India-EU Market Entry — From Mandate to First Shipment

Exporter: _____________________________________________

EU Buyer: _____________________________________________

Product / Sector: _____________________________________________

Facilitator / Agent: _____________________________________________

Date: _____________________________________________

This checklist tracks the commercial preparation steps from mandate origination through to the execution of the first commercial shipment. It complements the EU Compliance Preparation Checklist (Doc 75) and the India Export Documentation Checklist (Doc 34) — covering the commercial, contractual, and relationship-management dimensions of the transaction.

PHASE 1 — MANDATE ORIGINATION AND QUALIFICATION

PHASE 2 — BUYER IDENTIFICATION AND QUALIFICATION

PHASE 3 — COMMERCIAL TERMS NEGOTIATION

PHASE 4 — CONTRACT EXECUTION

PHASE 5 — SAMPLE AND QUALIFICATION

PHASE 6 — FIRST ORDER PREPARATION

PHASE 7 — FIRST SHIPMENT EXECUTION

PHASE 8 — POST-SHIPMENT AND RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

FACILITATION SUMMARY

Doc 76 — Commercial Preparation Checklist: India-EU Market Entry — Neutral Template

Item	Done	Notes / Reference
Mandate registered: Trade mandate agreement signed with the Principal (Doc 01) — scope, commission rate, and tail period confirmed.	[ ]
Principal qualified: LOI / PO from Principal authorising mandate execution received (Doc 02 — Letter of Authorisation).	[ ]
Sanctions screening of Principal completed and documented (Doc 21).	[ ]
KYC questionnaire completed by Principal (Doc 22) — IEC, GST, company registration, financial standing verified.	[ ]
Product confirmed as legally exportable from India — no export prohibition, cap, or SCOMET restriction.	[ ]
NCNDA executed with all parties involved in the introduction chain (Doc 09).	[ ]
Mutual NDA executed with EU buyer at outset of discussions (Doc 10).	[ ]
Commission agency agreement or three-party agreement drafted and agreed (Doc 07 or Doc 08).	[ ]

Item	Done	Notes / Reference
EU buyer identified and preliminary interest confirmed.	[ ]
EU buyer sanctions screened — clear result documented.	[ ]
EU buyer KYC / due diligence completed — legal identity, UBO, financial standing verified.	[ ]
EU buyer's EORI number confirmed (required for EU customs clearance).	[ ]
EU buyer has relevant import licences or regulatory approvals for the product (where required).	[ ]
EU buyer's creditworthiness assessed — ECGC Buyer Exposure Limit (BEL) application submitted if offering open account.	[ ]
EU buyer's preferred payment terms established — LC / open account / D/P / D/A.	[ ]
EU buyer's product specification, packaging requirements, and labelling requirements confirmed in writing.	[ ]
EU buyer's annual purchase volume and order frequency estimated.	[ ]
EU buyer's existing supplier relationships and incumbent supply assessed — competitive positioning established.	[ ]

Item	Done	Notes / Reference
Proforma Invoice issued to EU buyer — price, quantity, Incoterms, payment terms, and validity stated.	[ ]
Heads of Terms (Doc 13) negotiated and signed — key commercial terms agreed before formal contract.	[ ]
LOI received from EU buyer (Doc 14) — confirms intent and exclusivity during negotiation.	[ ]
EU MFN duty rate and GSP/FTA preferential rate calculated — landed cost analysis for EU buyer prepared.	[ ]
Anti-dumping duty: Confirmed no ADD applies, or ADD rate factored into the landed cost analysis.	[ ]
Price negotiation completed — final unit price agreed at the correct Incoterms basis.	[ ]
Currency agreed — EUR or USD for India-EU trade. Forward contract considered for EUR/INR exposure.	[ ]
Payment terms finalised — LC terms reviewed against Doc 40 and 41 if LC is the agreed instrument.	[ ]
Lead time and delivery schedule agreed — production lead time + shipping transit time confirmed realistic.	[ ]
Minimum order quantity (MOQ) and quantity tolerance (+/- %) agreed.	[ ]
Price review mechanism agreed (fixed for initial period; then annual review linked to index or cost).	[ ]
Commission split confirmed in writing between all intermediaries involved in the introduction chain.	[ ]

