Tea Board registration is the mandatory approval certificate required for each tea business in India from the Tea Board of India. Each tea grower, manufacturer, blender, packer, storage owner, broker, or exporter needs this approval to engage in any activity related to tea production or trade. According to the Tea Act, 1953, the Tea Board of India issues different certificates and licenses to authorized applicants in accordance with their activity. For instance, a tea exporter needs a Tea Board Export Registration cum Membership Certificate (RCMC) in order to export tea leaves abroad in any quantity, even one kilogram.
The present article provides detailed information on who needs to apply for registration, what approvals are available for different types of business, how to apply for them, what supporting documents are required, how much the processing fee is, and how long it takes to obtain the certificate.
Who Needs Tea Board Registration
The Tea Board Registration regulates almost every stage of the tea trade in India. You need to register if your business does any of the following:
Grows tea on an estate or smallholding
Manufactures or processes tea from green leaf
Blends tea or produces flavoured tea
Packs or brands tea for sale
Operates a warehouse that stores tea before sale or export
Brokers tea sales or organizes tea auctions
Buys tea at auction as a registered buyer
Exports or imports tea in any form (bulk, packet, tea bags, instant tea)
Deals in tea waste
If your business touches tea at any of these stages, you fall under Tea Board oversight, and operating without the right registration can lead to penalties or a blocked export shipment.
Types of Tea Board Registration
The Tea Board issues more than one kind of license, and each covers a different business activity. Here's a quick reference before you start:
License Type | Who Needs It |
|---|---|
Export License | Businesses exporting tea outside India |
RCMC (Registration-cum-Membership Certificate) | Exporters of bulk tea, packet tea, tea bags, or instant tea |
Distributor License | Businesses distributing tea within India |
Permanent Export License | Established exporters seeking a standing export approval |
Warehouse License | Businesses storing tea before sale or export |
Broker License | Individuals or firms brokering tea auction sales |
Buyer Registration License | Registered participants at tea auctions |
Tea Waste License | Businesses trading or disposing of tea waste |
Planting Permit | Anyone planting or replanting tea |
Flavoured Tea Manufacturer Registration | Manufacturers adding flavouring to tea |
Most exporters end up applying for both an Export License and an RCMC, since the RCMC is what actually unlocks import/export entitlements and duty drawback benefits under India's Export-Import Policy.
Documents Required for Tea Board Registration
Document requirements shift slightly depending on which license you're applying for, but most applications draw from this core set:
For all applicants:
PAN card of the business or proprietor
Business registration proof (incorporation certificate, partnership deed, or GST registration)
Identity and address proof of directors, partners, or the proprietor (voter ID, driving license, or passport)
Passport-size photographs of authorized signatories
For exporters (Export License and RCMC):
Import Export Code (IEC) certificate issued by DGFT, attested with company seal
Declaration on letterhead confirming no director or partner has a Tea Board license under suspension or cancellation
Bank certificate or financial reference
For manufacturers:
Factory layout plan and machinery details
Land ownership or lease documents for the manufacturing unit
For warehouse operators:
Warehouse address proof and storage capacity details
For tea waste dealers and renewals:
Existing license number, if renewing
Proof of monthly export or activity returns already filed with the Tea Board
Double-check every document against your IEC and business registration before uploading — mismatched addresses or names between documents are the single biggest cause of application delays.
Tea Board Registration Fees and Validity
Fees are determined by the license category. The Tea Board frequently reviews these, so contact the eGiCCS portal to obtain the exact amount for the current year before you pay any charges. As a guide, the RCMC certificate application requires a fee of ₹5600.
The RCMC certificate is valid for five years or until the exporter license or the current Foreign Trade Policy expires, whichever comes first. In the past, submitting an offline application required payment by demand draft in favor of Tea Board, Kolkata. However, the new process uses the eGiCCS portal, which automates the payment process.
How Long Tea Board Registration Takes
The processing time of an application depends upon the office from which the RCMC is issued against the application. The Tea Board's Head Office in Kolkata takes about 2 working days to issue the certificate upon receipt of a complete application. Other regional and zonal offices may take up to 10 working days to process the application. The processing time gets extended if the application gets rejected due to incomplete information, and the re-submitted application needs to go through the entire process again.
Common Mistakes That Delay Approval
Most rejected or delayed applications come down to a handful of avoidable errors:
Incomplete forms. Skipping a mandatory field on Form 19A or 19B triggers an automatic hold.
Mismatched details. Your IEC certificate, PAN, and application form need to show identical company names and addresses.
Missing declarations. Exporters who forget the letterhead declaration confirming no prior license suspension see their applications bounced back.
Wrong license category. Applying for a Distributor License when you actually need a Warehouse License wastes both the fee and the review cycle.
Unclear document scans. Blurry or cropped uploads get flagged during manual review and add days to the process.
Review your documents against the checklist above before you submit, and confirm your license category matches your actual business activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tea Board registration compulsory for small growers?
Yes, any grower, manufacturer, or trader of tea in India, irrespective of their scale of production or trade, is subject to the provisions of the Tea Act, 1953. However, the documents required for the registration of a small grower are different from those required for a large exporter.
Is there any validity for the RCMC?
The validity of the RCMC is for five years, or the period of the exporter’s license or the current Foreign Trade Policy, whichever is shorter.
Is there an option to apply for registration offline?
Yes, the applicant can apply manually by submitting Form 19A in a specified format to the nearest Regional, Head, or Zonal Tea Board. However, most applicants now use the eGiCCS portal to apply for Tea Board registration because it is more convenient.
Is a separate license required for every activity done by a tea business under the Tea Board?
Yes, a tea grower, manufacturer, or trader must apply for separate licenses for every activity done by them. For instance, if a grower also exports tea, they must apply for both a Planting Permit and an Export License or RCMC because one license does not cover all activities.
What are the consequences of not having a valid Tea Board license?
The Tea Board can cancel the registration or prohibit dealings in tea if a person does not have a valid license. Additionally, unlicensed exporters face the risk of their consignments being detained at customs because export licenses are required to clear goods through customs.
Can I check the status of my application online?
Yes, you can check the status of your Tea Board application online. After submitting your application through the eGiCCS portal, you can refresh the page to see the status of your request.
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