India is a large enough market that “sourcing from India” is not one route but several, depending on the product — and a buyer coming from ASEAN or Northeast Asian sourcing tends to bring assumptions that do not carry over cleanly: which register actually proves a company exists, whether BIS certification is a formality or a customs-blocking requirement, and which trade agreement applies given that India, unlike its ASEAN neighbours, sits outside RCEP entirely.
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Finding Indian suppliers through export promotion bodies
India does not run a single national exporter directory the way Taiwan or Korea do — instead, sector-specific export promotion councils and the apex Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) cover different product categories, and the right starting point depends on what you are buying.
FIEO, set up by India’s Ministry of Commerce together with private trade and industry, sits above a network of export promotion councils and commodity boards, each organised around a specific sector. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is the government body that issues the Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) every legitimate Indian exporter must hold, and the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) runs trade fairs and buyer-facing platforms across sectors. In practice this means identifying the export promotion council for your specific product category first, rather than searching a single generic directory — see finding factories in ASEAN and Taiwan for the general shape of using a trade body directory as a starting shortlist rather than a guarantee, which applies here too.
Checked against FIEO’s own published role and DGFT’s published function on 25 September 2026.
Checking a company against the Ministry of Corporate Affairs registry
Every company incorporated in India is registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) under the Companies Act, and its registration can be checked directly on the MCA21 portal using the company’s name or its Corporate Identification Number (CIN).
The MCA21 portal’s public search (View Company or LLP Master Data) returns the registration number, incorporation date, registered status and directors of a company, and paid filings can surface further detail such as balance sheets and annual returns. A Corporate Identification Number, where the supplier can supply one, is a faster and more precise way to search than a company name, which can return multiple similarly named entities.
| Registration | Issued by | What it confirms |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate Identification Number (CIN) | Registrar of Companies (RoC), under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs | The company is incorporated and its registration status (active, struck off, etc.) |
| Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) | Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) | The company is registered to import or export |
A clean MCA registration confirms the company legally exists; it does not confirm manufacturing capability, and it does not confirm the entity you are dealing with is the actual manufacturer rather than a trading or export house acting on the factory’s behalf. Ask directly, and where the order justifies it, confirm with a visit.
Checked against the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ own published verification guidance on 25 September 2026.
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When BIS certification applies
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) runs a Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) covering a defined list of product categories — mainly electronics, IT equipment and specified other goods — and a product on that list cannot be imported into India, listed by an Indian marketplace, or sold by an Indian retailer without a valid BIS registration and the Standard Mark carrying its registration number.
CRS registration, administered under India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, applies to both Indian manufacturers and importers/distributors bringing a covered product into India — so if your sourcing model involves an Indian factory manufacturing under a scheme that itself requires CRS-covered inputs, or if any leg of the goods will pass through the Indian domestic market before re-export, this is worth confirming before the order is placed rather than after.
| Question to the factory | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is this product category on the BIS CRS list? | Products on the list cannot be manufactured, imported, sold or distributed in India without registration |
| Is the CRS registration current? | Registration runs for a fixed, renewable period, not indefinitely |
| Does your own destination market recognise a BIS-registered product, or require its own separate certification? | BIS registration is an Indian domestic requirement; a separate destination-market certification is still generally needed |
Checked against BIS’s own Compulsory Registration Scheme published scope, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, 25 September 2026.
Export documents: the certificate of origin, and who issues it
India runs a single digital platform, eCoO, for both preferential and non-preferential certificates of origin, connecting a defined list of authorised issuing agencies rather than leaving the choice open to any chamber of commerce.
Non-preferential certificates are issued by the chambers and agencies listed in Appendix 2E of India’s Foreign Trade Policy 2023. DGFT has delisted agencies that did not move to the electronic platform, so check the current Appendix 2E list on the DGFT site before relying on a named issuer. A preferential certificate of origin — the one that supports a claim under the ASEAN–India Trade in Goods Agreement (AIFTA) — must be applied for and issued through the correct agency for the specific rules of origin the goods meet, and filing through the eCoO 2.0 platform has been mandatory for both preferential and non-preferential certificates since January 2025.
| Certificate type | What it supports | Issued through |
|---|---|---|
| Non-preferential certificate of origin | General proof of Indian origin, no tariff preference claimed | An agency currently listed in Appendix 2E of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023, via eCoO |
| Preferential certificate of origin (AIFTA) | A tariff preference claim under the ASEAN–India Trade in Goods Agreement | An authorised agency via eCoO, following AIFTA’s specific rules of origin |
Ask the supplier which type of certificate it will issue and confirm the issuing agency is on the authorised list before the shipment moves — an unauthorised issuer’s certificate is not valid proof of origin, preferential or otherwise.
