ERC Verification: Complete Guide for Exporters

If you plan to sell goods from Bangladesh to an overseas buyer, erc verification is one of the first checks you will meet, from your bank, from customs and often from the buyer. The Export Registration Certificate, or ERC, is the licence that identifies you as a registered exporter in Bangladesh. This guide explains who issues the certificate, how verification works at application, renewal and shipment, what it costs, and which documents you need.

Why this matters for buyers and sellers

The ERC is a mandatory export licence issued by the Office of the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports (CCI&E) under the Ministry of Commerce.¹ Without a valid ERC, a business cannot legally export goods from Bangladesh, open export letters of credit, or receive export proceeds through the banking system.¹ The Export Policy 2024-27 lists getting the ERC from CCI&E as step one of the export process.²

For a seller, the ERC connects your trade licence, tax identity and bank account to a single registration the rest of the system recognises. Your authorised dealer (AD) bank handles the foreign exchange side of your exports, including EXP processing and realisation of proceeds.² At shipment, customs requires a Bill of Export before goods can be loaded, and its enclosed documents include the EXP form certified by an authorised dealer and, for some product categories, the ERC itself.³

For a buyer, erc verification is a basic due diligence step. The buyer is checking that the company offering the goods is legally entitled to export them, that the name on the quotation matches the name on the certificate, and that the certificate will still be valid when the goods ship. A mismatch, such as a different spelling or a lapsed renewal, creates payment and customs risk for both sides.

Issuance and verification are not the same thing. Issuance proves you were registered on one date. Verification proves you are still registered, in the same name, on the date of the contract, the letter of credit and the shipment. The companion guide to the ERC, the Export Registration Certificate sets out the certificate itself in more detail.

Step-by-step: how it works

Verification happens three times in the life of an ERC. CCI&E verifies you when you apply and again when you renew, and banks, customs and buyers verify the certificate each time you trade. The steps below follow the current online route.

1. Prepare the underlying registrations. Make sure your trade licence is valid and updated, your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is in place, and, where it applies, your VAT registration and Business Identification Number (BIN) are current. The business name and address must read the same way across all documents. Most delays start here.

2. Obtain chamber or trade association membership. A valid membership certificate from a recognised chamber or trade association is required, such as the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) or the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).¹ A missing or expired membership holds up the application.

3. Create your account on the OLM portal and start the application. CCI&E launched its Online Licensing Module (OLM) in July 2019, and ERC applications now go through olm.ccie.gov.bd.¹ Create an account, select the Export Registration Certificate service, and complete the form exactly as your documents read. Choose the correct type: the general ERC for exporters who own and ship goods, or the separate indenting ERC if your business arranges export deals between foreign buyers and local manufacturers without handling the goods.¹

4. Upload the supporting documents. Upload clear scans of everything the portal asks for in your case. The list varies by applicant type: proprietorship, partnership or limited company.⁴ Keep your originals available, because original documents are provided for verification during the process and returned once checking is complete.⁴

5. Pay the prescribed fee. Pay through the route shown in the OLM portal. Where an offline Treasury Challan is directed, the fee is deposited at Bangladesh Bank or Sonali Bank under code 1-1731-0001-1801.^{1 5} Keep the payment proof in your file.

6. Submit and track the application. Submit and log back into the OLM portal to follow the status. For some first-time applicants, CCI&E may carry out a field inspection, so the address on your trade licence must match where you actually operate.¹

7. Download and verify the issued ERC. Once approved, the certificate is issued digitally through the portal. Download it and check the company name, address, ERC number and validity dates letter by letter. Record the expiry date in your compliance calendar the same day. If your business name, address or ownership later changes, apply for an amendment rather than trading on a certificate that no longer matches your business.

How does a buyer or bank verify your ERC?

