AD Code Explained: What Every Exporter Needs to Know
The AD code is a small registration with an outsized power: without it, your shipping bill will not file. Here is what it is, why customs insists on it, and how to register it port by port.
What an AD code is
AD stands for Authorised Dealer, a bank the RBI has authorised to deal in foreign exchange. The AD code is a number, commonly fourteen digits, that your bank issues on its letterhead and that identifies the bank branch handling your export proceeds. It is the link between your shipment and the bank that will receive the money for it.
Why you cannot export without it
Customs will not let you file a shipping bill at a port unless your AD code is registered there. The shipping bill is the document that clears goods for export, so no AD code means no shipping bill, which means the consignment does not move. The AD code also lets the bank and customs connect the export to the remittance that eventually settles it, which is what later underpins your eBRC.
Registering an AD code, port by port
AD code registration is done on ICEGATE, the customs EDI gateway, and it is specific to each port. If you ship from three ports, you register the same AD code three times, once at each. The essentials of the process are:
- Obtain the AD code letter from your Authorised Dealer bank, on the bank's letterhead.
- Log in to ICEGATE as a registered IEC holder, with a valid digital signature where required.
- Upload the supporting documents through the customs document facility, then complete the bank account and AD code registration for the port.
- Repeat at every port you intend to ship from.
Menu paths on the portal change over time, so follow the current steps on ICEGATE itself; the shape of the task, register the bank's AD code at each port, does not change.
AD code, IFSC, and the remittance
When a foreign payment arrives, the inward remittance record carries the AD code and the branch IFSC alongside the amount, currency, and purpose code. Those fields are how the money is tied back to the right bank branch and, in turn, to your export. Reading them correctly is part of clean realisation: see purpose codes and currency codes explained.
Common AD code mistakes
- A new port with no AD code. The classic delay: goods ready, shipping bill blocked, because the code that works at your usual port was never registered at the new one.
- A changed bank. Switch your export banking and the old AD code stops being the right one. Register the new bank's code before the next shipment.
- Stale records. Keep a simple list of every port you use, the AD code registered there, and the date you last confirmed it. Fold it into your DGFT compliance checklist.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AD code in export?
An AD code is the Authorised Dealer code of the bank branch that handles your export proceeds, issued by a bank the RBI has authorised to deal in foreign exchange. It is commonly a fourteen-digit number.
Why is an AD code required?
Customs requires your AD code to be registered at a port before you can file a shipping bill there. Without it, goods cannot be cleared for export at that port.
Where do I register an AD code?
On ICEGATE, the customs EDI gateway, port by port. You register the same AD code separately at each port you ship from.
Is an AD code the same as an IFSC code?
No. The IFSC identifies a bank branch for payments; the AD code identifies the authorised dealer branch to customs for export purposes. Both can appear on an inward remittance record.