Checked against DGFT’s own eCoO 2.0 platform announcement and published list of authorised issuing agencies, 25 September 2026.
Duty at the Vietnamese border: AIFTA applies, RCEP does not
India opted out of RCEP before it was signed and is not a member, so a shipment from India into Vietnam cannot claim an RCEP preferential rate — the agreement to check instead is the ASEAN–India Trade in Goods Agreement (AIFTA), which Vietnam has applied since 2015 and which remains in force independently of RCEP.
This is the reverse of the Korea position, where three overlapping agreements compete for the better rate: for India, AIFTA is generally the only preferential route available, so confirming the goods meet AIFTA’s rules of origin — and that the supplier can issue a certificate through an agency authorised for AIFTA specifically — is the step that determines whether a preferential rate is available at all, rather than a choice between several.
Checked against Vietnam’s National Trade Repository AIFTA pages and public reporting on India’s non-participation in RCEP, 25 September 2026.
Ports and the shipping route into Vietnam
Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port, near Mumbai), Mundra (in Gujarat) and Chennai are among India’s principal container ports, and which one a shipment moves through depends on the factory’s location on India’s west or east coast.
A factory in western India (Gujarat, Maharashtra) typically ships through Nhava Sheva or Mundra; a factory on the east coast or in the south more often ships through Chennai. Ask the factory which port it ships from and confirm this against the freight quotation, since inland haulage across India can be a meaningful part of the landed cost if the nearest port is not the one quoted.
Putting the process together
Work through these in order before placing the first order.
- Identify the relevant export promotion council or FIEO branch for your specific product category, rather than searching a single generic directory.
- Check the company’s CIN against the MCA21 portal, and confirm it holds a valid IEC from DGFT.
- Confirm whether the product falls under BIS’s Compulsory Registration Scheme, and check the registration is current.
- Confirm the supplier can issue a certificate of origin through an agency authorised for AIFTA, since RCEP is not available for goods from India.
- Confirm which port the factory ships from, and price inland haulage separately if it is not the nearest one.
For comparing an Indian quotation against one from another Asian country on the same landed-cost basis, see comparing Asian suppliers on landed cost.
💬 Ready to source from India with the registration, certification and origin documents confirmed upfront? Contact us about sourcing from Asia. See how we source from across Asia.
Frequently asked questions
1. Is there a single national exporter directory for India, like Taiwan’s Taiwantrade?
Not a single one. Export promotion councils are organised by sector, with FIEO as the apex body and DGFT issuing the Importer-Exporter Code every exporter must hold. Identify the council for your specific product first.
2. How do I check if an Indian company is genuinely registered?
Search its Corporate Identification Number (CIN) or name on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ MCA21 portal, which returns incorporation status, registered address and directors.
3. Does every product from India need BIS certification?
Only products within BIS’s Compulsory Registration Scheme, mainly electronics, IT equipment and certain other specified categories. Ask the factory whether your specific product is on that list.
4. Can I claim RCEP preferential duty on a shipment from India to Vietnam?
No. India is not a member of RCEP. The agreement to check instead is the ASEAN–India Trade in Goods Agreement (AIFTA), which Vietnam has applied since 2015.
5. Who can issue a certificate of origin for exports from India?
Only agencies authorised on India’s eCoO platform: for non-preferential certificates, those currently listed in Appendix 2E of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023; for preferential ones, the agency designated for that agreement. DGFT has delisted agencies that did not move online, so confirm the issuer against the current DGFT list before relying on it.
Sources: Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), published role; Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), published function and eCoO 2.0 platform announcement; Ministry of Corporate Affairs, MCA21 portal verification guidance; Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Compulsory Registration Scheme published scope; Vietnam National Trade Repository, AIFTA pages. Checked on 25 September 2026.