Key takeaways
- Three different things are called pre-shipment inspection in India: EIC export certification, the DGFT certificate for metal scrap imports, and a buyer's own quality inspection.
- EIC certification is a legal requirement only for notified commodities, which today are mainly foods and products of animal or plant origin.
- Furniture, home textiles, handicrafts and similar consumer goods are not on the EIC's notified lists, so a buyer's PSI for them is a commercial choice.
- The DGFT PSIA and PSIC scheme applies to metallic waste and scrap imported into India, not to exports.
- A contract, a letter of credit or the importing country's own conformity programme can still require a certificate. Check what yours asks for.
Three different 'pre-shipment inspections'
Search for "PSI certificate India" and you will find three unrelated schemes. They differ in who requires them, who performs them and what the certificate means.
| EIC export certification | DGFT PSIC for metal scrap | Buyer's pre-shipment inspection | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direction | Exports from India | Imports into India | Any shipment the buyer chooses |
| Legal basis | Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963 | Foreign Trade Policy and the DGFT Handbook of Procedures | The purchase contract |
| Applies to | Notified commodities only | Metallic waste and scrap | Whatever the buyer orders |
| Performed by | Export Inspection Agencies under the EIC, or establishments it approves | Pre-shipment Inspection Agencies (PSIAs) recognised by the DGFT | An inspection company the buyer books |
| What it checks | Conformity with the standards and importing-country requirements set for the commodity | Radiation level, and for unshredded scrap the absence of arms, ammunition and explosives | Quantity, workmanship, measurements, function, packing and labelling against the order |
| Mandatory? | Yes, for notified commodities | Yes, unless an exemption applies | No; the buyer's choice |
The Export Inspection Council and the 1963 Act
The Export Inspection Council (EIC) is the statutory body set up under the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Section 6 of the Act lets the Central Government, after consulting the Council:
- notify commodities that must undergo quality control or inspection, or both, before export;
- specify the type of quality control or inspection for each notified commodity;
- establish, adopt or recognise standard specifications for it; and
- prohibit the export of a notified commodity unless it carries a certificate issued under section 7, or a recognised mark or seal showing it meets those standards.
Section 7 provides for the agencies that do the work. The EIC exercises technical and administrative control over five Export Inspection Agencies, at Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai. The EIC says its quality control and inspection can be consignment-wise, or based on a food safety management system in the approved processing unit.
The EIC also runs a Voluntary Certification Scheme. It covers products that are not notified under the Act but where the importing country wants a certificate from the exporting country's competent authority.
Which products need compulsory export certification?
The EIC publishes its commodity lists by group. As shown on its website on 14 October 2026:
| Group | Products listed by the EIC |
|---|---|
| Animal origin | Fish and fishery products, bivalve molluscs, dried fish, live fish, dried fish maws, milk and milk products, honey, fresh poultry meat and products, raw and processed meat products, egg and egg products, animal casings, crushed bones, ossein and gelatine, feed additives and premixtures |
| Plant origin | Basmati rice, fruit products, peanuts and peanut products, hops and hop products, black pepper, food supplements containing botanicals (for the EU and UK) |
| Other | Salt, rapeseed meal, a health-certificate scheme for Türkiye, and non-GMO certification |
Many of these schemes exist because an importing country requires official certification from India, for example the European Commission's recognition of the EIC for fish and fishery products. Some apply only to particular destinations, so an exporter of these goods should read the notification for the product and market.
Furniture, home textiles, rugs, handicrafts, garments, footwear and other consumer goods do not appear on these lists. For them there is no compulsory export inspection under the 1963 Act. Lists change by notification, so check the EIC website for the current position.
DGFT PSIA and PSIC: the scheme for metal scrap imports
The DGFT scheme is often confused with export inspection, but it covers goods coming into India. Under paragraph 2.51 of the Handbook of Procedures 2023, imported metallic waste and scrap must not contain hazardous or radioactive material, arms, ammunition, mines, shells, cartridges or other explosives.