A buyer or bank verifies an ERC by comparing the certificate against the transaction in front of them. Run the same checks on your own file first. The business name on the ERC must match the name on the contract, invoice and trade licence. The certificate must be in force on the shipment date, not only on the order date. The ERC number should be the number your AD bank holds for EXP processing, because customs clearance documents include the EXP form certified by the authorised dealer to ensure realisation of export proceeds.³ If any point fails, expect the transaction to pause until the record is corrected or renewed.

Costs, timelines and documents

What does ERC verification and registration cost?

Bangladesh charges a flat fee for the general ERC, unlike the Import Registration Certificate (IRC), whose fee varies. The current published figures are BDT 10,000 plus 15 percent VAT, BDT 11,500 in total, for a new general ERC, and BDT 7,000 plus 15 percent VAT, BDT 8,050 in total, for renewal per year.^{1 4} The indenting services ERC is listed at BDT 57,500 including VAT for new registration and BDT 28,750 including VAT for renewal.^{1 4} Fees can be revised by government circular, and adviser or agent charges are separate. Confirm the payable amount displayed in the OLM portal when you apply, because the portal figure governs.

How long does it take?

The official processing time is listed as around three working days after a complete submission.¹ Allow additional time if a document must be re-uploaded, chamber membership has to be renewed first, or a field inspection is triggered. Other practitioner guidance puts issuance and renewal at four to five working days, so plan on a few working days rather than a fixed date.⁴ Do not accept an order with a tight shipment window if your ERC expires before the shipment date and no renewal is in progress.

How long is an ERC valid, and when should you renew?

An ERC is typically valid for one year and must be renewed.⁵ The OLM system allows renewal for one to five years in a single transaction.¹ Apply at least 60 days before expiry to avoid penalties, and note that renewal after expiry can attract a penalty and leaves a gap during which banks and customs cannot treat you as a valid exporter.¹

Which documents are needed?

The core set for a new application is a valid, updated trade licence, a TIN certificate, a chamber or trade association membership certificate, and a National ID card or passport for the owner or directors.^{1 5} Depending on your case, the portal may also ask for a VAT registration certificate or BIN, a bank solvency certificate from a scheduled bank, passport-size photographs, and an office rent agreement if you operate from rented premises.^{1 5} Limited companies also provide the Certificate of Incorporation and the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and partnership firms provide the partnership deed.^{4 5} For renewal, expect the previous ERC, plus updated trade licence, chamber membership and bank documents. The OLM portal checklist for your applicant type is definitive, so follow the portal where a general list and the portal differ. The full shipment set is covered in the guide to export documents from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh-specific rules and tips

The registration rests on two legal instruments. The Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950 provides the authority for trade control in Bangladesh, and the Importers, Exporters and Indentors (Registration) Order, 1981 sets the registration framework, including who must register and the grounds on which registration can be refused, suspended or cancelled.¹ An ERC is not a one-time formality. It is a registration you must remain eligible to hold.

An ERC does not override product controls. Goods prohibited or restricted under the current Export Policy cannot be exported simply because you hold an ERC, and some products need additional clearances. Bangladesh Customs lists product-specific export documents, including a phytosanitary certificate for agricultural goods and a quality control certificate for products such as frozen fish where the destination country requires one.³ Check the exportability of your exact product before you quote a buyer.

Keep the whole document set aligned. Your trade licence renewal cycle, chamber membership year and ERC validity can fall on different dates. Keep one compliance sheet listing every registration, its number, its expiry date and the person responsible for renewal, and keep clean digital copies of the ERC, trade licence, TIN, BIN and chamber certificate in one folder, so a buyer verification request can be answered the same day.

Mistakes and red flags

The most serious mistake is trading without a valid ERC. Exporting without one is not allowed: customs can block the shipment, banks can refuse to certify EXP forms or process export letters of credit, and the exporter may face legal consequences.¹ Using another company's ERC breaks the link between the contracting party and the registered exporter that banks rely on, and it will fail verification.

