Manufacturers and merchant exporters of spices receive a Spice Board Registration certificate from the export promotion council of India. There are 52 spices listed as mandatory items before export.

Indian spice exports are among the largest in the world & are known for their quality. The Spice Board certificate can only be obtained from a person holding an updated Import Export Code from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

Spice Board Registration: Why It Is Important

Spice exporters and manufacturers must have Spice Board certificates. After the beginning of this Act, no person shall begin or carry on the business of exporting spices without obtaining a certificate. Providing the person is conducting a spice export business before the beginning of the program and applies for a certificate within the three-month period until the application is dismissed.

Traders without Spice Board certificates are subject to penalties :

1. A maximum of one year in prison
2. A fine of up to a thousand rupees may be imposed

For Spice Board registration, you will need the following documents

1. Form 1 (Proposed application)
2. Certified copy of IE code (import-export)
3. Crossed Demand Drafts in favor of “Spice Board”
4. Certificate of self-certification of partnership deed/ memo/ articles of association.
5. Certificates of GST registration self-certified.
6. Manufacturer-exporter of spices must have a self-attested certificate.
7. Certification of PAN card
8. An attractive passport photo of your CEO or a designated officer.

 How to apply for registration with the Spices Board

• The first step. Application online
• The second step. Updating documents
• The third step. NEFT payment
• The fourth step. Spice Board verification
• The fifth step. CRES certificate issued by Spice Board

Registration with Spice Board offers many benefits 

1. Facilitates exporter-importer contact.
2. Provides importers with competent suppliers
3. Reliable exporters are contacted and processed.
4. Organizes major international exhibitions and meetings for Indian exporters and buyers.
5. Take corrective and preventive action based on importer complaints
6. Ensures Indian spices are of high quality.
7. Maintains an exporter and importer data bank.
8. Organises contact groups between international bodies, exporters, and policymakers.
9. Conducts cooking demonstrations and food festivals at major international food fairs.

The Spices Board of India performs the following functions

1. Regulatory Framework for Small and Large Cardamoms
2. Enhancing spices postharvest
3. Produce, process, and certify spices organically
4. North East Spice Development
5. Provider of quality evaluations
6. Promote spice exports by supporting:
   1. Enhancing technology
   2. Upgrading quality
   3. Branding
   4. Development of new products

CRES (Certificate of Registration with the Spice Board)

The Certificate of Registration as an Exporter of Spices is issued by the Spices Board of India to certify that an exporter is registered with a government-authorised regulatory agency.

Validity of Spice Board certificates

The Spices Board issues a three-year certificate. For example, if you obtained your registration certificate for 2017 to 2020, you must renew it at the end of 2021. Current block year is 2021-2024.

Spice Board Registration Rejected for the Following Reasons

If a certificate is cancelled by the Board for any of the following reasons, or for any combination of the following reasons:

1. It can be claimed that the holder of a certificate has violated any of the terms and conditions that govern the certificate.
2. The Central Government and its officials consider that it is necessary for the interests of the general public to cancel the certificate, and therefore it is necessary that it be revoked.
3. When the Board determines that a certificate needs to be suspended for a period not exceeding forty days, pending consideration of canceling it, it may suspend operation for a period of forty-five days. A certificate can be suspended by the Board for forty-five days. If such an order is received, the certificate holder must explain why the suspension should not be extended until the spices board registration is cancelled.
4. It is not permissible for an order to be made under this section relating to a cancellation of registration without giving the person concerned a reasonable opportunity to appear before the officer in relation to the grounds for such cancellation.
5. The Central Government may be approached by any person aggrieved by an order made under section 13 of the Act within a period as may be prescribed to complain about the order.

If a Spice/Spice product is being exported/imported, the Board’s Certificate of Registration as Exporter of Spices must also be accompanied by the IE (import-export) code number in order to process it. As per Section 11 of the Spices Board Act, the Spices Board issues Certificates of Registration as Exporters of Spices [CRES].