- The certificate. At customs clearance the importer gives a pre-shipment inspection certificate (PSIC) in the Appendix 2H format, from an agency listed in Appendix 2G. It states that the consignment was checked for radiation and that gamma and neutron levels do not exceed natural background, recording both the background level and the highest level on the scrap. For unshredded scrap, it also confirms that there are no arms, ammunition or explosives.
- Ports. Unshredded scrap may enter only through designated sea ports.
- Exemption. Scrap from the USA, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the EU does not need a PSIC when cleared through certain designated ports. It must carry a supplier or scrap-yard certificate that it contains no radioactive material or explosives, and it is still scanned at the port. Trans-shipments through those countries do not qualify.
- The agencies. Pre-shipment Inspection Agencies (PSIAs) apply online to the DGFT. An inter-ministerial committee considers applications, and recognised agencies are notified in Appendix 2G for three years. PSIAs generate each PSIC on the DGFT website and upload photographs or video of the inspection, the instruments, container stuffing and sealing.
Clear To Load is not a DGFT-recognised PSIA and does not issue PSICs. If you import scrap into India, use an agency from the current Appendix 2G list.
A buyer's pre-shipment inspection: voluntary, but often required by contract
For most consumer goods, a pre-shipment inspection is a commercial check that the buyer chooses. It happens when production is 100% complete and at least 80% packed. An independent inspector draws a random sample using ISO 2859-1 (the standard behind AQL tables) and checks quantity, workmanship, measurements, function, packing and labelling against the purchase order and the approved sample. See the pre-shipment inspection checklist and AQL sampling explained.
No law requires it, but other documents can:
- The purchase contract can make the balance payment depend on an inspection result.
- A letter of credit can list an inspection certificate among the documents the bank must receive, sometimes from a named company.
- The importing country can have its own conformity programme. Saudi Arabia's SABER, for example, needs certificates from bodies approved under that system (see SASO and SABER).
Read the exact wording of your contract or credit. If it names an accredited body or a specific company, a report from another firm will not satisfy it.
Is pre-shipment inspection mandatory? Common cases
| Situation | Is an inspection legally required? | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| Exporting furniture, rugs or home textiles from India to the EU, UK or US | No | Buyer's choice of PSI; the importing market's product rules still apply |
| Exporting fish and fishery products from India | Yes | EIC certification |
| Exporting basmati rice, honey or peanuts | Depends on product and market | Check the EIC notification |
| Importing metallic scrap into India | Yes, unless exempt | PSIC from a DGFT-recognised PSIA |
| Shipping consumer goods to Saudi Arabia | Conformity certificates, yes | SABER product and shipment certificates |
| A letter of credit calls for an inspection certificate | Contractually, yes | The certificate the credit specifies |
BIS marks and Quality Control Orders are a separate topic: they cover goods sold or imported into India, and many exclude goods made for export. See BIS and Quality Control Orders: notes for exporters.
Where Clear To Load fits
Clear To Load is an independent inspection company based in Jodhpur, working at factories across India for overseas buyers. We carry out the voluntary, buyer-commissioned kind of inspection: pre-shipment inspection, during-production inspection and loading supervision, priced at US$249 per man-day plus travel by band (see pricing). Reports are sent within 24 hours of the inspection and end in Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared.
We are not part of the EIC system, not a DGFT-recognised PSIA, and not yet accredited (ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation is in progress). If your contract or credit requires an accredited body, tell us before booking. If it only requires an independent inspection, book here.
Sources
- Export Inspection Council: Quality Control and Inspection
- Export Inspection Council: Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963 (sections 6 and 7)
- Export Inspection Council: notified commodities (animal origin, plant origin, others), checked 14 Oct 2026
- DGFT Handbook of Procedures 2023, Chapter 2 (July 2026 version), paras 2.51–2.53
- DGFT: Pre-Shipment Inspection Agency (PSIA) module
- ISO 2859-1:2026, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes, Part 1 (iso.org)