Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC)

What is an RCMC Certificate?

The Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC), is a document that authorises the import or export of products that fall under the restricted category as per the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP). This certificate is typically issued by Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), Commodity Boards, and Export Development Authorities that are established by the director general of foreign trade for each restricted product.

Additionally, it serves as evidence of membership or registration of an exporter with a specific EPC/commodity board/export development authority. The RCMC is required to take advantage of concessions provided under the FTP for the import/export of restricted goods.

Why Is RCMC Required?

• You can export or import restricted items.
• You can claim many benefits under the Foreign Trade Policy.
• Customs and central excise authorities offer you benefits.
• You can export products from different categories.
• You can claim export incentives and subsidies from schemes like MEIS, RoSCTL, RoDTEP, and SEIS.
• You get a Letter of Undertaking (LUT) under GST for duty-free goods export.
• You receive benefits under the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP).

Synopsis of the DGFT Notification

1.The DGFT has declared that starting from the 1st of April 2022, exporters will need to file an RCMC or Registration Certificate.

2.All Registering Authorities, listed in Appendix-2T, are asked to make sure they join the eRCMC portal.

How to Get RCMC Certificate Online?

RCMC is required for both product exports and imports and are issued by various EPC and Commodities Boards approved by the Indian Central Government. If a particular EPC does not cover a specific export product, exporters can obtain an RCMC certificate from FIEO.

• Each EPC and commodities board is categorised according to the products they promote
• SHEFEXIL issues RCMC certificates to Multi-Product Exporters with a Head Office or Registered Office in North-Eastern States
• Exporters of computers' hardware and software are required to obtain RCMC certificates from EPC
• The services EPC requires exporters of the 14 services mentioned in the Manual of Processes to register
• FIEO-registered exporters are eligible to export services that are not covered by the Handbook of Processes.

Why RCMC Registration?

• EPCs, Commodity Board and Export Development Authorities work with Better Governance with much Transparency
• Effectively Controlled by Central Government
• Allows participation of members in governance by way of e-voting facility in election of Vice Chairman

View and Track Submitted e-RCMC Applications

1.Go to 'My Dashboard'. Then, choose 'Submitted Applications'.

2.Pick 'RCMC' for Type of scheme.

3. For Type of sub-scheme, select 'Application for Amendment of Registration-cum Membership Certificate'. Then, hit 'Search'.

4.Select Application for Renewal of Registration-cum Membership Certificate for Type of sub-scheme. Next, click Search.

5.To see submitted e-RCMC details in your IEC profile,

6.Go to the Home Page. Move to 'Manage Profile'. After you click Manage Profile, a dashboard will show up. It will display your username and all other details. To view the e-RCMC details in the IEC profile, click on 'RCMC'

Eligibility For RCMC Registration Online

Prior to applying, the applicant must establish that the business is an imports and exports business. One of the key prerequisites for starting a manufacturing company in India is this. The exporter must also attest that they have filed a request for an Import Export Code (IEC) with the authorised authority. The IEC is governed by the DGFT (Director General of Foreign Trade).

The exporter or merchant must state their primary line of business. For instance, if coffee and tea are the main business lines, the Tea and Coffee Promotion Board must be consulted. if there is no export promotion board or other regulatory agency protecting the commodities.

The applicant is in charge of making sure that the appropriate board permission or FIEO clearance has been obtained. In the absence of a specialised board for a particular product, the applicant would have to apply for approval to the FIEO. It also requires FIEO authorisation.

Benefits of Obtaining a RCMC Certificate

By obtaining the RCMC certificate download, the exporter/importer will get concessions and schemes under the Foreign Trade Policy of the Country. Some of them are

• Advance Authorisation Scheme
• Advance Authorisation for annual requirement Scheme
• Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) Scheme
• Duty Drawback of Customs/Central Excise Duties/Service Tax
• Rebate of Service tax through all industry rates
• Zero duty EPCG scheme

Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC): Registering Authorities

Registering Authorities for RCMC Registration Online are empowered to issue the certificate to the exporter/importers. The DGFT authorises the Export Promotion Councils, Commodity Boards and Export Development Authority to act as registering authorities. They are an organisation of exporters formed to promote and develop the Indian Export industry. Each authority is responsible for promotion of a particular group of products.

Currently, there are 35 organisations working towards the promotion of import/export of restricted items. These organisations, after being authorised by the DGFT, can issue the certificate.

• 27 Export Promotion Councils
• 6 Commodity Boards
• 2 Development Authorities

Obtaining Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) From FIEO

Federation of Indian Export Organisation is the Apex Body controlling all the Export Promotion Councils, Commodity Boards and Export Development Authorities. Not every EPC is empowered to issue the RCMC certificate. The FIEO issues it for the following categories

• Applicant whose main line of Business is not covered under any of the existing Registering Authorities
• Applicant whose main line of business is not settled
• Applicant with Export/Import of Multiple Products
• Service Providers as notified by the Handbook of Procedures issued by DGF.

List of Export Promotion Councils That Provide RCMC

• Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC)
• Cashew Export Promotion Council of India
• Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL)
• Coffee Board of India
• Electronic and Computer Software Export Promotion
• Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC)
• Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH)
• Handloom Export Promotion Council
• Handicrafts and Handloom Export Corporation
• Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms
• Rubber Board
• Spices Board of India
• Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council
• Tea Board of India
• Wool and Woolens Export Promotion Council (WWEPC)

RCMC Certificate Apply Online: Types of Exporters/Importers Covered

It is implied by the name that the membership is only a basic membership. Such a membership would be appropriate for a business that has just begun doing export and import operations.

