Your overseas buyer hasn't paid. How to file an ECGC claim.

By Gaurav Gupta, Founder & CEO, GGA India

Last reviewed: 9 November 2026

Direct answer. An ECGC claim is won or lost before it is filed. Under the SCR policy, declare the bill by the 15th once it is 30 days overdue, notify any loss event within 30 days and stop shipping. The claim is payable four months after the due date, must be filed within 360 days, and SCR covers 90%.

GGA India at a glance — for Indian exporters

GGA India Private Limited (Gurugram, since 2002) runs a Global Receivables Desk for Indian exporters owed by overseas buyers.
It keeps four clocks in step: the buyer, ECGC or the credit insurer, the AD bank and EDPMS, and the legal deadlines in the buyer's country.
Buyer-country desks include the USA, UAE, UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, China, Japan and seven more.
Cases from USD 20,000; commission only on amounts actually recovered. Your buyer pays you directly — GGA never holds your money.

What is probably going on

A genuine default can still produce a failed claim, because every policy term is a condition precedent to ECGC's liability (cl. 28).

Claims fail at one of four points, each with a test you can apply today.

Reporting gap. Monthly shipment declarations (cl. 8(a)), overdue reports by the 15th (cl. 8(b)), loss notice within 30 days (cl. 7(b)), premium deposit funded on the shipment date (cl. 10(f)). If the bill is missing from any month's declaration, it is a reporting gap.
Changed terms. A new due date, reduced settlement or assignment needs ECGC's prior written approval (cl. 18). If anyone agreed "another 30 days" by call or email, it is changed terms.
Control lost. Shipping to a buyer in default, releasing CAD/DP documents before payment, or sending documents direct without RBI/AD-bank approval. If the buyer holds goods or documents it has not paid for, control was lost.
Claim-stage failure. Filing after day 360, or a disputed debt with no court judgment. If the buyer disputed before your demand, the judgment rule applies.

The cause is structural. Documentation files declarations on SMILE, the sales head talks to the buyer, and the AD bank holds the non-payment advice and protest and certifies the claim documents. Nobody owns the policy as a whole. This guide uses SCR, ECGC's standard cover above ₹5 crore export turnover; your own schedule decides.

The pattern behind it. An insured export bill that goes unpaid is revenue sold but not collected twice over — once from the buyer, again from ECGC if a policy term slips — and the cause sits outside with the buyer and inside, where the buyer, ECGC, AD-bank and legal clocks run with no single owner. GGA's answer is an Invoice Lifecycle Owner who holds all four clocks for each bill, from submission to cash from the buyer or a claim ECGC can pay. The GGA model sets out the approach.

The ECGC claim clocks at a glance

Nine rules govern every SCR claim; five bite before the claim is even payable.

Exhibit 1: SCR policy deadlines from default to recovery

What	Deadline under the SCR policy	Policy clause
Declare every shipment	By the 15th of the following month (a NIL declaration if none)	Cl. 8(a)
Report an overdue bill	By the 15th, for every bill unpaid 30+ days at the previous month-end; repeat until paid	Cl. 8(b)
Notify an event likely to cause loss	Within 30 days of becoming aware of it	Cl. 7(b)
Stop shipments	Immediately on buyer insolvency, grave financial difficulty or refusal to honour the contract, unless ECGC consents in writing	Cl. 7(c)
Extend the due date or settle for less	Only with ECGC's prior written approval	Cl. 18(b), 35(5)
Claim becomes payable — buyer default	Four months after the due date	Cl. 15(b)
Claim becomes payable — buyer insolvency	Earlier of four months after due date or one month after your claim is admitted	Cl. 15(a)
Claim filing deadline	360 days from the due date, or 540 days from policy expiry, whichever is earlier	Cl. 19(d)
Money recovered after the claim is paid	Held in trust; shared with ECGC in proportion to the loss	Cl. 24, 25

A worked example

On a bill due 15 January 2026, the first compliance date is 15 March and the last filing date is 10 January 2027.

The bill is 44 days overdue at the close of February, so it enters the 15 March declaration and stays there monthly. Any news of the buyer's trouble triggers a 30-day notice. The claim is payable on 15 May 2026 and must be lodged by 10 January 2027 (day 360), unless 540 days from policy expiry falls earlier. Months four to twelve are not spare time: ECGC expects recovery to continue, and its dated record is part of the claim file.

Step by step: from missed payment to claim

Eight actions, in order, keep the claim admissible.

