Looking for the destination side of this lane — duty, importer of record and certification? Open the India destination guide.
How long does shipping from China take?
| Mode | Typical time | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Typical ranges measured from supplier pickup to signed delivery. They are not a commitment; the binding range is issued with your quotation.
Lane facts
| Loading from | Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Yantian and Nansha |
| Destination ports | Nhava Sheva (JNPA), Mundra, Chennai, Krishnapatnam, Kolkata/Haldia, Hazira, Pipavav, Tuticorin and Cochin |
| Direct calls | The China India Express runs a direct weekly rotation Shanghai–Ningbo–Shekou–Nhava Sheva–Mundra; Yantian to Nhava Sheva shows a seven-day schedule |
| Container options | 20GP, 40GP and 40HQ; LCL accepted from 1 CBM |
| 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 |
| Small consignments | Consignments received as gifts up to INR 5,000 clear duty free under the courier regulations, with parcels limited to 70 kg; the threshold is under enforcement pressure and is reconfirmed at booking |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Detention and demurrage | Free days run 14–21, with storage around USD 10–25 per day and demurrage USD 30–70 per day after that |
| Quote turnaround | A formal quotation is issued within one hour once the cargo details are complete |
What does this cover?
India combines a straightforward ocean lane with a demanding compliance layer: the importer needs a valid IEC, and many product categories need registration before the goods can clear. We confirm the product requirements before booking.
Who is this for?
- Commercial imports for wholesale, retail and distribution
- Factory-to-buyer shipments arranged on a delivered or port-to-port basis
- Consolidated cargo from several Chinese suppliers
- Buyers who need a duty-paid door price rather than a port-to-port rate
What is included in the service?
- China pickup, consolidation and warehouse handling where the scope includes it
- The transport combination quoted — ocean, rail, road, air or express
- Export declaration and shipping document guidance
- Destination clearance under the confirmed arrangement where a door scope is quoted
- Delivery to the agreed address within the quoted delivery area
What do you need from us to quote?
- Product name, material, use and photographs
- Declared value with currency and whether the goods carry a brand
- Piece count, gross weight, volume and package dimensions
- China origin city or the supplier address
- Destination city, full address and postcode
- Address type: commercial, residential, warehouse or free zone
- Whether the consignee can act as importer of record if the destination requires it
- Any battery, liquid, powder, magnet or regulated attribute
- Cargo-ready date and any required delivery window
Who is responsible for what?
| Scope | Company | Customer | Responsibility transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door to door |
|
| Responsibility passes on delivery and signature at the agreed destination address. |
What does the quotation cover?
The quotation states the total for the scope described in it. It is built from the cargo data, the origin and destination, the transport mode and the delivery scope agreed at that time.
What is included?
- China pickup and consolidation as quoted
- Export declaration and main transport on the quoted routing
- Destination import clearance under the confirmed arrangement
- Duty and tax for the declared goods where the scope is DDP
- Delivery to the agreed address within the quoted delivery area
What is not included?
- Customs revaluation where the declared value is not accepted
- Certification, registration or testing required by the destination authority
- Storage, demurrage and inspection costs arising at either customs point
- Remote-area delivery outside the quoted area
- Unloading equipment or labour at the destination address
What might cost extra?
- Remote or difficult-access delivery beyond the standard service area
- Customs inspection, holds or revaluation at either end
- Storage where cargo cannot be dispatched inside the agreed free period
- Detention and demurrage when a container or vehicle is held beyond free time
- Oversized, overweight or special loading equipment
- Cargo that arrives without the documents required for the confirmed route
- Special cargo approved after review but requiring extra handling or documentation
- Address change, re-delivery or a failed delivery appointment after dispatch
- Peak-season or fuel surcharges applied by the carrier
- Duty or tax reassessment where customs does not accept the declared value
Freight rates and space change with the market, so each quotation carries its own validity period. Once it expires, or if the rate or space changes before booking, the price is reconfirmed before dispatch.
Cargo is weighed and measured after it reaches the warehouse. If the piece count, weight, volume, packing, cargo attributes or delivery address differ from the original inquiry, the charge is recalculated and sent to you for confirmation before payment and dispatch.
How long does each stage take?
Transit is counted from the stated start point to the stated end point for each stage. Carrier schedules, port and customs conditions, and the destination delivery arrangement all affect the outcome.
- Pickup and warehouse intake: Typically 1–3 days from supplier release (calculated from Pickup arranged from the supplier address to Cargo received, counted, weighed and measured at the warehouse)
- Consolidation and waiting: Typically 2–5 days, longer if later suppliers are still producing (calculated from Cargo accepted at the warehouse to Container loaded and sealed, or cargo handed to the carrier)
- Export and ocean transit: Typically 14–20 days port to port, depending on the loading port (calculated from Container loaded on board to Vessel arriving at the destination port)
- Import clearance and duty handling: Typically 2–5 days at Nhava Sheva or Mundra when the Bill of Entry and documents are in order (calculated from Vessel arrival at the destination port to Customs released and duty or tax settled where the scope includes it)
- Final delivery: Typically 2–5 days inland (calculated from Customs released to Delivered to the agreed address and signed for)
Estimated total: An estimated total is issued with the quotation, expressed as a range with the calculation start and end points stated. It is an estimate, not a guaranteed arrival date.
Last verified 2026-09-15.
How is the shipment handled?
Illustrations generated for this page, showing the handling stages your cargo moves through. They are not photographs of a specific shipment.


What must be confirmed before booking?
- A foreign seller cannot hold an Import Export Code or the regulated product approvals, so the import structure is confirmed before a duty-paid scope is quoted
- Product approvals take time: BIS, WPC, FSSAI and CDSCO clearances typically run 8–12 weeks, so they are started before the cargo ships
- The INR 5,000 gift allowance under the courier regulations is old and under enforcement pressure; it is reconfirmed at booking and cannot be relied on for commercial cargo
- Monsoon and cyclone season suspends or slows west-coast terminal operations, and Nhava Sheva carries access-road and CFS-to-terminal congestion
- The Bill of Entry is filed through ICEGATE by a licensed customs broker, and an e-way bill is required above INR 50,000 for inland movement
What mistakes should we avoid?
- Assuming a delivered duty-paid price is available without confirming the import arrangement
- Supplying a declared value that does not match the commercial invoice
- Leaving certification or registration until the cargo has already arrived
- Treating the transit range as a guaranteed arrival date