Exporter Status Holder Certificate And Its Benefits

Status Holders are business leaders who have excelled in international trade and have successfully contributed to country’s foreign trade.

Status recognition will depend on export performance. An applicant shall be categorized as status holder on achieving export performance during the current and previous three financial years as listed below.

Benefits

1. Standard Input-Output Norms (SION) Norms fixed under Advance Authorization/EPCG License within 2 months on a priority basis by the norms committee. 
2. Exemption from the furnishing of Bank Guarantee (BG) The Status Holders are 100% exempted from the furnishing of Bank Guarantee (BG) under the Advance/EPCG Scheme.
3. Establishment of Export Warehouse As per the Department of Revenue (DoR) guidelines, 2 star and above status holders shall be eligible to establish Export Warehouses.
4. Export of free-of-cost samples Status Holders/Star Export houses are entitled to export freely exportable items on a free of cost basis for the export promotion purpose subject to the annual limit as specified (Excluding Gems and Jewellery, Articles of Gold and precious metals).
5. Self Certification Three Star/Four Star/Five Star status holders (Manufacturer Exporters) will be enabled to self-certify their manufactured goods as originating from India (Certificate of origin) to qualify for preferential treatment under following.

• Preferential trading agreements (PTA),
• Free Trade Agreements (FTAs),
• Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreements (CECA)
• Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA).

6. Ease in Documentation and Preferential treatment Compulsory negotiation exempted for export documents through banks and entitled to preferential treatment and priority in the handling of import-export consignments.
7. AEO (Authorized economic operator) Benefits Three Star and above star holders shall be directly entitled to AEO Benefits.
8. Financial assistance There are various Government Schemes under which status holders are given access to loans easily.

Automatic System based Issuance of E-Status Holder Certificate/Star Export House Certificate [E-SHC]

In the interest of trade facilitation, reducing compliance burden, and promoting ease of doing business, it is decided to Grant electronic Status Holder Certification, based on merchandise export data available with DGCI&S. Exporters need not file any application for the same.

Double Weightage Concepts

Exports may be counted twice for firms with the below conditions:

1.The exports by IEC holders under the following categories shall be granted double weightage for calculation of export performance for grant of status:

a. Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) as defined in Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act 2006.

b. Manufacturing units having ISO/BIS.

c. Units located in North Eastern States including Sikkim and Jammu & Kashmir.

d. Units located in Agri Export Zones.

2. Double Weightage shall be available for grant of One Star Export House Status category only.

3. A shipment can get double weightage only once in any one of above categories