Govt Removes RCMC Requirement For Exports Up To Rs 3 Lakh To Ease Entry For Small Exporters

DGFT amends the Foreign Trade Policy to exempt export consignments worth up to Rs 3 lakh from RCMC requirements, a segment that makes up 43% of shipping bills but under 1% of India's total export value

PGurus Newsdesk

September 16, 2026

The DGFT has exempted export consignments worth up to Rs 3 lakh from RCMC requirements, a segment that accounts for 43% of India's shipping bills but under 1% of total export value

Exporters can still obtain RCMC membership and its institutional benefits once their consignments cross the Rs 3 lakh threshold

The government has scrapped the requirement of a Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC), or Certificate of Registration, for export consignments with a Free-on-Board (FOB) value of up to Rs 3 lakh, in a move designed to cut compliance hurdles for MSMEs, first-time exporters and small businesses, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.

What Actually Changed

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has amended Para 2.57 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023, to carve out this exemption wherever an RCMC or Certificate of Registration would otherwise have been required. The threshold is a hard cut-off: consignments exceeding Rs 3 lakh will continue to need the certificate, wherever applicable, exactly as before. Nothing changes for larger exporters — this is targeted relief for the smallest end of the export chain.

Small In Value, Large In Volume

The numbers explain why the government is focusing here. Data from 2021-22 to 2025-26 shows consignments of up to USD 3,000 made up 43% of all shipping bills filed, yet accounted for just 0.86% of India’s total merchandise export value. In other words, nearly half the paperwork volume in India’s export system belongs to transactions that barely register on the value side — and much of that paperwork burden was falling on exporters least equipped to handle it.

Who This Is Meant To Help

Under the earlier framework, exporters typically had to identify the right Export Promotion Council or Commodity Board, submit documents, and complete registration before they could even begin exporting. The ministry said the new exemption gives new and occasional exporters a simpler way to test overseas markets and build an export track record without needing an RCMC upfront — a change expected to particularly benefit small manufacturers, artisans and entrepreneurs, as well as businesses operating through e-commerce, postal and courier export channels, which increasingly enable low-value cross-border sales.

The Off-Ramp Stays Open

The relief isn’t meant to be permanent for growing businesses. As exporters scale up and their consignments cross the Rs 3 lakh threshold, they can still obtain membership of the relevant Export Promotion Council or Commodity Board and access the institutional support, market access assistance, and export promotion benefits that come with formal registration.

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