DGFT Removes RCMC Requirement for Export Consignments Up to ₹3 Lakh

For decades, one of the first hurdles facing a new Indian exporter has been the Registration-cum-Membership Certificate, or RCMC — a document issued by export promotion councils that has functioned as a near-universal entry requirement under India's Foreign Trade Policy. That requirement has now been eased for the smallest shipments.

What Changed

Under DGFT Notification No. 36/2026-27, dated September 15, 2026, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade amended Para 2.57 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023 to exempt export consignments with a Free-on-Board (FOB) value of up to ₹3,00,000 from the RCMC or Certificate of Registration requirement. The change took immediate effect and applies across export channels, including postal and courier shipments and e-commerce exports. Consignments above the ₹3 lakh FOB threshold continue to require a valid RCMC or Certificate of Registration, as before.

Why It Matters for Small and First-Time Exporters

The rationale, as reported in trade press coverage of the notification, is to reduce the compliance burden on MSMEs, artisans, new occasional exporters and e-commerce participants who want to test an overseas market before investing in full registration. The numbers explain why DGFT targeted this particular band: shipments valued up to roughly USD 3,000 FOB account for about 43% of all shipping bills filed from India, yet represent only around 0.86% of total export value. In other words, a very large share of India's exporter base was clearing a registration hurdle for a very small share of actual trade value — exactly the kind of friction that discourages a small supplier from ever sending that first trial shipment abroad.

For a new exporter, this means a trial consignment, a sample order, or a small courier shipment to test buyer interest in a new country no longer requires securing RCMC first. That track record can now be built with lower upfront compliance cost, with full registration becoming necessary only once volumes justify scaling past the threshold.

Business Takeaway

This is a genuinely practical change for smaller merchant exporters and first-time suppliers in agri-commodities, where trial orders are common before a buyer commits to a full container. Categories such as spices and millets are frequently the subject of small sample or trial export orders as overseas buyers evaluate quality and consistency before placing bulk orders — and it is precisely these low-value, high-friction shipments that this exemption is designed to unblock. Exporters already operating above the ₹3 lakh FOB range per consignment see no change and should continue maintaining valid RCMC registration as required under the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023.