Shipping from India to USA: a guide for importers

Goods from India pay the normal US tariff rate for their HTS code, plus, since 24 July 2026, a 10% Section 301 tariff on products of India (HTS 9903.05.44), with exceptions such as goods under Section 232 measures. India’s rate is lower than the 12.5% set for countries that had not adopted a forced-labor import ban. The earlier IEEPA “reciprocal” duties are no longer collected on entries from 24 February 2026.

A separate Section 301 investigation that includes India was still open in October 2026. Check CBP’s current trade messages, or ask your broker, before you price a shipment.

Every Indian exporter needs an Importer-Exporter Code (IEC), which is the same as its PAN. Under India’s Foreign Trade Policy, the mandatory export documents are:

• The bill of lading or air waybill.
• The commercial invoice cum packing list.
• The shipping bill or bill of export, filed with Indian customs.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPA) in Navi Mumbai handles around half of the containerised cargo through India’s major ports, and Mundra in Gujarat, which its operator calls India’s largest commercial port, is the other main gateway. Your supplier’s location decides which is nearer. Transit times vary by line and season, so take them from the bids.

You need an importer of record, a customs bond for formal entries, and an ISF for sea freight filed before loading in India. The duty-free de minimis entry for goods of $800 or less is suspended, so small commercial shipments also need an entry. See importer of record, customs bond and ISF filing.

Goods regulated by other US agencies — food, cosmetics and medical devices, for example — need their own filings. Check with your broker for your HTS code. See what an HS code is.

US customs treats goods as Indian if they were last substantially transformed in India. Supply chains that use inputs from Xinjiang fall under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act wherever the goods were finished, so keep records for cotton and other inputs.

• Pricing with an old tariff rate.
• A supplier without an IEC, or a shipping bill that does not match the invoice.
• Missing the ISF before loading.
• Food, cosmetics or devices shipped without the other agencies’ filings.

Post the shipment from India to the United States, or straight to an Amazon fulfilment centre, and verified forwarders on the lane bid for it. Choose who is the importer and whether duty is in the price; duty paid bids show the duty on its own line. See how it works.