New Delhi, Feb 22 (KNN) The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has amended the procedure for seeking modification in Importer-Exporter Code (IEC).

Under the revised provision, when an IEC holder seeks modification/ change of Head Office/ Registered Office address in its IEC and which involves a shift in its jurisdictional RA, a request to that effect will have to be made to the new RA, to whose jurisdiction the applicant is shifting its office.

The new RA shall make appropriate amendments, based on documents submitted to it by the applicant. The new RA will also separately inform the RA, who had initially issued the IEC, of the changes made in the concerned IEC. Thereafter, the new RA shall allow the applicant to carry out necessary functions and also apply for eligible benefits as per FTP through its office.

Earlier, a request to that effect was to be made to RA concerned under whose jurisdiction the applicant exists.

Then on the basis of this request, the RA (custodian of the IEC file till now) will process such requests and amend IEC, if found appropriate, under intimation to the RA under whose jurisdiction the applicant wants transfer.  The new RA shall allow the person in its new address to carry out necessary functions and also apply for eligible benefits as per FTP.

According to a website, the first requirement before one starts an import/ export business in India is to obtain an IEC. An IEC is necessary for import/export of goods. In case the import/export is of services or technology, IEC is required in only limited circumstances, when import/export is in 'specified services' or 'specified technologies', i.e. services or technologies in which international trade is restricted by the Government of India as they pertain to national security, such as dealing in nuclear weapons, automatic guns, etc. (KNN Bureau)