How Can Ayurvedic and Herbal Product Exporters in India Receive International Payments in 2026?

• Ticket size: Orders range from small sample and retail shipments sent by courier to container or pallet loads for distributors. Repeat buyers often place regular orders of similar size, while first orders from a new buyer tend to be smaller.
• Currencies: Buyers usually pay in USD, EUR, GBP, AED or AUD. The FEMA (Manner of Receipt and Payment) Regulations, 2023 allow buyers in countries outside the Asian Clearing Union to pay in INR or any foreign currency. Nepal, Bhutan and other ACU members follow separate rules.
• Geography: Buyers include importers, distributors, wellness and supplement brands, Ayurveda clinics and retailers, often in the US, the UAE and other Gulf countries, the UK, Europe and Australia. Some exporters also send stock to a warehouse abroad and sell from there.
• Payment methods: New buyers are often asked for full or part advance by bank transfer. Established distributors may pay after shipment against documents, through a letter of credit, or on credit terms. Online retail orders are usually paid by card through a checkout.

1. 1Buyer's bankDeduction: A sending fee, if the buyer's bank charges one. On a SWIFT wire the buyer chooses who bears the charges, and some banks charge the sender.
2. 2Intermediary bankDeduction: A possible flat handling deduction. Correspondent banks routing a SWIFT wire can deduct their charge before the money reaches India.
3. 3Exporter's AD bank or collecting providerDeduction: A conversion margin, an inward or collection fee, and LC or document handling charges where used. The bank or provider converts the currency at its own rate and charges for handling export documents.
4. 4GST on feesDeduction: GST on fees charged by an Indian bank or provider. Fees charged to the exporter by an India-based bank or provider are a domestic supply.
5. 5Exporter's accountDeduction: None, unless the money is kept in an EEFC account and converted later. The credit arrives with an inward remittance message that the AD bank uses to close the EDPMS entry and the exporter uses for the e-BRC.

The table ranks platforms with full published pricing for USD by the INR received on USD 10,000, then lists other business platforms that accept USD, unranked. Fees were checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later.

Each row applies the platform's published fee, FX markup and 18% GST on the fee to the mid-market rate of ₹94.86 per USD for 3 Nov 2026.

• Buyer's import rules: Rules for importing Ayurvedic medicines, herbal supplements and botanicals differ by country. A shipment held at the destination port can delay payment under every method. Confirm the buyer's import requirements and labelling before shipping, and agree in the contract who bears the cost of a rejected shipment.
• Advance or credit: Regulation 13 says that if export proceeds stay unrealised for more than one year after the due date, further exports need full advance or an irrevocable letter of credit. Taking an advance from new buyers limits this risk. See advance payment against exports.
• Overseas warehouse: Goods sent to a warehouse abroad must be realised within nine months from the date of sale from the warehouse under Regulation 5(1)(b), as amended on 22 September 2026. Track sales dates per shipment. See e-commerce export rules.
• Third-party payer: Distributors sometimes pay through a group company or an agent. Under Regulation 8, the AD bank may permit third-party receipts if it is satisfied the transaction is genuine. The DGFT eBRC FAQs ask exporters to mark third-party payments when generating the e-BRC.
• Short payments: If a buyer pays less, for example after a quality claim, Regulation 6 lets the AD bank allow a reduction in export value. For up to ₹10 lakh per shipping bill, the exporter's declaration is enough. See short realisation of export proceeds.

Ayurvedic and herbal product exporters in India need an IEC, an AD code registered with Customs, a shipping bill that carries the EDF, and payment realised within nine months from shipment. The FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 apply from 1 October 2026. The AD bank closes the EDPMS entry when payment arrives.

• IEC: Paragraph 2.05 of the Foreign Trade Policy says no export of goods may be made without an Importer-Exporter Code unless exempted. The IEC is the same as the entity's PAN, is issued online by DGFT, and must be updated every year between April and June. See how to apply for an IEC.
• AD code: The exporter registers its AD bank's code with Customs so that shipping bills link to that bank. The ICEGATE FAQ says AD code registration is done online from the user profile, and a status of custom pending can take 7 to 10 working days to be approved. See AD code registration.
• Shipping bill and EDF: Regulation 3(1) requires an EDF declaring the full export value at the time of export, filed with the Commissioner of Customs in the DTA. At an EDI port the EDF is deemed submitted as part of the shipping bill. Circular No. 20 replaced the earlier export Master Direction from 1 October 2026. See what is a shipping bill.
• EDPMS: Under Regulation 4(2), the AD bank closes or updates the EDPMS entry when it credits the export payment. For shipping bills up to ₹10 lakh, the entry can be closed on the exporter's declaration, per bill or quarterly in bulk. See EDPMS closure.
• Realisation: Goods must be realised within nine months from the date of shipment, or twelve months if invoiced or settled in INR, under Regulation 5 as amended on 22 September 2026. The AD bank may extend the period on request. See export realisation period.
• e-BRC: The bank sends an inward remittance message for each receipt to DGFT, and the exporter self-generates the e-BRC on the DGFT portal using its IEC. The DGFT eBRC FAQs say an e-BRC cannot be generated without that message. See e-BRC on DGFT.
• FIRA and purpose code: FIRA is not a term defined in RBI regulations; banks issue a FIRC or inward advice on request. Banks report receipts with codes from the RBI purpose code list. P0102 is "Realisation of export bills (in respect of goods) sent on collection (full invoice value)", and the DGFT eBRC FAQs give P0103 for an advance.

