What does India require before the cargo can be imported?
India is served from China by ocean, air and express, and the arrival-side requirements below are the part that most often changes a landed cost or holds a shipment at the port. Each position is the one we publish for this market and is confirmed per shipment against the actual commodity code and destination city.
What duty, tax and levies apply on arrival?
| Duty and tax | Basic Customs Duty 0–100% by tariff line, most goods 5–40%, plus a Social Welfare Surcharge of 10% of that duty, plus IGST at the domestic GST rate on the duty-paid value |
Who is allowed to import into this market?
| Importer of record | A foreign seller cannot hold an IEC; the importer must be an Indian entity or an appointed third-party importer, registered on ICEGATE with a PAN-linked GSTIN |
| Import requirements | India IEC importer code with ICEGATE filing; BIS or CRS registration and CDSCO approval for regulated categories |
What certification or product rules must be in place before shipping?
| Certification | BIS ISI marking and CRS registration, WPC type approval for wireless products, an FSSAI import licence for food and CDSCO registration for medical devices, typically 8–12 weeks |
How long does shipping from China to India take?
Typical door-to-door transit on this lane, by mode. These are working ranges rather than carrier-published schedules, so the exact window is confirmed on booking.
| Mode | Typical transit | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight FCL | 14–20 days port to port | CIX direct weekly service: Shekou–Nhava Sheva 14 days, Shanghai 18; 2026 forwarder tables 14–18 days to Nhava Sheva |
| Ocean freight LCL | 15–25 days | Door to door; adds roughly 5–7 days to FCL, with weekly consolidations |
| Air freight | 4–7 days | PVG, CAN or SZX to DEL or BOM is 2–5 days airport to airport |
| Express courier | 3–5 days | FedEx International Priority is 1–3 business days; China to India door to door 3–5 days |
Which gateway does cargo arrive through in South Asia?
The gateway is the same for every country in South Asia; what changes between countries is the duty, importer and certification position above.
| Destination ports | Nhava Sheva (JNPA), Mundra, Chennai, Krishnapatnam, Kolkata/Haldia, Hazira, Pipavav, Tuticorin and Cochin |
| Gateway ports | Nhava Sheva (JNPT), Mundra, Chennai and Kattupalli, Colombo, Chittagong, Karachi and Port Qasim |
| Gateway airports | BOM, DEL, BLR and MAA, DAC, CMB |
| Transhipment | Colombo is the transhipment hub for much of South Asia and Bangladesh feeder traffic |
How do you turn this into a landed cost?
Duty is assessed per commodity code, so the positions above tell you what to prepare rather than what you will pay. Screen the official duty range for the HS chapter your product falls in with the HS chapter duty lookup, then put the rate for your actual code through the landed cost calculator to see duty, import tax and levies on the CIF value. Transit times, loading ports and the operating detail for this lane are on the China to India route page.
Positions reviewed 2026-09-15 by Helen Peng. Duty, importer-of-record and certification answers are confirmed per shipment: a change of commodity code, origin documentation or destination city can change the position.
