What Is e-BRC?
e-BRC (Electronic Bank Realisation Certificate) is the official digital document that confirms an Indian exporter has received foreign payment against a specific export shipment. It is generated and uploaded to the DGFT portal by your authorised dealer bank after your buyer's payment arrives in India as a foreign inward remittance.
The e-BRC replaced the physical BRC system in 2014. Before that, exporters submitted paper certificates manually to DGFT offices. Today, the bank uploads the document directly, and it appears in your DGFT exporter profile automatically.
An e-BRC contains:
Your IEC (Importer Exporter Code)
The invoice number and export date
The foreign currency amount and its INR equivalent on the date of realisation
The bank's internal reference number for the remittance
The date on which payment was realised
Why e-BRC Is the Most Critical Document in Export Compliance
Most exporters track their Shipping Bill, their IRM, and their GST filings carefully. The e-BRC gets overlooked until something fails.
Every major export incentive in India requires a confirmed e-BRC linked to the relevant Shipping Bill before a claim can be processed.
This includes:
RoDTEP (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products)
RoDTEP reimburses embedded domestic taxes that were not captured in any other scheme. The scrip credit is released to your ICEGATE account only after the e-BRC is successfully linked to the Shipping Bill on DGFT. The scheme has been extended through 31 December 2026 at unchanged rates under DGFT Notification 41/2026-27.
Customs Duty Drawback
Drawback refunds customs duties paid on imported raw materials used in your exported product. The refund is validated against your Shipping Bill. A missing e-BRC linkage keeps the drawback file permanently open.
IGST Refund
If you paid IGST on inputs and exported without LUT, you are entitled to a refund. The GST portal cross-checks this against DGFT records. An unlinked e-BRC is one of the most common reasons IGST refunds stall indefinitely.
One unlinked e-BRC can simultaneously freeze three separate cash flows.
How the e-BRC Process Works: Step by Step
Step 1: Export the goods and file the Shipping Bill
Your Shipping Bill is filed at the port of export. Customs issues an LEO (Let Export Order). The Shipping Bill number becomes the primary reference for everything that follows.
Step 2: The overseas buyer makes payment
Your buyer transfers the invoice amount from their bank abroad.
Step 3: Your bank records an IRM
When the payment arrives, your bank logs it as an Inward Remittance Message (IRM). The IRM is your bank's internal record of receiving foreign exchange. It is not the same as an e-BRC.
Step 4: Your bank uploads the e-BRC to DGFT
Your authorised dealer bank converts the IRM into a formal e-BRC and uploads it to the DGFT portal using their own banking credentials. This step is entirely in the bank's hands.
Step 5: The e-BRC is linked to the Shipping Bill
After upload, the e-BRC must be mapped to the correct Shipping Bill on DGFT. If the invoice references match exactly, DGFT may auto-match them. If there is any discrepancy, the linkage fails silently and the e-BRC sits unlinked in your profile.
Step 6: Incentive claims are processed
Once the linkage is confirmed on DGFT, your RoDTEP credit, drawback refund, and IGST refund can move forward.
Why Your e-BRC Is Showing as Pending
These are the five most common reasons an e-BRC fails to link:
Invoice reference mismatch
The invoice number on the e-BRC must match the invoice number on the Shipping Bill character-for-character. A hyphen instead of a slash, a leading zero difference, or a spacing issue is enough to break the auto-match on DGFT.
Shipping Bill was amended after e-BRC upload
If you amended the Shipping Bill (value, quantity, unit price) after the bank uploaded the e-BRC, the two documents are now out of sync. The e-BRC must be re-linked after every Shipping Bill amendment.
Bank has not uploaded yet
Banks have their own internal processing queues. Receiving your IRM does not mean the e-BRC has been uploaded. These are two separate events. Smaller branches without dedicated trade finance teams can take two to four weeks to upload. If ten working days have passed since your IRM and the e-BRC is not on DGFT, contact your bank's trade desk directly.
Partial payment split across multiple IRMs
When a buyer pays in instalments, each payment generates a separate IRM and a separate e-BRC. Every e-BRC must be individually linked to the Shipping Bill. Missing one instalment leaves the Shipping Bill in an incomplete state.
Value or currency mismatch
If the realised amount differs from the Shipping Bill value by more than the acceptable tolerance (typically around 5% for exchange rate variation), the e-BRC cannot be linked automatically and requires a bank certificate or manual DGFT intervention.
How Freightnaut Resolves e-BRC Delays Automatically
Freightnaut's eBRC auto-linking feature is built around this specific failure point in the export documentation chain.
IRM detection from your bank feed
The moment a foreign inward remittance registers in your account, Freightnaut logs it against your open Shipping Bills. You do not have to check manually.
Invoice and reference normalisation
Our matching engine standardises invoice formats before comparing them against Shipping Bill data. Formatting differences that break DGFT's auto-match do not break ours.
Bank upload tracking with alerts
Freightnaut monitors whether your bank has uploaded the e-BRC. If an e-BRC is still missing 48 hours after an IRM was recorded, you get an alert so you can follow up with your bank before the delay becomes a compliance issue.
Guided linkage with pre-filled references
Once the e-BRC appears on DGFT, Freightnaut walks you through the exact linkage steps with all references pre-filled. This eliminates the most common source of manual errors.
Post-linkage incentive tracking
After linkage, Freightnaut tracks the status of your RoDTEP, drawback, and IGST refund so you know when each claim has moved, without chasing three different portals.
Frequently Asked Questions About e-BRC
Q. What does e-BRC stand for?
A. e-BRC stands for Electronic Bank Realisation Certificate. It is the digital document issued by your authorised dealer bank to certify that foreign exchange has been received against a specific export shipment.
Q. What is the difference between an IRM and an e-BRC?
A. An IRM (Inward Remittance Message) is your bank's internal record that a foreign payment arrived. An e-BRC is the formal government-recognised certificate your bank generates from that IRM and uploads to the DGFT portal. Having an IRM does not mean your e-BRC has been uploaded or linked.
Q. Where is e-BRC uploaded in India?
A. e-BRCs are uploaded by authorised dealer banks directly to the DGFT portal (dgft.gov.in). Exporters can view their e-BRCs in their DGFT exporter profile under the Bank Realisation Certificate section.
Q. Is e-BRC mandatory for RoDTEP?
A. Yes. RoDTEP credits are released only after the e-BRC is linked to the corresponding Shipping Bill on DGFT. Without this linkage, the scrip credit cannot be generated regardless of when the Shipping Bill was filed.
Q. How long does a bank take to upload an e-BRC?
A. Most banks upload within 3 to 7 working days of recording the IRM. Banks with dedicated trade finance teams are typically faster. If your bank has not uploaded within 10 working days, contact your authorised dealer bank's trade desk directly with your IRM reference number.
Q. Can one e-BRC cover multiple Shipping Bills?
A. No. Each e-BRC is generated against a specific payment for a specific invoice. If a single payment covers multiple invoices, your bank must issue separate e-BRCs for each invoice, and each must be linked to its corresponding Shipping Bill.
Q. What is the last date to link e-BRC?
A. DGFT does not set a single hard deadline for e-BRC linkage, but incentive scheme claim windows do. RoDTEP and IGST refund claims are typically expected to be filed within 12 months of the LEO date on the Shipping Bill. Delays in e-BRC linkage reduce the time available to file within that window.
Q. Can the exporter upload the e-BRC themselves?
A. No, Only the authorised dealer bank can upload the e-BRC to DGFT using their own banking credentials. The exporter's role is to initiate the linkage to the Shipping Bill once the bank has uploaded the document.