How to verify an Indian supplier: GSTIN, IEC, Udyam, MCA, bank and site checks

The checks at a glance

Work through these in order. The first four are desk checks you can do in an hour from anywhere. The last two need someone on the ground.

Check the GSTIN on the GST portal

Every Indian business above the GST threshold has a GST Identification Number (GSTIN). Ask for it, or read it from the pro forma invoice, and enter it in Search Taxpayer on the GST portal. No login is needed. According to the portal's user manual, the public result shows:

• Legal name of business and trade name.
• Effective date of registration, and date of cancellation if there is one.
• Constitution of business: proprietorship, partnership, private limited company and so on.
• Principal place of business.
• GSTIN status, including auto-suspension with its date.
• Details of returns filed, by financial year, and the filing frequency.

What to compare:

• Name. The legal name should match the invoice and the bank account. A trade name is fine, but the money should go to the legal entity.
• Status. It should be active. A cancelled or suspended GSTIN on a live order is a reason to stop.
• Age. A supplier that says it has exported for 20 years but registered for GST last year needs to explain why.
• Returns. Regular filing is a sign of a trading business. Long gaps deserve a question.
• Address. Note the principal place of business. You will compare it with the factory later.

A logged-in GST user sees more, including the names of proprietors or directors and an annual turnover band. Overseas buyers usually do not have a login; an Indian agent or accountant does.

Check the Importer Exporter Code (IEC) on the DGFT site

The IEC is issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The DGFT Handbook of Procedures says an IEC is compulsory for imports and exports, apart from listed exempt categories. Only one IEC is issued per PAN, it stays valid unless suspended or cancelled, and it covers all branches and factories of the holder.

To check one, use View Any IEC under the DGFT site's IEC services. You need the IEC number and at least the first three characters of the firm's name. The result shows basic details of the IEC, including whether the holder is on the DGFT's Denied Entity List.

Two cautions:

• A merchant exporter or buying house also holds an IEC. That is normal, but you should know whether you are dealing with the maker or a trader, and who owns the factory.
• The name on the IEC should match the GST legal name. If the exporter on your documents differs from the firm on your invoice, ask why before you pay.

Company records on the MCA portal, and Udyam registration

MCA master data. If the supplier is a private or public limited company or an LLP, it is registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). The MCA portal's master data service shows the company's identification number, registered office address, date of incorporation, status (for example, active or struck off) and its directors. Check that the status is active and that the people you deal with appear as directors, or that you know their role.

Many Indian workshops are proprietorships or partnerships. They are not on the MCA register, so a missing record is not a red flag on its own. The constitution of business on the GST record tells you which kind of firm it is.

Udyam registration. Udyam is the government registration for micro, small and medium enterprises. The Udyam portal states that registration is online and based on self-declaration, with no documents uploaded, and that investment and turnover details are taken from government PAN- and GST-linked data. From 1 April 2025 the classes are:

Use Verify Udyam Registration on the portal to confirm a number. The class is a rough cross-check: a micro enterprise that claims to ship far more than its turnover class allows is worth a closer look. Not every supplier has a Udyam number, and firms above the medium limits cannot have one.

Bank and payment checks

Payment is the step where a fake or impersonated supplier takes your money. A few simple rules close most of the gaps:

• Pay only to an account in the supplier's legal name, as shown on the GST record. Do not pay a personal account, a relative, or a "sister company" you have not checked.
• Ask for bank details on the company's letterhead, then confirm them by phone on a number you found independently, not one given in the same email.
• If the supplier announces a new bank account during an order, stop and verify by phone before paying. Bank details changed by email are a well-known pattern in invoice fraud.
• For a first order, keep the deposit small or use a payment method that ties the balance to documents, such as a letter of credit that calls for an inspection certificate.
• Ask for references from other overseas buyers, and contact them yourself.

Match the addresses, then see the factory

Put the addresses side by side: GST principal place of business, MCA registered office, the pro forma invoice, and the factory the supplier showed you on a video call. A registered office in a city centre and a factory in an industrial area is common. A factory address that appears on no record, or a site the supplier will not let anyone visit, is not.

Photos, satellite views and video calls help, but they show what the supplier chooses to show. The only reliable check of capability is a visit by someone you trust, or an independent factory audit at the site where your goods will be made.

A Clear To Load factory audit in India checks company registration, GST registration and IEC on the day, and that the address matches the site. It then scores capacity, process, quality control and subcontracting in a report of 8 sections with photographs and basic social-compliance observations. It costs US$449 per audit day, plus travel by band (none in Jodhpur); see pricing. It is not a SMETA or amfori BSCI social audit. For the full list of what an auditor looks at, see the factory audit checklist for India.

Red flags and what to do next

Verification is the first step, not the last. Once you have chosen the supplier, independent inspections during and after production confirm that each order matches what you bought. See how to choose an inspection company and sourcing from India: a quality guide.

Sources

1. GST portal: Search Taxpayer (user manual, Search Taxpayers using GSTIN/UIN)
2. GST portal (services.gst.gov.in)
3. DGFT: View IEC related details (View Any IEC)
4. DGFT Handbook of Procedures 2023, Chapter 2 (July 2026 version), paras 2.07–2.15 on IEC
5. Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) portal: company and LLP master data
6. Udyam Registration portal, Ministry of MSME (classification from 1 April 2025; Verify Udyam Registration)