EDF form format: the RBI form, field by field

Search for the EDF form in Word format and you'll mostly find an old PDF, plus articles that talk about the form without ever showing it. So here is the actual EDF form format from RBI's 2026 regulations, one box at a time, with what a service exporter writes in each.

Where the EDF form comes from

The Export Declaration Form is the Annex to the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, notified as FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB. One form now covers goods, software and services. That's why it has whole sections a service exporter never touches.

RBI doesn't publish a Word version. Banks take the form and either reprint it as it is (ICICI's copy comes with its own AD code already printed) or wrap their own format around it (HDFC uses an Excel workbook). For services, four parts matter: Part 1, Part 2B, Part 4 and Part 5.

Part 1: you and the export

The header. You fill it once per form. The form marks the starred fields as mandatory.

Part 2B: the invoices, one block per client

This is the heart of the EDF form format for services. You repeat the block for each service recipient.

The SAC code is the same one on your GST invoices. Not GST registered? Use the code that matches your service anyway.

Part 4 and Part 5

Part 4 is your declaration. You confirm the details are true, that the money will be realised within the time allowed, and that you'll produce the documents if asked. Sign it.

Part 5 belongs to the certifying authority: your AD bank, or STPI for some software exports. Leave it blank.

One EDF a month, laid out your bank's way

RBI's rules let one EDF cover all of a month's invoices, to one or more clients. How that's laid out depends on the bank. HDFC wants a separate row for each client and currency in its own workbook (our HDFC guide explains why). SBI asks for the RBI form with a request letter (SBI guide).

So check your bank first; our bank forms page links to what each bank has published. If it has its own format, use that. If it doesn't, the RBI form plus a covering letter is the safe default.

Mistakes worth avoiding

• Leaving out small invoices. Every invoice goes on the EDF, even the ones under ₹10 lakh. The ₹10 lakh limit changes how the bank closes the record later, not whether you declare it.
• Writing amounts in rupees in Part 2B. The amount and the net realisable value are in the invoice currency.
• Filling the third-party fields when your client pays you directly. They're only for when someone else pays.
• Signing nothing. Part 4 needs your signature; Part 5 doesn't.

Skip the Word file

You don't need an editable form at all. Ratify EDF builds the EDF from a list of your invoices: it fills Part 1 and Part 2B, groups invoices by client, writes the total in words, and hands you the PDF, along with your bank's own format where one exists. Free, and it runs in your browser, so nothing you type is uploaded.

Researched 9 October 2026, from the EDF Annex to FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB as printed in ICICI Bank's published copy, and HDFC Bank's EDF workbook for services.