Application-stage mistakes are less dramatic but just as delaying. The recurring ones are an expired trade licence or chamber certificate, a business name spelled differently across documents, selecting the indenting ERC instead of the general ERC or the reverse, nominating a bank branch that is not an authorised dealer branch, and letting the ERC lapse during a live order.¹ A related red flag for buyers is a seller who cannot produce the ERC, or who offers a certificate in a name that does not match the contract and invoice.

Treat any offer of an ERC without documents as a warning sign. The certificate itself is issued only by CCI&E. If the registration is not genuine and current in CCI&E's system, no intermediary assurance will make it verify.

Checklist

Use this checklist before you apply, renew, or confirm an order.

• Trade licence is valid, updated, and shows the correct business name and address.

• TIN is in place, and VAT and BIN details are current where they apply to your business.

• Chamber or trade association membership certificate is current and in the same business name.

• Bank solvency certificate has been obtained from your scheduled bank.

• Company documents are complete for your type: incorporation certificate and Memorandum and Articles for a limited company, partnership deed for a partnership.

• National ID copies and photographs of the proprietor or directors are ready.

• The correct ERC type, general or indenting, has been selected in the OLM portal.

• The fee shown in the OLM portal has been confirmed and the payment proof filed.

• The issued ERC has been read letter by letter: name, address, number and validity dates are all correct.

• ERC expiry and renewal dates, with a 60-day advance reminder, are recorded in a compliance calendar.

• A clean digital copy of the ERC is stored with the trade licence, TIN, BIN and chamber certificate for buyer verification requests.

• The product you intend to export is permitted under the current Export Policy, with any product-specific certificates identified.

How Exportain helps

A current ERC is the starting point for selling through Exportain. Exportain reviews seller documents and photos for its trust badges. Those badges are document and photo reviews, not factory inspections or guarantees, and how that review works is explained in how supplier verification works on Exportain. Exportain does not issue ERCs, because only CCI&E can do that, and Exportain is not a party to your contract for goods. A complete, current ERC makes your profile checks and buyer conversations faster, because the first document a buyer asks for is already in order.

FAQs

What should I know first about ERC?

Know first that the ERC is the mandatory export registration issued by CCI&E under the Ministry of Commerce, applied for online through the OLM portal, and that the bank handling of your letter of credit, customs clearance and buyer verification all depend on it being valid and in the exact name of the contracting business.¹ Prepare your trade licence, TIN, chamber membership and bank documents before you start, and plan renewal at least 60 days before expiry.¹

What are the typical costs and timelines?

A new general ERC costs BDT 11,500 including VAT and renewal costs BDT 8,050 including VAT per year, while the indenting services ERC costs BDT 57,500 new and BDT 28,750 on renewal.^{1 4} Confirm the current amount in the OLM portal before paying, as fees can be revised. Official processing time is listed as around three working days after a complete submission, with extra time needed if documents require correction or an inspection is carried out.¹

Which documents are needed?

For most applicants: an updated trade licence, a TIN certificate, a current chamber membership certificate, and National ID or passport for the proprietor or directors.^{1 5} The portal may also require a VAT or BIN certificate, a bank solvency certificate, photographs and premises documents. Limited companies add incorporation documents and their Memorandum and Articles, and partnerships add the partnership deed.^{4 5} The OLM portal checklist for your applicant type is definitive.

What are the most common mistakes?

The most common mistakes are applying with an expired trade licence or chamber certificate, inconsistent business names or addresses across documents, choosing the wrong ERC type, nominating a bank branch that is not an authorised dealer branch, and allowing the ERC to expire during a live order.¹ Exporting without a valid ERC, or relying on another company's certificate, is the most serious error, because the shipment can be blocked and the registration itself put at risk.¹

Next steps on Exportain

With your ERC issued and diarised for renewal, you are ready to sell. Browse suppliers to see how sellers present their companies, read how to buy to understand the checks buyers run on your documents, and keep the ERC certificate guide alongside this one at renewal.