What is Export Declaration Form (EDF)?
The Export Declaration Form, or EDF, is the single declaration an Indian exporter gives to the authorities for every export. It sits in the Annex to the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, which came into force on 1 October 2026. One form now covers goods, services and software, because SOFTEX has been replaced. For services, the form has five parts: general information (Part 1), a services table with one row per invoice (Part 2B), a post/courier section that is usually not applicable (Part 3), the exporter's declaration (Part 4) and a section for the bank or specified authority (Part 5).
Why it matters for exporters
If you sell services abroad and are not inside an SEZ, you give the EDF to your AD bank (software exporters may use the AD bank or STPI). SEZ units file with the Development Commissioner. The deadline is 30 days from the end of the month in which the invoice was raised, and one EDF can cover every service invoice of that month. For services other than software, you may instead submit it on or before the date payment arrives.
Missing it has practical costs: your bank may hold the inward credit until the form arrives, your EDPMS entries stay open and your eBRC can get stuck. Our free EDF form generator builds a filled form you can print or email.
Example
Nimbus Labs Pvt Ltd raises three invoices in October 2026 to clients in the US and UK, worth ₹4,20,000, ₹2,75,000 and ₹1,10,000. It files one EDF with three rows in Part 2B and a total of ₹8,05,000 in field 1.22. The form is due by 30 November 2026.
Common confusion
The EDF is not a GST document and does not change your GST or income-tax position. It is also different from an eBRC or FIRA, which come from the bank after money arrives. The complete EDF guide walks through each field.