Confirm the default in writing: non-payment advice, buyer messages, the accepted bill of exchange for DA bills.
Declare the overdue bill by the 15th; an undeclared bill is outside ECGC's liability (cl. 19).
Notify any loss event within 30 days.
Stop shipping and freeze the terms until ECGC approves in writing.
Act to minimise the loss through an agency, lawyer or the Indian mission, with a dated record.
Resell undelivered goods only with approval; the claim is payable one month after approved resale.
Assemble the file on ECGC's current form, one per buyer, certified by your bank.
File on SMILE before day 360. Late claims are considered only where the delay was beyond your control.

Documents ECGC asks for

Ten documents are common to every claim; the cause of loss adds a second set.

ECGC's claim form (updated February 2026) requires: contract or PO and invoice; bill of lading or airway bill; shipping bill; collection and non-payment advices; the unpaid bill of exchange (accepted, for DA); protest note and part-payment advice; delivery proof for open-account sales; RBI/AD-bank approval for documents sent direct; buyer correspondence and recovery records; and a two-year statement of shipments.

Exhibit 2: Additional evidence ECGC asks for, by cause of loss

Cause of loss	Additional evidence
Delivered and accepted, buyer not paying	Proof of action through a collection agency, lawyer or the Indian consulate
Buyer disputes the debt	A final judgment in your favour from a competent court (unless ECGC waives it)
Buyer insolvent	Proof of insolvency, proof your claim was lodged with the receiver or insolvency administrator, and a declaration
Goods refused — resold, re-imported, auctioned or abandoned	Alternate-buyer papers, resale proceeds, freight and demurrage receipts, Bill of Entry, notice to the original buyer, RBI/AD approval
Letter of credit not honoured	LC and amendments, the opening bank's discrepancy advice and your bank's response
Political risk	Proof of remittance (transfer delay), cancelled import licence, diversion costs, correspondence with the mission and authorities

What an indexed working file can contain

ILLUSTRATIVE WORKING INDEX · NOT AN INSURER-ISSUED CHECKLIST

Specimen claim-file index
File section	Working records	Question the section must answer
01 · Policy and cover	Issued policy, schedule, endorsements and relevant communications.	Which terms, insured party, period and conditions apply to this exposure?
02 · Buyer and limit	Buyer identity, approvals, limit records and any changes.	Do the buyer on the transaction and the applicable cover records reconcile?
03 · Transaction	Contract or PO, shipment/delivery or service evidence, invoices and acceptance records.	What was supplied, to whom, when and on which payment terms?
04 · Declarations and premium	Applicable submissions, acknowledgements and premium records.	What was reported and paid, and what remains unverified?
05 · Overdue and approvals	Notification record, dated correspondence, extensions or other requested permissions.	Which event occurred, which response was required and what evidence is available?
06 · Recovery and dispute	Buyer correspondence, acknowledgements, disputed matters, actions and instructed advice.	What caused the unpaid position and what has been done about it?
07 · Amount reconciliation	Invoice values, cash receipts, credits, adjustments and the calculation supporting the claim.	Can the amount be followed from the transaction to the current unpaid balance?
08 · Submission and queries	Applicable claim form, submitted index, receipt/acknowledgement and query log.	What was actually filed, what did the insurer acknowledge and what is still outstanding?

Why ECGC claims are rejected

Rejections follow the four failure points above; the fix is a monthly check of policy conditions, not a better claim form.

Each ground is written into the policy and recurs in disputes that reach Indian courts. If yours has already been rejected, see ECGC claim rejected.

After ECGC pays

A paid claim closes the insurance question, not the debt or the bank file.

Recovery continues and is shared with ECGC in proportion to the loss, after approved costs (cl. 24–25).
Your bank holds the documents in trust for ECGC; its letter is a condition of payment (cl. 16).
EDPMS stays open. Under the FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, in force from 1 October 2026, goods exports must be realised within nine months of shipment (as amended by RBI on 22 September 2026). Self write-off is removed; closure runs through your AD bank. A bill unrealised beyond one year can restrict future exports to advance payment or irrevocable LC.

Gulf and West Asia shipments in 2026: the RELIEF scheme

Shipments to twelve Gulf and West Asian countries since February 2026 may carry up to 100% cover.

For shipments to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Egypt and Jordan, ECGC's RELIEF scheme gives existing policyholders up to 100% cover on shipments between 14 February and 15 March 2026. Policies taken from 16 March 2026 carry up to 95% cover, a window now extended to 31 March 2027. Policyholders claim through ECGC's existing policy claim module. Check RELIEF before filing under ordinary terms.

What GGA would do

ECGC decides the claim and it is lodged in your name; GGA runs the calendar, the recovery, the evidence and the AD-bank file so all three stay aligned.

