ERC Certificate Check Online: Complete Guide for Exporters

An erc certificate check online is a short check of your own Export Registration Certificate (ERC) record in the official system of the Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports (CCI&E). For a Bangladeshi exporter, the check confirms that the business name, ERC number, address and validity period on the record are current and match the trade licence before a shipment, a bank filing or a buyer review depends on them.

The ERC is the government-issued licence that authorises a business to export goods from Bangladesh, issued by CCI&E under the Ministry of Commerce.¹ The CCI&E website is the starting point for the office's online services, including its Online Licensing Module (OLM) application sections.² This guide walks through the check step by step, the fees and documents behind the certificate, and the errors that make a valid business look unregistered.

Why this matters for buyers and sellers

For a seller, a valid ERC sits behind the formal export process. Without one, a bank will not open a letter of credit for an export transaction and customs will not process the export declaration.¹ If the certificate lapses in the middle of an order, the paperwork stalls at exactly the point where goods are ready and a buyer is waiting.

For a buyer, the same record works as a basic due-diligence check on a new supplier. Asking the supplier for its ERC number and a current certificate copy, then comparing the name, validity period and address with the trade licence and the bank account name, costs little and catches simple fraud signals early. A supplier that cannot produce a current certificate, or whose certificate name does not match its other documents, needs a clear explanation before any payment moves.

The deeper point is consistency. The business name, address and owner or director details appear on the trade licence, the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) certificate, chamber membership, bank records and the ERC itself. An online check is really a check that all of those records still tell the same story. When they do, banks and buyers process the file with fewer questions. When one record disagrees, every later transaction slows down until the mismatch is corrected at the source.

Step-by-step: how an ERC certificate check online works

Work through the check in this order, with your ERC number, certificate and passbook details, and your OLM login to hand.

1. Start at the official source. Begin on the CCI&E website and follow its links to the Online Licensing Module.² CCI&E provides its trader services through OLM, including ERC registration and renewal.³ Do not treat an agent's private portal, a screenshot sent by a third party or a paid verification site as the record. A site that asks for a fee to verify a certificate outside the official system is not the official system.

2. Log in to OLM and open your record. All ERC applications now go through olm.ccie.gov.bd, and you can log in at any time to check a submitted application's status.¹ Approved certificates and passbooks are issued digitally and can be downloaded from the OLM dashboard.¹

3. Match the identity fields. Compare the business name exactly as printed on the ERC against the current trade licence, the ERC number against the passbook and any previous certificate, and the office address against the premises where the business actually operates.

4. Check validity and renewal status. Confirm the validity period shown on the record and that renewal covers the dates on which you plan to ship. A certificate that was valid when a contract was signed may expire before the goods are ready.

5. Cross-check the supporting registrations. Confirm that the documents behind the ERC are themselves current: the trade licence for the current year, chamber or trade association membership, TIN, and bank solvency evidence. An ERC record that looks current while the trade licence behind it has expired is only half a check.

6. Save dated evidence. Download the current digital certificate from OLM and save a dated copy with the order file. Send that current copy to a buyer or bank when asked, because it shows validity on the day the order was confirmed.

7. Resolve problems at the source. If a record cannot be found, a name differs or a payment is not reflected, contact CCI&E or the regional office with the ERC number, passbook and payment record in hand. Changes to a business name, address, bank details or ownership must be made through CCI&E.⁴

A buyer checking a supplier follows the same logic from outside: request the ERC number and a clear, current certificate copy, confirm the name matches the trade licence and the bank account name, confirm that validity covers the shipment window, and pause payment on any refusal or mismatch until it is explained.

What does an ERC cost, and how long does processing take?

The fee table below follows the revised CCI&E fee schedule effective from September 1, 2022.¹ The Financial Express reported the same change at the time: the ERC registration fee was raised to Tk 10,000 and the ERC for indenting services to Tk 50,000, before VAT.³

Fees are set by government circular and can change, so confirm the amount shown in the OLM portal before you pay. Payment runs through the option shown in the portal during the application.¹ Licence fees can also be deposited online through the Sonali Payment Gateway, using bank branches, online transfers, mobile financial services or cards.⁵ Never pay a separate checking fee to an unofficial website. Viewing your own record in OLM is part of the official service.

On timing, the official processing time is listed as around three working days after a complete submission.¹ Practical timing varies when a document needs correction or verification, or when a field inspection is triggered.¹ Renewal steps in OLM are short when the file is clean: log in, open the renewal section, enter the ERC number, upload the updated documents, pay and submit.¹

Which documents sit behind the ERC?

For a new application, the core documents are a valid trade licence, a TIN certificate, a chamber membership certificate from a recognised trade body, and a national ID card or passport for the owner or directors.¹ Depending on the applicant type, CCI&E or the OLM form may also ask for a VAT registration certificate (BIN), a bank solvency certificate, passport-size photographs and an office rent agreement for rented premises.¹ Limited companies also file the certificate of incorporation with the memorandum and articles of association, and partnerships file an attested partnership deed.¹

Applicant categories are proprietorships, partnership firms and private limited companies, and the document list varies by category.⁴ For renewal, the working set is the original ERC and passbook, the payment confirmation for the renewal fee, the updated trade licence, the updated chamber membership certificate and a bank statement or solvency certificate.¹ Keep digital copies of the full set in one folder, because the online check, a bank query and a buyer query all ask for the same documents.

