The pre-2012 paper predecessor of eBRC. Some legacy claims still reference paper BRCs; modern claims all use electronic eBRCs.
Definition
A BRC — Bank Realisation Certificate (paper form) — was the physical certificate issued by AD Banks confirming foreign-exchange realization against a specific shipping bill. It was the paper predecessor of today's eBRC (electronic Bank Realisation Certificate).
Historical context
Used until 2012 as the primary evidence for DGFT scheme claims
Required physical printing on bank letterhead, exporter had to submit hard copies with DGFT applications
Prone to lost / delayed issuance, forgery, and misfiling
Replaced by the eBRC system rolled out by DGFT + RBI in 2012-2013
When paper BRCs still come up
Legacy shipping bills from before eBRC rollout (pre-2013) may only have paper BRC evidence
Very small AD Bank branches occasionally still issue physical BRCs on request (rare, and DGFT prefers electronic)
Some scheme benefit claims for pre-2013 shipments still process against paper BRC evidence
For Indian FBA exporters
You will effectively never encounter a paper BRC. All modern DGFT scheme benefit claims run on eBRCs uploaded directly by your AD Bank to the DGFT portal. If your bank ever offers you a paper BRC "as an alternative," insist on the electronic issuance — much less error-prone, no risk of losing physical documents.