Freight Forwarder for India to USA Shipping

Check four things. First, an FMC license and NVOCC bond, so the forwarder issues its own bill of lading. Second, its own staff at both ends of the lane rather than an agent at one end, so one company answers for pickup in India and release in the US. Third, who files the ISF and who files the US entry, and under whose license. Fourth, a written quote that lists what is included, so you can compare it with others. Airlift USA meets each of these, and the credentials section on this page links to the registers that show it.

Yes. The Airlift group has fourteen branches across India, including offices in Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Gandhidham, Kolkata, New Delhi and Jodhpur. The Airlift India offices handle factory pickup, container stuffing and the export shipping bill. Airlift USA coordinates the ISF and the US import entry, with the entry filed through our licensed customs-broker network.

The main origin ports are Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Ennore, Kolkata, Chennai, Pipavav, Kattupalli and Tuticorin. The main US gateways are New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Houston, Los Angeles, Charleston, Newark and Oakland. Mundra, Nhava Sheva and Ennore to New York, Norfolk, Savannah and Houston are among the lanes Airlift books most. Each port pair has its own page with planning ranges, and the Sealanes pages show current sailings.

Choose a full container (FCL) when your cargo fills most of one, or when it is heavy, fragile or high-value enough to justify its own box. Choose less-than-container-load (LCL) for smaller shipments that can share a container; Airlift consolidates LCL cargo regularly on its supported lanes, India among them. The lane guide and the LCL page show the volumes where each option usually wins. Not sure? Send the dimensions and the quote can cover both.

Airlift files the Importer Security Filing (ISF) as the NVOCC before the container is loaded in India. The US customs entry is filed through our licensed customs-broker network under a power of attorney from you as importer of record; Airlift USA does not hold a US customs broker license. We coordinate the entry documents, the duty estimate and any CBP exam with the broker, and arrange delivery once the goods are released.

It depends on the port pair and the service. The India to USA lane guide gives a planning range for each port pair, and the Sealanes route pages show the sailings currently offered with their advertised transit times. These are planning figures, not guarantees: the carrier, the routing (Suez or Cape), transshipment and port congestion all move them. For your ports and ready date, ask for the current options in your inquiry.

In India: an Importer-Exporter Code (IEC), a commercial invoice and packing list, a shipping bill filed on ICEGATE, a Letter of Undertaking (LUT) if you export without paying IGST, a certificate of origin where your buyer or the goods call for one, and ISPM 15-marked wood packaging. In the US: the ISF before the container is loaded, a customs entry filed through a licensed customs broker, a customs bond, and any FDA or other agency requirements for the goods. The export checklist on this page covers each item.

Yes, unless a specific exemption applies. The Importer-Exporter Code is issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on the basis of the firm's PAN, and no export or import can be made without one. One IEC is issued per PAN, and it has lifetime validity.

Any wood packaging, such as pallets, crates, dunnage and wooden A-frames for stone slabs, must meet ISPM 15: made of debarked wood, heat-treated or fumigated with an approved treatment, and stamped with the IPPC mark. The US does not let shipments with non-compliant wood packaging enter. Plywood, pressboard, oriented strand board and plastic or metal pallets are not regulated as wood packaging.

Send the pickup location in India and the delivery location in the USA, with preferred ports if you have them; the commodity, package count, gross weight and packed dimensions, or the container size and count; the cargo-ready date and the date you need delivery; and the services you want included. For stone or metals, add the weight of each packed unit. For machinery, add the lifting points and any oversized dimensions. For textiles, add the carton dimensions and the delivery deadline.