Bangladesh-specific rules and tips

Renewal can cover one to five years. According to the OLM portal, an ERC can be renewed for any full-year period between one and five years in a single renewal transaction, instead of one year at a time.¹ The same source gives the working rule for timing: apply at least 60 days before expiry to avoid penalties.¹ Set the renewal date from the certificate itself, not from memory, and file before the shipping season rather than during it.

The legal framework has two layers. The Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950 provides the overarching authority for trade control, and the Importers, Exporters and Indentors (Registration) Order, 1981 sets the registration framework for exporters: who must register, how registration works, and on what grounds it can be refused, suspended or cancelled.¹ That is why an expired or mismatched record is a legal problem, not only an administrative one.

Keep one registration identity everywhere. Any change to the business, such as a new address, a changed proprietor or director, or a new business name, has to be updated on the trade licence, chamber membership, bank records and the ERC. Changes of name, address, bank details or ownership are made through CCI&E.⁴ An amendment left undone is the most common reason an online check appears to fail for a genuine business.

First-time applicants should expect verification. CCI&E may conduct a field inspection for some first-time applicants to verify the office address and business activity, so the address on the trade licence should match the premises where the business operates.¹

Check the certificate and the passbook together. The ERC certificate and passbook are issued digitally from OLM after approval.¹ Keep the pair together in the order file, so a buyer never receives an old passbook page alongside a renewed certificate showing different validity dates.

Mistakes and red flags

• Letting renewal lapse. This is the most avoidable failure. An ERC can be renewed after expiry subject to a penalty,⁴ but a lapsed certificate still blocks export work until the renewal is complete.

• Name and address drift. The trade licence is renewed with a different name spelling or a new address, and the ERC is never amended. Every later check then produces a mismatch.

• Trusting unofficial verification sites. A third-party site cannot certify the official record. The OLM record and CCI&E are the proof.

• Checking only the certificate, not the set. A current ERC alongside an expired trade licence or lapsed chamber membership still fails a full bank or buyer review.

• Sending buyers an old scan. Always send the current digital certificate downloaded from OLM, never a scan from a previous validity period.

• Paying the wrong schedule. Indenting ERC fees are far higher than general ERC fees, as the table above shows. Confirm which registration type you hold before paying a quoted renewal amount.

• Red flags when checking a supplier: the ERC name does not match the bank account name, validity has expired with no renewal evidence, the seller will not share the ERC number, or the certificate address does not correspond to real premises. Any one of these justifies pausing and verifying directly with CCI&E before money moves.

Checklist for an ERC check online

Use this list for a quarterly self-check, and again before confirming any large order:

• Log in to OLM through the official CCI&E website and open the ERC record.

• The business name on the ERC matches the current trade licence exactly.

• The ERC number matches the certificate and the passbook.

• The validity period covers every shipment date you have committed to.

• Renewal is current, or filed within the 60-day window before expiry.

• The office address on the ERC matches your actual operating premises.

• Trade licence, TIN and chamber membership are all current.

• Bank solvency evidence is recent, and the bank account name matches the ERC name.

• A dated digital copy of the certificate is saved with the order file.

• Any change of name, address, proprietor or director has been amended on the ERC as well.

• Buyers receive the current certificate copy, never an old scan.

FAQs

What should I know first about ERC?

The ERC is the registration issued by CCI&E under the Ministry of Commerce that authorises a Bangladeshi business to export goods.¹ The first point about checking it online is that the official record lives in CCI&E's Online Licensing Module, reached through the CCI&E website: you log in, open your record, and confirm that the name, ERC number, address and validity period are current and match your trade licence and passbook.^{2 1} If a detail has changed, it must be amended on the ERC as well, or later checks will keep showing a mismatch.

What are the typical costs and timelines?

A general ERC costs BDT 11,500 including 15% VAT for new registration and BDT 8,050 including VAT for each renewal year, under the fee schedule effective from September 1, 2022.¹ Renewal can be taken for one to five years in a single OLM transaction, and the portal recommends applying at least 60 days before expiry.¹ The official processing time for a complete new application is listed as around three working days, with practical timing longer when documents need correction or a field inspection is triggered.¹ Confirm the current fee inside OLM before paying, because fees are set by circular and change.

Which documents are needed?

For a new ERC, the core set is a valid trade licence, a TIN certificate, a chamber membership certificate from a recognised trade body, and a national ID card or passport.¹ The OLM form may also require a VAT registration certificate (BIN), a bank solvency certificate, photographs and an office rent agreement, depending on the case.¹ Partnerships add a partnership deed, and limited companies add the certificate of incorporation with the memorandum and articles of association.^{1 4} For renewal and checking, keep the ERC and passbook, the updated trade licence, the updated membership certificate, bank statement or solvency evidence and the payment confirmation together.¹

What are the most common mistakes?

Letting the renewal lapse is the most common mistake, followed by name and address drift, where details change on the trade licence without an amendment to the ERC. Exporters also lose time by checking the certificate in isolation while the trade licence or chamber membership behind it has expired, by trusting unofficial paid verification websites instead of the OLM record, by sending buyers scans from a previous validity period, and by starting renewal during a shipment crunch instead of around 60 days before expiry. The checklist above prevents each of these.

Next steps on Exportain

With your ERC record checked and current, read the full guide to the ERC export registration certificate and the companion guide to export documents from Bangladesh so the rest of your document set matches the certificate. Buyers who found this page while checking a supplier can read how supplier verification works on Exportain, browse suppliers, or post an RFQ with the product and quantity they need.