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Exporting food from India

Food exporters in India register with APEDA for its scheduled products, with the Spices Board for spices and with the Tea Board for tea. Rice contracts are registered with APEDA before shipment. Notified foods such as fish, egg and milk products and honey are inspected under the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Registration
APEDA for scheduled products; Spices Board or Tea Board
Rice
Contracts registered with APEDA (RCAC)
Tea
Tea Board exporter licence
Spices
Spices Board certificate (CRES)
Export inspection
EIC for notified foods, such as honey and fish
Honey
Minimum export price US$1,400 FOB a tonne, to 31 December 2026

Before the goods leave

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is the product in APEDA's schedule, or does it fall to the Spices Board or Tea Board? Read more
  2. 2Is it a commodity notified for inspection before export? Read more
  3. 3Does the export policy add a condition, such as contract registration for rice or a minimum price for honey? Read more
  4. 4Is it tea or spice, needing the board's licence or certificate for each consignment? Read more
  5. 5Does the factory's FSSAI licence and annual return cover what is exported? Read more
  6. 6Which origin certificate and shipping documents go with the consignment? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Registration with APEDA

APEDA registers exporters of the agricultural and processed foods in the First Schedule to its Act, and issues their RCMC.

  • Every person exporting a Scheduled product applies to APEDA to be registered within one month of undertaking the export (APEDA Act, section 12). Registration stays in force until cancelled.
  • The First Schedule lists fruits, vegetables and their products; meat; poultry; dairy products; biscuits and bakery products; honey, jaggery and sugar products; cocoa and chocolate; beverages; cereal products; nuts; pickles, chutneys and papads; guar gum; floriculture; herbal and medicinal plants; and de-oiled rice bran.
  • Basmati rice is a 'Special product' in the Second Schedule.
  • APEDA issues its RCMC through the DGFT portal, after the exporter has an IEC. The fee is Rs 5,000 plus GST, for five years.
  • Manufacturer exporters add proof of manufacture: for processed foods, meat, dairy, honey and cereals an FSSAI or Udyam registration, or an MSME certificate.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the APEDA RCMC and the proof of manufacture with the exporter's record, and shows when the five years run out. Ask about this

Export inspection by the EIC

Foods the Central Government has notified must be inspected or certified before export.

  • Under section 6 of the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963, the Central Government may notify commodities for quality control or inspection before export, and prohibit their export unless a certificate under section 7 accompanies them.
  • Orders under the Act notified fresh, frozen and processed fish and fishery products (1995), egg products (1997), milk products (2000) and honey (2002) for quality control, inspection and monitoring before export.
  • DGFT's export guide lists EIC's mandatory certification for fish and fishery products, dairy products, honey, egg products, meat and poultry meat products, animal casings, gelatine, ossein and crushed bones, and feed additives and premixtures; other foods are certified voluntarily.
  • The milk products order provides for the approval of establishments and for health requirements for production, storage and transport.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the EIC certificate with the lot it covers, and reads it against the importing country's health certificate requirements. Ask about this

Export policy conditions for food

Conditions the ITC(HS) export policy sets for particular foods.

  • Since 24 September 2025, export of non-basmati rice is allowed only on registration of contracts with APEDA (DGFT Notification No. 33/2025-26).
  • Basmati rice contracts have been registered with APEDA for a Registration-cum-Allocation Certificate (RCAC) since DGFT notification 18/2015-20 of 1 August 2016.
  • An RCAC is valid for shipment for 45 days, covers one destination country and one port of discharge, and needs an APEDA RCMC first.
  • Natural honey is exported subject to a minimum export price of US$1,400 FOB a tonne until 31 December 2026 (DGFT Notification No. 09/2026-27).
  • Honey to the USA and the EU must be 'wholly obtained' Indian honey, not blended with honey from any other country.
  • Organic non-basmati rice and organic wheat are exempt from quantitative ceilings when certified by APEDA as organic under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the RCAC with the invoice and shipping bill it was issued for, and shows when it lapses before the goods sail. Ask about this

Tea and spices

Two commodity boards license exporters and certify consignments of their own products.

  • No tea is exported unless covered by a licence issued by or on behalf of the Tea Board (Tea Act, 1953, section 17).
  • Under the Tea (Distribution and Export) Control Order, 2005, no exporter exports tea except under a business licence. Tea sent as samples to foreign buyers, by postal parcel or for non-commercial purposes needs none.
  • The Order's definition of tea covers green tea, instant tea, packet tea, tea bags, flavoured tea and ready-to-drink tea.
  • Since an amendment of 6 August 2021, a Tea Board exporter licence is valid for five years, renews on payment of the fee, and the documents for it are listed on the egiccs.teaboard.gov.in portal.
  • No one carries on the business of exporting a scheduled spice except under a certificate from the Spices Board (Spices Board Act, 1986, section 11). The Act's Schedule includes cardamom, pepper, chilli, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, fennel and fenugreek.
  • The Spices Board is the competent authority for health certificates for spices exported to the EU, issued within 48 to 72 hours of receiving the sample.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the Tea Board licence or Spices Board certificate with the exporter's record, and each consignment's certificate with its lot. Ask about this

FSSAI licence of the food business

The licence the manufacturing or exporting food business already holds in India.

