What paperwork and licenses do I actually need to export from India?
The short answer
The non-negotiable base is an IEC (Importer-Exporter Code) from DGFT, GST registration, and an AD Code registered with your bank at the port/courier you ship from. Add an LUT so you can export without paying IGST upfront and protect your cash flow, plus any product-specific compliance the destination demands (FDA for food/cosmetics into the US, and correct HS codes on every parcel). None of this is hard, the IEC is a same-day online application, but doing it before your first shipment saves you from parcels stuck in customs.
A quick summary to orient you. The real value is below: the resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it, not us.
Here are the resources
Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time. India-specific ones carry a badge.
Why we picked it
The IEC is the one document you cannot export without, and this explains what it is, who needs it, and the DGFT application steps in plain language for first-time exporters.
Why we picked it
A neutral, non-marketplace explainer of the IEC from a trusted Indian tax source, good to cross-read alongside Amazon's version so you understand the compliance, not just the sales pitch.
Why we picked it
The canonical India-facing starting point, lays out the 18+ marketplaces, the paperwork you need, and the fulfillment/payment flow in language written for an Indian seller, not a US one.
Why we picked it
The India-based way to ship cross-border with customs paperwork handled for you, relevant here because it bundles compliant export documentation with the actual shipment, reducing what you have to file yourself.
