Starting an export business from India in 2026 is easier than it looks and harder than most YouTube videos make it sound. The legal set up takes a week. The first shipment takes ninety days if you know what you are doing. This is the workflow we use at Kore International and teach every batch at the Kore EXIM Academy master course.
Step 1: Pick a product before you register anything
Do not chase trends. Pick a product where three things are true. You either source it locally at a real price, you can quote it in USD without losing sleep, and there is buyer intent in at least three countries. Whole spices, engineering fasteners, cotton fabric, and handmade home decor still work well from India in 2026. Use the HS Code Finder to lock the eight digit HS code for your product because every registration, invoice, and shipping bill will reference it.
Step 2: Get your IEC and RCMC
You need an Importer Exporter Code from DGFT. It is free, takes twenty minutes online, and requires a PAN, an active current account, and an Aadhaar linked mobile. Do it yourself at dgft.gov.in. Next, apply for an RCMC from the Export Promotion Council that matches your product. RCMC is what unlocks government incentives like RoDTEP and access to trade fairs. Do not skip RCMC because you think you will get to it later. Apply the same week you get your IEC.
Step 3: Open the right bank account
An INR current account is not enough. You need an AD Category one bank with active EEFC support and a relationship manager who has actually seen a bill of lading. HDFC, ICICI, Kotak, and Axis all work in most Indian cities. Ask the bank to enable inward remittance in USD, EUR, and GBP. Get the SWIFT code and the intermediary bank details in writing before you send anything to a buyer.
Step 4: Build a buyer file, not a website
Websites do not close first shipments. Buyer relationships do. Build a working file of two hundred verified international buyers for your product across three target countries. Use a mix of trade platforms, EPC directories, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and physical trade fairs. The Export Cost Calculator helps you send a landed cost quote in the format buyers actually expect: CIF, FOB, or DDP.
Step 5: Ship your first container
Your first shipment will teach you more than any course. But you need the right supporting cast. A good Custom House Agent (CHA) in your port, a freight forwarder who does not vanish after the deposit, a marine insurance policy, and an inspection agency if the buyer asks for one. The documents checklist for an export shipment covers the fourteen documents your file needs from proforma invoice to bill of lading.
Step 6: Get paid without drama
Payment terms are the difference between a business and a hobby. First shipments should ideally use an irrevocable Letter of Credit or a hundred percent TT advance. Only extend credit after two clean cycles with the same buyer. Keep your Bank Realisation Certificate (BRC) tight because every export incentive you claim later depends on it.
What most beginners get wrong
They spend three months building a logo and a website before they have picked a product. They register a company before they have talked to a single international buyer. They pay a consultant twenty thousand rupees to get the IEC that is free on the government portal. Skip the theatre. Pick a product, do the paperwork in a week, get your first quote out.
Where the academy fits
The Kore EXIM Academy master course is thirty six days of live sessions in Ahmedabad, taught by a team that runs a Government of India recognised three star export house. You leave with an IEC, an RCMC in progress, a buyer file, a signed proforma invoice, and a shipment plan for your product. If you want to build an export business in 2026, book a free thirty minute call with an advisor and we will show you the exact next step for your product.