Entities that have been engaged in the export and import trade for a considerable amount of time are eligible for associate membership. The fees assessed for associate membership are based more on the membership price plus a small amount of GST.

How to Apply for Ordinary Membership for the RCMC Registration

Under the RCMC registration online procedure, there are two types of participation. If a person needs to register for ordinary membership, the following procedures need to be taken into account:

• Step 1: Visit website of the FIEO
• Step 2: Access the membership tab and select option how to apply for RCMC registration, endorsement
• Step 3: Then press the application of membership online and now sub tups under the tab membership will be visible
• Step 4: Press the application to leave direct it to another web page and fill the required credential
• Step 5: Under the ordinary membership tab provide the required information
• Step 6: Now mention the entity type partnership or company in the box provided
• Step 7: Give a statement of authority now stating that the authority is speaking in the FIEO on the application for the petitioner.

How to Apply for an Associate Membership under the FIEO

• Step 1: Initially download the application from the associate membership website
• Step 2: Then select the company's business type and its operational procedures
• Step 3: Provide the necessary information, such as the entity's IEC number and other pertinent information
• Step 4: Add the necessary papers to the form's uploads
• Step 5: Provide a letter to indicate the applicant in the FIEO for RCMC registration.

RCMC Certificate Apply Online: Registration Fees

The RCMC Registration Fees details are as follows:

• Entrance fee for New Registration ₹1180/-
• Annual Fee ₹9440/-

How to Get RCMC Certificate Online: Documents Required

Each Registering Authority requires their own set of documents for RCMC Application. However, some of the common documents required by all Authorities are

If membership is not renewed in the preceding year, then membership will be ceased and a fresh membership needs to be obtained for being a member in next preceding years.

• PAN Card
• Articles and Memorandum of Association (For Corporate/institutional/Private Limited/ Limited company), Partnership Deed (in case of Partnership firms and LLPs), or Trust Deed (in case of Trusts).
• GST Registration certificate.
• In the case of a service exporter already in business, three years’ services export data certified by the exporter’s Chartered Accountant has to be provided. Proof of payment of membership fee to the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) also has to be provided.

Registration Cum Membership Certificate Validity

• The RCMC is valid starting from the 1 April of the licensing year it's issued. It stays valid for five years, ending on the 31 March of the last licensing year.

Compliance with RCMC Certificate

• Each exporter is expected to submit to the registering authorities a quarterly return/details of their shipments of various items.
• A registered exporter with FIEO must submit quarterly reports in the format specified by FIEO.

Renewal of Registration-cum Membership Certificate

Only those with a prior issued RCMC can apply for renewal. The system will have RCMC details. These details will be pre-filled in the form, based on the latest application or amendment. Renewals are only for expired certificates.

Amendment of the Issued Registration Cum Membership Certificate

The Issued RCMC may be modified by an active RCMC holder. Application information that was already filled out at the time the RCMC was issued would be present in the System and pre-populated in the Form. The procedure for submitting an RCMC Amendment on the DGFT website is as follows,

Access the Services > e-RCMC > Modification for RCMC page.

RCMC Registration Online: DGFT Common Digital Platform for Electronic filing of RCMC – e-RCMC module

• As previously reported, as part of the IT revamp project, DGFT has released the Common Digital Platform (e-RCMC) module. The preferred electronic filing method for all exporters, importers, and issuing agencies is single-point access. The purpose of this common digital platform is to offer an electronic, contactless single window for RCMC/RC-related processes, including applications for new/modified/renewal RCMC/RC.
• https://dgft.gov.in shall host the Unified Digital Platform for Electronic Filing of RCMC.

Features of the e-RCMC Module

The following is a summary of the features of the current e-RCMC (RCMC Registration Online) module for issuing Registration cum Membership Certificates (RCMC)

• The electronic (paperless & contactless) and real-time issue of certificate is among the e-RCMC module's key features
• This module offers the trade ecosystem's single source of information, with IEC Details that are automatically authorised and shared
• The PAN/DIN details system the exporter's IEC profile's auto-validation includes built-in CBDT and MCA integration
• The System's automatic invoice generation is a crucial component of this module.

View and Track Submitted e-RCMC Applications

• Step 1: From Track Application Status, the applicant can view their submitted application
• Step 2: Choose ‘Submitted Applications’ from my dashboard after navigating there
• Step 3: Choose ‘RCMC’ as the scheme type
• Step 4: Application for modification of registration-cum membership certificate type of sub-scheme and choose ‘search’
• Step 5: Application for renewal of registration-cum membership certificate type of sub-scheme. and select ‘search’
• Step 6: See submitted e-RCMC Information in IEC Profile by going to ‘Manage Profile’ from the page
• Step 7: After selecting Manage Profile, a Dashboard with your login and all the information will be displayed. To view the RCMC details in the IEC profile, click on the RCMC link.

Why Vakilsearch for RCMC Registration Online?

Just tell us a little bit about your business and you'll have your RCMC Registration Online Certificate in 30 working days (subject to government approval). It's that simple.

We make your interaction with the government as smooth as possible and we will be doing all the application work for you. We will also give you absolute clarity on the process to set realistic expectations.

Our team of experienced business advisors are a phone call away, should you have any queries about the process. But we'll try to ensure that your doubts are cleared before they even arise

FAQs on How to Get RCMC Certificate Online