Days 1–2: Clock sheet. We read your schedule, the buyer's credit limit and six monthly declarations. You receive one page: next declaration, 30-day notice deadline, month-four payable date, day-360 filing date.
Days 3–5: Gap list. Each obligation checked against what was done. You receive the gaps, each with a disclosure letter to ECGC for your signature.
Week 2: Recovery starts. A vetted local partner sends a demand in the buyer's language. You receive a dated recovery log, the "proof of action" ECGC lists.
Weeks 2–4: Recovery Position Report. Reason, assets, local route, realistic recovery. You receive a report you can share with ECGC and your AD bank.
Months 2–4: Claim pack. Built against ECGC's form, with the list your bank must certify. You receive an indexed pack before the claim is payable.
Month 4 onwards: Recovery and bank file. Post-claim recoveries accounted for and shared as the policy requires; EDPMS file kept ready. You receive a monthly status report.

Proof (domestic, clearly labelled — GGA publishes no cross-border case figures): for a pharma client, 85% of expired Government deposits and bank guarantees were released or recovered in six months. Cases from USD 20,000; file-opening fee and success commission agreed in writing before recovery begins, commission only on amounts actually recovered. A Foreign Debtor Recovery Position Report starts from USD 1,500 per receivable and is credited against success commission actually earned if you then instruct us.

What we need from you

Four documents give a first view; six more let us act.

To start (enough for a first view by email):

ECGC policy schedule — policy number, policy type and the buyer's credit limit
Commercial invoice and bill of lading or airway bill for the unpaid shipment
Due date and the foreign bank's non-payment advice
The monthly overdue declarations that show this bill, or a note that it was not declared

To act:

Contract or purchase order, and the customs shipping bill
Collection advice to the foreign bank, and the original bill of exchange (accepted, for DA bills)
Every buyer email and message, including any where more time was agreed
ECGC correspondence: event notices, approvals, credit-limit letters
EDPMS outstanding statement from your AD bank for the shipping bill
Two-year statement of shipments to the buyer

Missing some of these? Send what you have — telling you what is missing is part of the first reply.

How you stay in control

You sign everything that goes to ECGC, and nothing changes with the buyer without your written approval.

Your buyer pays you directly. GGA never receives or holds your money.
Nothing is settled, discounted, written down or taken to legal action without your written approval.
GGA manages the communication with your customers; escalation steps are discussed with you.
One named GGA owner for the claim and the buyer. You see every action: monthly report to your CEO and CFO, a fortnightly review call, and an immediate flash report when a risk appears.
Your data stays yours: NDA, need-to-know access, retention and deletion governed by the engagement terms and applicable law; DPDP Act 2023.
Terms are fixed in writing before recovery begins; a Recovery Position Report involves no work or fee before your written approval.
Every letter to ECGC and the claim itself go in your name, signed by you. GGA drafts; you decide what is sent.
No extension, settlement or resale is offered to the buyer until you approve it in writing and, where the policy requires, ECGC has approved it first.

Send us one unpaid invoice. Email the buyer name, country, amount, invoice date, your ECGC policy number and whatever you have from the "To start" list to gg@ggaindia.co.in. Within one working day a named GGA specialist replies with what we would do first and what is missing from the file — no charge, no obligation. Want an independent view first? Ask for a Foreign Debtor Recovery Position Report.

A different situation? Indian customer not paying → Customer not paying your invoice · Foreign company owed by an Indian importer → India Desk

Frequently asked questions

Each answer stands alone.

How long do I have to file an ECGC claim?

Under SCR, within 360 days of the due date or 540 days from policy expiry, whichever is earlier. Late claims are considered only if the delay was beyond your control.

When can I file an ECGC claim after my buyer stops paying?

For goods delivered and accepted, four months after the due date. For buyer insolvency, the earlier of that date or one month after your claim is admitted in the insolvency.

How much does ECGC pay on a claim?

SCR covers 90% of the loss. Other policies set their own percentage, and ECGC can fix a lower one for a specific buyer.

Can I give my buyer more time to pay without losing ECGC cover?

Only with ECGC's prior written approval. An extension or compromise agreed without it is excluded from cover.

Do I need a court judgment to claim from ECGC?

Only if the buyer disputes the debt. For a disputed claim the policy requires a final judgment in your favour, unless ECGC waives it.

What do I need to send GGA for a first view on my ECGC claim?

Four items: the policy schedule, the invoice and bill of lading, the due date with the bank's non-payment advice, and the overdue declarations that show the bill. The first reply tells you which deadlines are live and what is missing.

Sources

Every rule above is taken from ECGC's published policy wording, forms and RBI regulation.

This guide summarises published ECGC policy wording and Indian regulation as at 3 November 2026. Your own policy schedule, endorsements and current ECGC requirements decide any live claim.