What Is an AD Code?

Every bank branch that deals in foreign exchange for exporters has an AD code. The code tells customs which bank branch will handle the foreign exchange side of your exports. You declare the code once on ICEGATE, in your profile, and customs forms then use it. The bank checks that your PAN, IEC, account number, IFSC and AD code match across ICEGATE, DGFT and its own records. If any of these differ, registration can fail. Exporters who only invoice services usually do not file shipping bills, so the AD code matters mostly to goods exporters.

For example, a handicraft seller who ships orders by courier asks the bank branch holding the business account for its AD code, then adds it to the ICEGATE profile before the first export.

• Customs filing: ICEGATE lists the Foreign Remittance Account (Authorized Dealer Code) as a bank account type in the user profile (ICEGATE Login and Dashboard manual, section 8.2).
• Bank compliance: For goods exported through an EDI port, the Export Declaration Form is deemed submitted as part of the shipping bill (Regulation 3(1)), so the AD bank linked to the shipping bill is the bank that monitors the export.
• Data matching: ICEGATE advises that PAN, IEC, account number, IFSC and AD code must match across ICEGATE, DGFT and bank records (ICEGATE advisory).
• Income tax and GST: The AD code is a customs and banking identifier. It does not change how GST or income tax applies to an export. Ask a tax adviser about those.

The AD code links an exporter's ICEGATE profile to one AD bank branch. Customs and the bank can then tie shipping bills to the right bank.

1. The exporter asks the account-maintaining bank branch for the AD code mapped to the account.
2. The exporter logs in to ICEGATE and opens the Bank Account section of the profile.
3. The exporter selects Foreign Remittance Account (Authorized Dealer Code) and enters the code.
4. ICEGATE shows the bank name and branch, or a list of branches if several share the code.
5. ICEGATE checks the details with participating banks through API-based services (ICEGATE advisory).
6. The exporter quotes the same AD code on customs export forms.

Exporters use the AD code by registering it on ICEGATE and quoting it on customs export forms. The step-by-step process is in AD code registration. Your bank branch confirms the correct code.

1. Ask your bank branch to confirm the AD code for the account you will use for export receipts.
2. Check that PAN, IEC, account number and IFSC are identical across your bank, DGFT and ICEGATE records.
3. Register the code in your ICEGATE profile and wait for the status to change from pending.
4. Use the same code on every shipping bill or courier shipping bill.
5. If you change banks or the bank merges, update the AD code and IFSC on ICEGATE.
6. Keep the bank's written confirmation of the code with your export records.

• Bank code: An AD code is not the same as the IFSC or the SWIFT code. Each identifies the bank branch for a different system.
• Per shipment: The code is registered in your profile, not requested for each shipment.
• Services only: Freelancers who invoice services usually deal with the EDF and their bank rather than customs forms, so the AD code may never come up.
• Any branch: Not every branch of a bank has the same AD code. Ask the branch where your account is held.

• Authorised dealer bank: A bank permitted to deal in foreign exchange for exporters.
• AD code registration: The steps to record the AD code on ICEGATE.
• IEC: The Importer Exporter Code issued by DGFT.
• EDPMS: The bank-run system that tracks export entries and receipts.
• EDF: The Export Declaration Form that records an export with the AD bank.

Every rule and definition on this page is linked to its official source, checked on the dates below.

1. ICEGATE Advisory on AD Code and Incentive Bank Account Verification through ICEGATE, dated 1 October 2026, User advisory points 1 to 8 (checked 9 Oct 2026)
2. ICEGATE User Manual: Login and Dashboard, Version 1.04 dated 16 January 2026, Section 8.2 (checked 9 Oct 2026)
3. ICEGATE FAQ, AD code registration; pending 7 to 10 working days (checked 9 Oct 2026)
4. FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, Regulation 3(1) (checked 9 Oct 2026)