started
Test a product without registering anything
Send us what you want to import. We will quote the landed cost, tell you what certification the category needs, and you can decide from there.