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Spices Board of India: Step-by-step guide to register

From cardamom to cumin and pepper, a range of spices are exported from India across the world. To promote export trade of this product category, the Spices Board of India was established. In this blog, learn about its roles and process to register.

Known for their flavor and texture, Indian spices are one of the top products that are growing in demand in the international markets. To regulate and promote spices export, the Spices Board of India was established. As an autonomous body, the spice board promotes the export of over 50 listed spices. To export spices from India, it is mandatory for any manufacturer or seller to be registered with the Spices Board of India. CRES (Certificate of Registration as Export of Spices) is issued upon successful registration, which is a key document in spices export.

Role of the Spices Board of India

With spices export promotion as one of the key functions, the Spices Board of India initiates conversations between exporters and the government to resolve trade issues while executing new policies and schemes. Below is the list of roles that the spices board has¹:

• Promotion of spice export by supporting Indian sellers through technology upgradation, quality evaluation, scientific and economic research, and brand establishment
• Quality control and issuing certification for spices to ensure they meet international quality standards
• Registration of spice exporters as members and guide them on required documentation and trade-related policy updates
• Collaboration with the government to share insights on policies and reforms that address trade-related concerns of exporters
• Awareness and education among importers and exporters about quality management systems, effective packaging techniques, and foreign trade policies
• Examining complaints from importers and exporters and suggesting preventive actions
• Participation and related support for exporters in international food fairs and food festivals

How to register with the Spices Board of India

With digitization and ease of online transactions, the Spices Board of India accepts applications of CRES on its official portal. The required documents to apply are²:

• IEC issued by the DGFT
• Exporter’s bank details as required in the application form
• Sales Tax/VAT/CST (Central Sales Tax) certificate from the tax authorities
• PAN
• Passport-size color photos of exporter or business owner

Once you’ve obtained the above-mentioned documents, you can apply for CRES.

What is CRES?

CRES – Certificate of Registration as Export of Spices – is an export license required by businesses who export spices from India. While most export promotion councils in India offer a Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) as a certificate for exports, the Spice Board of India provides CRES with a validity of three years – a mandatory requirement for spice export. After three years, the certificate needs to be renewed by the exporter.

Procedure to obtain CRES:

• Head to the Spices Board of India website and enter your IEC, valid email address, and registered mobile number.
• An OTP will be sent both to your registered email address and mobile number. Enter OTPs and click submit to complete the verification process.
• You will be directed to the online application form. Fill in the required details as mentioned in the form and submit.
• Along with these details, you must upload documents preferably in a PDF format and images in JPEG (ideal size should be less than 200 kb) format. At the end of this step, an application number will be generated, which you can save for future reference.
• Post this, you can pay the required fees.
• Your application and documents will be transferred to the Spices Board of India for verification.
• You can check the status of your CRES by entering your IEC in the registration window on the website. Once issued, you can download CRES.

Once you’ve obtained CRES and related documents like IEC and AD code, you can export spices from India to the world. With ecommerce exports, selling internationally has become easier and simpler for Indian MSMEs.

How to export spices from India

With its increasing customer base of 300 million+ and a seamless registration process, Amazon Global Selling is an ecommerce exports program that enables businesses of all sizes to sell many products including spices across the world via international marketplaces in the USA, UAE, UK, Japan and more. Exporting spices from India can be done in an easy and hassle-free manner with Amazon’s logistics and tools.

Here’s a guide to exporting spices from India

More blogs on commodity boards

1. Coffee Board of India: How to register and get a coffee export license?

2. Rubber Board of India: Promoting export of rubber globally

3. Commodity Boards in India: All you need to know about registration and membership

4. What are the types of Tea Board license and how to register?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the list of spices that are covered under CRES for export?

CRES covers export of a range of spices from India including cardamom, pepper, chilly, turmeric, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, celery, rosemary and tamarind, among others.

How to pay the registration fee for spices board?

While applying for CRES, you can pay the registration fee via NEFT or Demand Draft.

Who needs to obtain a spice board registration?

Sellers who want to export spices from India need to register with the Spice Board of India and obtain CRES.

Is spice board registration mandatory?

It is necessary for spice exporters to register with the Spice Board of India and obtain CRES to export from India without any hassles.

Do we need to obtain RCMC for exporting spices?

No. You need to obtain CRES issued by the Spices Board of India to export spices from India.

What is IE code? How do I get it?

Import-Export Code (IEC) is a 10-digit business identification number allotted to an importer or exporter by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). It is issued based on the Permanent Account Number (PAN) of a business. You can apply for an IEC on the DGFT website.

Here’s a 6-step guide to applying for IEC

Can I get the spice board registration certificate online?

Yes, you can register on the Spice Board of India website to obtain CRES.

What are the documents required to export spices?

To sell spices internationally from India, a list of export documents like IEC, AD bank code, LUT, FDA labelling guidelines and CRES are required.

Visit the Exports Compliance dashboard to view and meet your documentation requirements

Published on March 17, 2022.

Sources:
1. http://www.indianspices.com/
2. http://indianspices.com/spice-news/certificate-registration-exporter-spicescres
3. http://www.indianspices.com/hin/sites/default/files/faq.pdf

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*Map not to scale. The map has been used for design and representational purpose only, it does not depict the geographical boundaries of the country. These do not conform to the external boundaries of India recognized by the Survey of India.