IDPMS (the Import Data Processing and Monitoring System) is RBI's system for matching what you paid abroad with what actually came in through customs. When a remittance and a Bill of Entry don't match, the entry stays outstanding, and your AD bank will eventually ask you to explain it. These tips come from reconciling hundreds of these records across several currencies.
Build the right working file
- One row per remittance, one row per BOE, then link them. Don't try to reconcile from the bank's report alone. Keep two lists (remittances with ORM reference, date, currency and amount; BOEs with number, date, port code, currency and invoice value) and a third table that links them.
- Reconcile in the invoice currency, not in rupees. Exchange-rate differences hide real gaps. Match in USD, EUR or whatever the invoice currency is, and look at rupee differences only after the foreign-currency amounts tie.
- Allocate partial payments explicitly. When one payment covers several BOEs, or one BOE is paid in instalments, write down the allocation (which part of which payment goes to which BOE). This allocation matrix is what the bank needs to close entries.
Find the gap quickly
- Total by vendor first. Compare total remitted against total BOE value for each supplier. A clean reconciliation usually leaves one or two vendors with a difference, and that's where to look. In one reconciliation of 250+ records, the whole USD shortfall sat with a single vendor.
- Check the usual suspects. A wrong BOE number or port code on the remittance application, a BOE filed under a different IEC, a freight or insurance amount paid separately, or bank charges deducted from the amount sent.
- Watch for duplicate and split entries. The same BOE can appear twice if it was amended, and one shipment can be split across several BOEs. Sort by BOE number and date to spot both.
- Separate timing differences from real differences. An advance paid last month for goods arriving next month isn't an error. Tag these so they don't clutter the list of real issues.
Close it properly
- Prepare a closure request per entry type. Matched-but-not-updated entries need the right BOE details. Short shipments or quality claims need supplier credit notes or refund evidence. Write-off or reduction requests need the documents your AD bank lists. Group your requests this way.
- Give the bank a summary, not just attachments. A one-page summary (entries, amounts, reason, documents attached) gets processed faster than a folder of PDFs.
- Make it monthly. Once the backlog is clear, a monthly check of new remittances and new BOEs keeps it clear. Most of the effort in a clean-up is reconstructing information that was easy to record at the time.
Time limits for submitting evidence of import and for settling import payments are set by RBI and can change. Always confirm the current limits with your AD bank before you assume an entry is in time or overdue.
Related: FEMA import remittance checklist, and the FEMA due-date calculator for ageing a list of BOEs.
This article is general information, not professional advice. Rules and due dates change; confirm with your AD bank, CA or the official portal before acting. Last reviewed 25 October 2026.