Status Holder or Export House

Status Holders are business leaders who have excelled in international trade and have successfully contributed to country’s foreign trade. Status Holders are expected to not only contribute towards India’s exports but also provide guidance and handholding to new entrepreneurs.

Eligibility:

All exporters of goods, services and technology having an import-export code (IEC) number shall be eligible for recognition as a status holder.

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 (for Gems & Jewelry Sector the performance during the current and previous two financial years shall be considered for recognition as status holder), where export performance is necessary in at least two out of four years.

The export performance will be counted on the basis of FOB of export earning in freely convertible foreign currencies.

Status Category and Export Performance Required:

Status Category	Export Performance FOB / FOR (as converted) Value (in US $ million)
One Star Export House	3
Two Star Export House	25
Three Star Export House	100
Four Star Export House	500
Five Star Export House	2000

Grant of Double Weightage:

The IEC holder falling under the categories of MSME as defined under MSMED Act 2006 or manufacturing units having ISO/BIS or Units located in North Eastern States Including Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir or Units located in Agri Export Zone shall be granted double weightage for calculation of export performance, however double weightage shall be granted only once in any one of the categories and also shall only available for the grant of One Star Status Holder Category.

Privileges of Status Holders:

Authorisation and Customs Clearances for both imports and exports may be granted on self-declaration basis;
Input-Output norms may be fixed on priority within 60 days by the Norms Committee; Special scheme in respect of Input Output Norms to be notified by DGFT from time to time, for specified status holder.
Exemption from furnishing of Bank Guarantee for Schemes under FTP, unless specified otherwise anywhere in FTP or HBP;
Exemption from compulsory negotiation of documents through banks. Remittance / receipts, however, would be received through banking channels;
Two star and above Export houses shall be permitted to establish Export Warehouses as per Department of Revenue guidelines.
Three Star and above Export House shall be entitled to get benefit of Accredited Clients Programme (ACP) as per the guidelines of CBEC.
The status holders would be entitled to preferential treatment and priority in handling of their consignments by the concerned agencies.
Manufacturers who are also status holders (Three Star/Four Star/Five Star) will be enabled to self-certify their manufactured goods (as per their IEM/IL/LOI) as originating from India with a view to qualify for preferential treatment under different preferential trading agreements (PTA), Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreements (CECA) and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA). Subsequently, the scheme may be extended to remaining Status Holders.
Manufacturer exporters who are also Status Holders shall be eligible to self-certify their goods as originating from India.
Status holders shall be entitled to export freely exportable items (excluding Gems and Jewellery, Articles of Gold and precious metals) on free of cost basis for export promotion subject to an annual limit of Rupees One Crore or 2% of average annual export realization during preceding three licensing years, whichever is lower. For export of pharma products by pharmaceutical companies, the annual limit would be 2% of the average annual export realisation during preceding three licensing years. In case of supplies of pharmaceutical products, vaccines and lifesaving drugs to health programmes of international agencies such as UN, WHO-PAHO and Government health programmes, the annual limit shall be upto 8% of the average annual export realisation during preceding three licensing years. Such free of cost supplies shall not be entitled to Duty Drawback or any other export incentive under any export promotion scheme.