Shipping from China to India
China โ India ยท clearance by Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)
For buyers shipping into India, the practical question is not the ocean or flight time but what happens after arrival. India is served through Nhava Sheva (JNPA, Mumbai), Mundra, Chennai; cargo enters through AMD air / Mundra sea, and the inland leg is same-day, so the clearance date is effectively the delivery date.
The clearing authority is Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). Historical dwell on this gateway is around 3โ8 days, and it lengthens in AugโNov.
What the routing looks like in practice
India is the largest South Asian lane but the least DDP-friendly. Duty and IGST must be paid against the consignee's own IEC and GSTIN, so a true door-to-door DDP where the forwarder acts as importer is rarely possible โ in practice the structure is DAP with duty prepaid on the buyer's behalf. Clarify this before quoting, because it changes who can recover the IGST input credit.
| Air gateways used | DEL (Delhi), BOM (Mumbai), MAA (Chennai) |
|---|---|
| Air transit, China to gateway | 2โ5 business days |
| Sea gateways used | Nhava Sheva (JNPA, Mumbai), Mundra, Chennai |
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 7โ14 calendar days |
| Gateway serving India | AMD air / Mundra sea |
| Inland leg to India | Same day from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 3โ8 days |
| Peak season to plan around | AugโNov |
Delivery cities in India
Principal delivery points: Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata. Pick a city for the gateway it uses and the inland leg beyond clearance.
Duty, tax and clearance into India
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) assesses duty and tax on cargo arriving for India consignees. Current regime: Basic customs duty 0โ20% plus IGST 5โ28% plus a social welfare surcharge of 10% of the duty, with a de-minimis position of No commercial de-minimis; gift relief up to INR 5,000 only.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: BIS registration under the Compulsory Registration Scheme for electronics; WPC/ETA approval for wireless devices; the consignee must hold a valid Importer-Exporter Code (IEC). Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for India: BIS registration for electronics is enforced strictly and cannot be fixed after arrival. Toys, steel and several electronics categories need quality-control-order compliance. Confirm the consignee's IEC and GSTIN before the goods leave China.
Air, sea or overland into India?
| Mode | Transit to gateway | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| โ๏ธ Air Freight | 2โ5 business days | time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo |
| ๐ข Sea Freight | 7โ14 calendar days | volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed |
Transit shown is China departure to the India gateway and excludes the same-day inland leg to India and 3โ8 days of clearance.
Before you book: India checklist
- Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the India duty rate against it yourself.
- Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure โ it makes any claim far easier to settle.
- Check the de-minimis position (No commercial de-minimis; gift relief up to INR 5,000 only) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Declare lithium batteries, magnets, liquids and powders up front โ retro-declaring after booking usually means re-planning the whole shipment.
- Budget for the inland leg: same-day delivery beyond gateway clearance to reach India.
- Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the India lane.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to India take?
China to the India gateway is 2โ5 business days by air, 7โ14 calendar days by sea. On top of that, allow 3โ8 days of clearance with Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and a same-day inland leg to India.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into India?
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) applies: Basic customs duty 0โ20% plus IGST 5โ28% plus a social welfare surcharge of 10% of the duty. The de-minimis position is No commercial de-minimis; gift relief up to INR 5,000 only. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in India.
How is the chargeable weight calculated for India?
We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight โ length ร width ร height in centimeters divided by 6000 for air โ and bill the greater of the two, rounded up to the next kilogram. Light, bulky cargo is almost always billed on volume.
What certification do I need for India?
For regulated goods, plan for: BIS registration under the Compulsory Registration Scheme for electronics; WPC/ETA approval for wireless devices; the consignee must hold a valid Importer-Exporter Code (IEC). Missing conformity paperwork is the single most common cause of a hold, and in most cases it cannot be remedied once the cargo has arrived.
When is the busiest time on the ChinaโIndia lane?
Space and rates tighten around AugโNov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year in January or February and Golden Week in early October. Book one to two weeks earlier in those periods.
What documents does Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) require?
A commercial invoice with HS codes, a packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, a certificate of origin where it lowers duty, and any product certification (BIS registration under the Compulsory Registration Scheme for electronics; WPC/ETA approval for wireless devices; the consignee must hold a valid Importer-Exporter Code (IEC)). We prepare and file these as part of the service.
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for India change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling โ confirm the current position for your own HS code with Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) or your broker before you ship.
- Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)
- Indian Customs tariff and ICEGATE
- Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
- WTO โ Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- WCO โ Harmonized System nomenclature
- IMO โ IMDG Code for dangerous goods by sea
- IATA โ Lithium battery shipping guidance (PI 965โ970)
Page data last reviewed: 10 ๆ 2026.
Shipping by industry
This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending โ these guides cover that by commodity.
- Metal Fabrication Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Pressure Vessels Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Switchgear New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Doors & Windows Building Materials & Construction Products
- Corrugated Packaging Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Glass Packaging Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Kitchenware Furniture & Home Products
- Home Textiles Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Inflatable Products Toys, Sports, Outdoor & Leisure
- Bolts Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Industrial Boilers General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Building Materials Building Materials & Construction Products
Checking the India duty position yourself
Treat the landed-cost numbers here as a planning baseline. Indian Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs sets the rate that actually gets charged, assessed against your HS classification at the moment of clearance, so their own guidance is worth reading before a large order.
If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name โ the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.
For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.
On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.
If this is your first shipment into India, the India Country Commercial Guide covers the practical import environment in more depth than a rate page reasonably can, and it is written by a party with no stake in your booking.
Watch: the process behind this route
This guide covers routing and clearance for India. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
Sea Freight from China: How to import from China to your country via Ocean Shipping — SINO Shipping. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.
Customs clearance in India
Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border โ plus who files the entry.
India clearance requirements →Priced routes to India
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