Exports by Ayurvedic and herbal product exporters in India are zero-rated for GST and taxed as business income. Under IGST Act section 16, an export of goods is a zero-rated supply, usually made under an LUT without IGST, or with IGST paid and refunded where permitted. Income tax follows the Income-tax Act, 2025 from tax year 2026-27.

• LUT route: File a Letter of Undertaking in Form GST RFD-11 before exporting under CGST Rule 96A. If goods invoiced under the LUT are not exported within three months of the invoice, or a longer period the Commissioner allows, tax with interest becomes payable. See LUT filing on the GST portal.
• IGST refund: Exporters who pay IGST on the shipment can claim it back without a separate application. Under CGST Rule 96, the shipping bill is deemed to be the refund application once the export manifest and a valid GSTR-3B are filed and Aadhaar authentication is done. See IGST refund.
• Unrealised payment: The proviso to IGST Act section 16(3) says an exporter of goods who received a refund of unused input tax credit for exports under an LUT must repay it with interest if the sale proceeds are not realised, within thirty days after the FEMA time limit ends.
• Section 58: The Income-tax Act, 2025 moves the old section 44AD scheme into section 58, as the Income Tax Department FAQ confirms. For a resident individual, HUF or firm other than an LLP that meets the conditions in section 58(11), with turnover up to ₹2 crore, or ₹3 crore if cash receipts are within 5 percent, profit can be declared at 6 percent of digital receipts and 8 percent of the rest. Companies and LLPs cannot use it.
• Fees and GST: Fees that an Indian bank or payment provider charges the exporter are a domestic supply and usually carry GST. Keep the tax invoices, because the exporter can usually claim input tax credit on them.

Rules and rails are linked to official sources below with the dates they were checked. Platform figures come from each platform's own pages, checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later, and RBI authorisation was checked against RBI's published list. Rates are XE live mid-market rates, dated 3 Nov 2026. The method is on the methodology page.

1. Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, Notification No. FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, Reg 2(1)(f)(i) specified authority for goods: Commissioner of Customs in DTA; Reg 3(1) EDF at time of export, deemed part of shipping bill at EDI port; Reg 4(2) EDPMS closure and declaration up to ₹10 lakh per shipping bill, quarterly bulk; Reg 5(1)(a)-(b) realisation from date of shipment, or date of sale for overseas warehouse; Reg 6 reduction; Reg 8 third-party receipts; Reg 10(1) advance through same AD bank; Reg 13 unrealised beyond one year: full advance or irrevocable LC (checked 8 Oct 2026)
2. Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (22 September 2026), Regulation 5(1): 'fifteen months' replaced by 'nine months'; 'eighteen months' replaced by 'twelve months' (checked 8 Oct 2026)
3. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 (16 January 2026), Supersedes the Master Directions on Export and Import of Goods and Services from 1 October 2026 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
4. Foreign Exchange Management (Manner of Receipt and Payment) Regulations, 2023, Regulation 3(2)(I)(a): Nepal and Bhutan; ACU members through ACU mechanism; other countries in Indian Rupees or any foreign currency (checked 8 Oct 2026)
5. RBI Master Direction on Regulation of Payment Aggregator (PA), Para 11(d): maximum ₹25 lakh per inward or outward transaction processed by a PA-CB; para 11(h): PA-CB to provide documents or information to the exporter's AD bank for closure of EDPMS entries (checked 8 Oct 2026)
6. RBI circular: Guidelines to facilitate faster cross-border inward payments (9 April 2026), Para 3: endeavour to credit inward payments received during forex market hours within the same business day; para 4: effective six months from the circular date (checked 8 Oct 2026)
7. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 84: Compilation of R-Returns, reporting under FETERS (29 February 2012), Circular No. 84 (29 February 2012) issuing the FETERS purpose code list (annex ASAP840212A.pdf): Group 01 Exports (of Goods): P0102 'Realisation of export bills (in respect of goods) sent on collection (full invoice value)'; P0101 export bills negotiated / purchased / discounted; P0103 advance receipts against export contracts (checked 8 Oct 2026)
8. RBI Master Direction - Deposits and Accounts, Para 3.1 EEFC account: 100 percent of foreign exchange earnings; accruals in a calendar month converted to Rupees on or before the last day of the succeeding calendar month after approved uses (checked 8 Oct 2026)
9. DGFT FAQs (Self-Generation of eBRC), Version 1.0, March 2024, Q10: register on DGFT, link IEC, generate eBRC; Q12: mark 'Is payment received from a third party?'; Q26: advance purpose code P0103, eBRC can be generated for P0103 for standalone cases; Q29: exporter cannot generate eBRC without IRM (checked 8 Oct 2026)
10. Foreign Trade Policy 2023, Chapter 2 (DGFT), Para 2.05: IEC 10-character, same as PAN, issued online by DGFT; (a) no export or import of goods without IEC unless exempted; (d) IEC details updated electronically every year during April-June (checked 8 Oct 2026)
11. ICEGATE FAQ, 'As per the advisory user can do online registration of AD Code by accessing user profile on ICEGATE'; AD code status 'custom pending': wait 7-10 working days for approval (checked 8 Oct 2026)
12. Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, section 16 (CBIC), Section 16(1)(a): export of goods or services is a zero rated supply; 16(3): supply under bond or LUT without IGST and refund of unutilised ITC; 16(4): IGST-paid route for notified classes; 16(3) proviso: exporter of goods to deposit refund with interest on non-realisation within thirty days after the FEMA time limit (checked 8 Oct 2026)
13. Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, Rule 96 (CBIC), Rule 96(1): shipping bill deemed application for refund of integrated tax paid on goods exported, once export manifest, valid GSTR-3B and Aadhaar authentication under rule 10B are done (checked 8 Oct 2026)
14. Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, Rule 96A (CBIC), Bond or LUT in Form GST RFD-11 prior to export; 96A(1)(a): tax with interest if goods not exported within three months of invoice or further period allowed (checked 8 Oct 2026)
15. Income Tax Department: Objective and scope of the new Act (Income-tax Act, 2025), FAQ 25: presumptive schemes in sections 44AD, 44ADA and 44AE consolidated into section 58 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
16. The Income-tax Act, 2025 (No. 30 of 2025), Gazette of India, Section 58(2) Table Sl. No. 1: turnover up to two crore rupees, or three crore where cash receipts within 5%; 6% of receipts by banking or online mode and 8% of the rest; section 58(11)(a) eligible assessee: resident individual, HUF or firm other than LLP (checked 8 Oct 2026)
17. Skydo homepage (pricing and fee calculator), Know what you pay; calculator showing GST 18% of transaction fee (checked 6 Oct 2026)
18. Razorpay MoneySaver Export Account (International Bank Transfers) pricing, Standard Plan: 0% FX markup, 1% fee, FlashLinks 2%, GST applicable, flat fee of INR 1,000 on transactions below INR 1,00,000, setup and AMC INR 0 (checked 6 Oct 2026)
19. Kotak Everyday Savings Account fees and charges, Foreign Inward Remittance certificate (Branch Request) INR 100/Request; GST on Foreign Currency Conversion; fees exclusive of GST (checked 6 Oct 2026)
20. Wise India: Fees for receiving money (Business), Conversion fee depends on the currency; eFIRC for every transfer; GST 18% of (conversion fee + eFIRC fee); calculator (checked 6 Oct 2026)
21. HDFC Bank: Remittance Services Fees & Charges, Inward Remittance Charge: No Charge; FIRC Charge for Inward Remittance & FCY Cheque Collection INR 200 per FIRC; GST slabs on amount of currency exchanged (checked 6 Oct 2026)
22. Stripe India pricing, International cards with USD/other currency presentment 4.3% + 2% if currency conversion is required; Mastercard and Visa cards issued outside India 3% + 2%; American Express outside India 3.5% + 2%; dispute received INR 1,000.00 (checked 7 Oct 2026)
23. PayPal India Merchant Fees, Receiving international transactions; Currency Conversions (3.0% converting balance and payments received; 4.00% all other cases); Withdrawals Out of PayPal; Dispute Fees; Other Fees (Last Updated 28 March 2024) (checked 6 Oct 2026)
24. Airwallex Help: Eligible Countries and Territories, INDIA IN - AWX Legal Entity SINGAPORE (checked 7 Oct 2026)