Payment & Billing Policy
Official DocumentRIFAH Chamber of Commerce and Industry
1. Annual Subscription & Billing Cycles
Chamber membership is billed on an annual subscription schedule commencing from the date of verification approval and payment activation. Rates are established in Indian Rupees (₹ INR) for domestic enterprises and US Dollars ($ USD) for international chapters and NRI members.
2. GST Invoicing & Tax Compliance
All domestic membership fees, delegate registrations, and platform listing add-ons are subject to 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST) as mandated by Indian taxation laws. Digitally signed GST-compliant tax invoices detailing the member's registered GSTIN, HSN/SAC code, and billing address are automatically generated upon payment clearance and accessible via the member billing dashboard.
3. Accepted Modes of Payment & Gateway Security
Payments are processed through PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment gateways supporting UPI, credit cards, debit cards, and corporate net banking. Direct institutional payments may also be executed via NEFT/RTGS wire transfer to the designated RIFAH Chamber current account, subject to submitting the UTR transaction reference for manual reconciliation.
4. Renewals, Expiry Notifications & 14-Day Grace Period
Automated renewal notifications are dispatched via registered email and SMS at 30, 15, and 7 days prior to membership expiration. Upon expiry, a 14-day grace period is provided to execute renewal without forfeiture of search ranking or catalogue status. If renewal remains uncompleted after the grace period, the business profile is transitioned to inactive associate status.
5. Refund, Cancellation & Prorated Upgrade Policy
Membership application fees, annual dues, and listing verification charges are non-refundable once the membership status is activated. If an existing member wishes to upgrade to a higher tier (e.g., from Silver to Gold or Platinum), the unutilized balance of their active subscription is prorated on a monthly basis and credited toward the upgrade invoice.
6. Currency, International Remittances & Bank Surcharges
International members and overseas chapters must remit dues in equivalent convertible currency (USD/EUR/AED) via authorized international banking channels. Any intermediary bank charges, foreign exchange conversion fees, or international wire transaction levies must be borne fully by the remitting enterprise.
7. Payment Failures & Account Discontinuation
If an online transaction or auto-debit fails due to insufficient balance, bank rejection, or technical timeout, the system allows up to 72 hours for repayment. Profiles with recurring dishonored payments, bounced cheques, or unverified NEFT slips will be immediately paused to preserve directory authenticity.
8. Chargeback Protection & Fraud Prevention
Initiating an unjustified financial chargeback or unauthorized payment reversal through a card issuer without prior consultation with the Chamber accounts department is deemed a contractual breach. Such accounts will be subject to immediate profile suspension and recovery proceedings for associated bank penalty fees.
9. Sponsorships, Exhibition Stalls & Add-On Services
Fees for trade expo stalls, convention sponsorships, banner advertisements, and specialized delegation packages are separate from the core membership subscription. These commercial allotments require advance payment confirmation and adhere to event-specific cancellation policies as specified in individual event prospectuses.
10. Financial Record Retention & Audit Integrity
The Chamber maintains audited financial records in compliance with corporate and statutory accounting standards. Members may access their complete payment history, downloadable receipt statements, and credit memos at any time through their secure member portal.
11. Multi-Year Subscriptions & Lifetime Plan Safeguards
Members opting for multi-year subscription plans or Patron lifetime contributions benefit from locked fee rates immune to subsequent annual fee adjustments. Such commitments are subject to ongoing adherence to Chamber ethical codes; voluntary resignation or early exit does not entitle the enterprise to a prorated refund of prepaid multi-year balances.
12. Cross-Chapter Transfer & Fee Portability
In the event of business relocation, a member's active paid subscription and listing privileges are fully portable to any domestic or recognized overseas chapter without incurring re-registration fees, provided the primary enterprise legal structure and entity registration remain unchanged.
13. Third-Party Payment Gateway Liabilities
While RIFAH engages reputable, RBI-authorized and PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways, the Chamber is not liable for momentary banking outages, UPI provider server downtimes, or merchant aggregator technical delays. Members experiencing debit without automated confirmation should retain the bank reference number for reconciliation within 24-48 business hours.
14. Withholding Tax (TDS) Compliance & Documentation
Corporate enterprises eligible to deduct Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) under applicable Income Tax provisions must furnish the appropriate TDS certificate (Form 16A) within statutory timeframes to the Chamber accounts wing to enable timely credit adjustment against outstanding or subsequent renewal invoices.
15. Event Ticket Cancellation & Delegate Substitution
Delegate passes purchased for Chamber business conclaves, annual summits, and award banquets are generally non-refundable. However, corporate members may request formal delegate substitution by notifying the event committee in writing at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled commencement of the event.
