For first-time exporters
Export from India: The Step-by-Step Starter Guide (2026) + Export Document Templates
Want to start exporting but don't know where to begin? This guide takes you from “I have a product” to “my first shipment is paid”, one step at a time, in plain English.
- Digital download, nothing is shipped
- Files: PDF guide + Excel / Google Sheets
- Refund if a file is faulty (see policy)
What you get
Export from India Starter Guide
- Is exporting right for you: exporter types, HS codes, export policy check
- Business setup: proprietorship vs company, current account, GST, Udyam
- IEC on the DGFT portal, the ₹500 fee and the yearly April–June update
- AD Code registration on ICEGATE
- RCMC: which Export Promotion Council to join and why
- GST for exporters: filing your LUT (RFD-11)
- Pricing and Incoterms 2020, with a cost-to-quote worked example
- Finding buyers and a ready outreach email
- Getting paid safely: payment terms, the realisation rule, e-BRC
- Export documents and what must be on your invoice
- Shipping: courier vs air vs sea, and customs step by step
- Export incentives: RoDTEP, drawback, Advance Authorisation, EPCG
- Selling services and digital products abroad
- A 30-day first-export checklist and a glossary
Export Document Templates
- Proforma invoice
- Commercial invoice with the LUT declaration built in
- Packing list with automatic weight and CBM totals
- Export cost calculator: Ex-Works, FOB and CIF
- Buyer tracker with automatic follow-up dates
Who it's for: First-time exporters, small manufacturers, traders, artisans, and freelancers or online sellers with foreign clients.
Look inside
Export Starter Guide
Rules and fees checked in October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice. For your own use; please do not resell or share the files.