  • 100% Export Oriented Units are among the food businesses licensed by the Central Licensing Authority (Schedule 1 to the Licensing Regulations).
  • Every licensee files an annual return in Form D-1 by 31 May, stating the quantities of food manufactured, handled, imported and exported.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the FSSAI licence with the products it covers, and shows a licence that lapses before the next shipment. Ask about this

Origin and shipping documents

The documents every food consignment leaves with.

  • Mandatory export documents are the bill of lading, airway bill or other transport receipt; the commercial invoice cum packing list; and the shipping bill or bill of export (FTP 2023, para 2.06).
  • The shipping bill is an electronic declaration in the Indian Customs EDI System, entered by the exporter or an authorised customs broker through ICEGATE or a service centre.
  • Where goods carry restrictions or need an NOC under another law, the regulator may notify additional export documents.
  • Certificates of origin for exports from India are issued only by agencies DGFT has authorised, and only through trade.gov.in (FTP para 2.62; HBP para 2.90).
  • IEC holders use the same invoice numbers on the certificate of origin and the shipping bill, so the two can be checked against each other.
  • A non-preferential certificate costs Rs 200; the invoice and packing list are uploaded with the application (HBP para 2.93).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the certificate of origin, invoice and shipping bill of each consignment together, so an importer's question can be answered from the record. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ExporterThe IEC, the APEDA, Spices Board or Tea Board registration, the RCAC for rice and the shipping bill.Registrations and contract certificates kept dated, with what lapses shown before shipment.
Manufacturer or processorThe FSSAI licence and annual return, and the establishment conditions under the EIC orders where its product is notified.Licences, test reports and certificates kept with each lot.
Certifying authorityEIC and the Export Inspection Agencies for notified foods; the Spices Board and Tea Board for their products; APEDA for registration and RCACs.Each certificate read against what the destination asks for.
Customs brokerEntering the shipping bill electronically for the exporter.The consignment's documents available from one record.

Where are the goods going?

Most of what food have to meet is set where they are sold. Each guide sets out the rules on arrival, with the official source for each.

Questions businesses ask

Do I need to register with APEDA to export food from India?
If the food is in the First Schedule to the APEDA Act, yes: the exporter applies to APEDA within one month of the first export (section 12). APEDA issues its RCMC on the DGFT portal, for five years, at Rs 5,000 plus GST.
Which foods does APEDA cover?
Fruits, vegetables and their products; meat; poultry; dairy; biscuits and bakery; honey, jaggery and sugar products; cocoa and chocolate; beverages; cereal products; nuts; pickles, chutneys and papads; guar gum; floriculture; herbal and medicinal plants; and de-oiled rice bran. Basmati rice is a special product.
How do I export rice from India?
Register the export contract with APEDA for a Registration-cum-Allocation Certificate (RCAC) before shipping. This applies to basmati rice since 2016 and to non-basmati rice since 24 September 2025. A valid APEDA RCMC is needed to apply.
How long is an RCAC for rice valid?
45 days for shipment from the date of issue. Each RCAC covers one destination country and one port of discharge, and its quantity and value cannot be amended after issue.
Do I need a licence to export tea from India?
Yes. No tea is exported unless covered by a licence from the Tea Board, and exporters hold a business licence under the Tea (Distribution and Export) Control Order, 2005. Samples to foreign buyers, postal parcels and non-commercial exports need none.
Does tea exported from India need a certificate of origin?
The exporter applies for a non-preferential certificate of origin for each consignment of tea, in Form D. If the buyer does not need one, the exporter gives the Tea Board a document from the importer saying so, before shipment.
Do I need to register with the Spices Board to export spices?
Yes. No one carries on the business of exporting a scheduled spice except under a Spices Board certificate (Spices Board Act, 1986, section 11). That certificate, the CRES, counts as the exporter's RCMC.
Who issues health certificates for spices exported to the EU?
The Spices Board, designated as the competent authority in the ITC(HS) export policy. It issues the certificate within 48 to 72 hours of receiving the exporter's sample.
Is export inspection compulsory for honey from India?
Honey was notified for quality control and inspection before export in 2002, under the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act. Honey to the USA and EU must be wholly Indian and unblended, and a minimum export price of US$1,400 FOB a tonne applies until 31 December 2026.
Does a food exporter in India report its exports to FSSAI?
Every FSSAI licensee files an annual return in Form D-1 by 31 May, which states the quantities of food manufactured, handled, imported and exported. 100% Export Oriented Units hold a central licence.
How does Compliant Always help with exporting from India?
Our team reads the rules for the routes you ship. Compliant Always shows which export documents apply to your product, keeps them with the shipment beside what the destination asks for, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

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