Simplified Auto Registration on ICEGATE

September 14, 2022

7 min read

The Indian Customs of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) provides E-filing services to cargo carriers and trading partners. The CBIC, formerly known as the Central Board of Excise and Customs, deals with the formulation of policies for levy and collections of

Customs duty,
Central excise duties
Central goods and services taxes
Prevention of smuggling
Administration of matters regarding customs, excise duties, IGST, and even narcotics

The CBIC is the parent reporting board for the other organizations, including Central excise, customs houses, Central GST Commissionerates, and the Central revenue Control Laboratories.

ICEGATE (Indian Customs electronic Gateway) is the name of the central portal of the CBIC that provides log-in and E-filing facilities for importers and exporters. There are presently 43542 logged-in users who are registered with Icegate and are serving more than 1 lakh importers and exporters.

Facilities, benefits, and links

Registration with Icegate provides the following facilities

Electronic filing of the bill of entry (Import goods declaration),
Shipping bills (Declaration of goods to be exported),
E payment of customs duty,
A web-based common signer utility for signature on all customs documents,
Electronic refund of IGST,
Link with E sanchit to file supporting documents online,

In addition to the above, the Icegate portal also provides several useful services, which include

Online registration for IPR,
The facility of document tracking at Customs EDI (electronic data interchange),
Pan-based CHA data,
Online verification of DEPB (Duty entitlement passbook Scheme) /DES / EPCG (Export promotion capital goods) licenses,
IE (Import export) Code status,
IGST Refund status,
Links to websites related to EXIM trade,

Seagate is linked to several important organizations and government bodies such as the Reserve Bank of India, other banks, DGFT (Director General of Foreign Trade), DGCIS (Directorate General of Commercial intelligence and statistics), the Ministry of steel, Directorate of Valuation and other agencies related to Exim trade.

All these facilities and links are an indication of the benefits of having an Icegate registration.

Procedure for registering at Icegate

The first step before beginning is to check to have the necessary documents in hand. These documents include an export code number and a GSTIN identification number,

The next important step is to go to the portal – https://www.icegate.gov.in/index.html
The data entry page will open at this stage. The applicant will need to enter the export code and the GST number. The applicant will also need to create a strong password that is difficult to hack. Some tips about the password and other details have been listed in a table.
Once these details have been successfully entered, the program will ask for a CAPTCHA, an identifying set of numbers and alphabets. This needs to be entered and the form submitted.
The next step will be entering the OTP (One Time Password) that will be sent to the registered mobile number. Once this OTP is provided, the registration process is completed.

Tips for the registration process

Special care is required to be taken while entering the details required for Icegate registration. The following tips in tabular form will be helpful and can be referred to during the registration process.

The data to be entered.	Useful tips
Creating a unique Icegate ID	The ID cannot exceed 25 characters No blank spaces or special characters will be accepted A combination of alphanumeric characters is acceptable The ID should be unique, or the system will match it with its database and ask for a new ID.
Creating a login password	The password should be difficult, unique and can contain a combination of alphanumeric as well as special characters. The use of special characters not on the keyboard can help make a password even stronger.
Confirm password	The created password must be duplicated exactly. A mismatch of even one character will result in the password not being accepted, and the registration will be incomplete.
Email ID	The email ID should be of a maximum 50 characters in length.

The Icegate portal has been developed to make the registration process easy and convenient. The portal is also being improved and updated regularly. For instance, registered firms can now go to the portal and change their email ID.

Auto Registration on ICEGATE FAQs:

1. What are the ICES and how is it linked to Icegate?

The ICES is the Indian customs EDI system which facilitates customs clearance-related information. Trade, transport and regulatory agencies should submit and receive various documents. This internal automation of the customs house makes the functioning of customs clearing efficient and transparent.

2. Are there any other portals in the Indian customs automation besides Icegate?

The Indian Customs automation system includes the ICES, which automatically receives and processes all incoming data and messages. Besides Icegate, there is also the RMS (Risk management system) which is programmed to separate transactions that require further investigation by higher bodies.

3. How is the RBI linked to Icegate?

The RBI is involved in all Forex and remittance data that pass through Icegate. The RBI routinely scrutinises all this data.

4. How much is the Icegate registration fee?

The ice gate registration fee is Rs 1499 inclusive of all taxes, and there are facilities to pay this online.

5. What are the documents required for Icegate registration?

The documents required for Icegate registration include the owner’s Aadhaar card, the business’s GST certificate, a self-certified IEC (Import export code) number and class3 digital certificates.

6. Who are parent users and child users?

A parent user is usually the holder of the IEC code, and the child is the business’s employee. Child users can also be registered on the Icegate portal. However, parent users need to approve all the child users being registered.

7. Is there are requirements for software upgradation or installation for Icegate registration?

Yes. There is a need to download and install the latest version of the JRE 1.7/1.8 Java runtime environment for the purpose of DSC registration. DSC registration is a part of the Icegate registration process. A browser of Internet explorer 8 and above or the latest version of Mozilla Firefox is also compatible for running Icegate.

8. After successful Icegate registration, can customs duty E payment be done anytime?

Customs duty E payment can only be made on the Icegate portal from the registered ID from 4:00 AM to 11 PM every day, including Sundays.

9. Is a digital signature required to register on Icegate?

The Icegate registration process does not require a digital signature. The IEC code and IGST numbers are enough for registration.

10. Can a partnership firm be allowed to register on Icegate?

A partnership firm can be allowed to register on Icegate provided the firm has an IEC code and a GST number. All the names of the partners will, however, be required as parents of the firm.