Item	Done	Notes / Reference
Supply Agreement (Doc 15) or Distribution Agreement (Doc 16) drafted and reviewed by both parties.	[ ]
Governing law and dispute resolution clause agreed (Doc 19 clause pack used).	[ ]
Data Processing Agreement signed if any EU personal data will be processed by the Indian party (Doc 11).	[ ]
Anti-bribery warranty included in supply agreement — both parties confirm compliance with applicable anti-bribery laws.	[ ]
Export control clause included — exporter confirms no SCOMET or dual-use restriction applies without licence.	[ ]
Commission protections: Non-circumvention clause and commission tail provisions confirmed in supply agreement.	[ ]
Annual Supply Framework Agreement (Doc 18) executed for repeat-order relationships following first shipment.	[ ]
Exclusivity Letter (Doc 17) signed if exclusive territory or product rights are granted.	[ ]
All signed contracts filed and retained — commercial terms register updated.	[ ]

Item	Done	Notes / Reference
Product samples dispatched to EU buyer — professional packaging and labelling on samples.	[ ]
Sample compliance documents sent with samples: technical data sheet, composition certificate, test reports.	[ ]
EU buyer's sample feedback received and reviewed — any required modifications agreed.	[ ]
Pre-qualification audit by EU buyer scheduled (if required by buyer for initial supply approval).	[ ]
Pre-qualification audit completed — audit report received and any corrective actions addressed.	[ ]
EU buyer's formal supplier approval received in writing — purchase order or approved vendor list confirmation.	[ ]
Any product modifications required for EU market compliance (labelling, CE marking, composition) completed.	[ ]
Test reports on final production specification (not just samples) obtained from accredited laboratory.	[ ]

Item	Done	Notes / Reference
First Purchase Order received from EU buyer — reviewed against supply agreement terms.	[ ]
Production plan confirmed — raw material procurement, production schedule, and quality control plan.	[ ]
Pre-shipment inspection scheduled with approved inspection agency.	[ ]
Freight forwarder booked — vessel and container confirmed. Cut-off dates noted.	[ ]
Insurance arranged (if CIF or CIP) — ICC(A) cover for first shipment.	[ ]
Letter of Credit reviewed (if LC payment) — LC review checklist (Doc 41) completed. Amendments requested if needed.	[ ]
All compliance documents initiated in parallel with production: phytosanitary, test reports, CoO, FSSAI.	[ ]
TRACES NT pre-notification planned (if regulated plant or animal product).	[ ]
Shipping Bill preparation: CHA briefed. HSN code, FOB value, AD Code, LUT reference, RoDTEP flag confirmed.	[ ]
Packing and labelling specification confirmed against EU buyer requirements and EU regulatory obligations.	[ ]

Item	Done	Notes / Reference
Production completed — pre-shipment inspection passed. PSI certificate obtained.	[ ]
All compliance documents obtained: phytosanitary certificate, test reports, health certificate, CoO/REX, FSSAI.	[ ]
Shipping Bill filed on ICEGATE — Let Export Order (LEO) obtained.	[ ]
Container stuffed and sealed — seal number recorded. VGM filed.	[ ]
Bill of Lading obtained — all fields verified against LC (if applicable) using Doc 41 checklist.	[ ]
Complete document set prepared — cross-document consistency verified.	[ ]
Documents dispatched to EU buyer or presented to bank (for LC) within the presentation period.	[ ]
Shipment advice sent to EU buyer — vessel, B/L, ETA, and document tracking details.	[ ]
EGM filing confirmed with freight forwarder after vessel departure.	[ ]
GST refund / RoDTEP credit filed after EGM confirmation.	[ ]

Item	Done	Notes / Reference
EU buyer customs clearance confirmation received — no border inspection issues.	[ ]
Goods delivered to EU buyer — delivery confirmation received.	[ ]
EU buyer satisfaction confirmed — quality, labelling, and packaging meet specification.	[ ]
Export proceeds received within FEMA 9-month period — FIRC and eBRC obtained from AD bank.	[ ]
Commission invoice issued to Principal upon Commission Event (trigger per the commission agreement).	[ ]
Commission payment received and reconciled.	[ ]
Annual Supply Framework Agreement initiated for repeat orders (Doc 18).	[ ]
Volume incentive tier review: Buyer's annual purchase volume assessed against committed levels.	[ ]
Quarterly update call with EU buyer — market intelligence, forecast, and relationship review.	[ ]
Annual price review conducted per agreement — new pricing agreed for next period.	[ ]
Repeat shipment schedule confirmed — apply lessons learned from first shipment to all subsequent orders.	[ ]

Commission Agreement Ref.:
Principal:		Commission Rate: _____% of _____
EU Buyer:		Payment Terms: _____________
First Shipment Value:		Commission Due: _____________
Commission Trigger Event:		Expected Date: _____________
Tail Period Expiry:	24 months from date of introduction:
Commission Invoice Ref.:		Invoice Date: _____________

COMMERCIAL PREPARATION CHECKLIST

FACILITATION SUMMARY

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