Shipping from USA to India: Sea & Air Freight, Transit Time, Cost Factors

US departure ports:

Houston, New York and Los Angeles. East Coast sailings are generally the fastest to West India ports.

Indian arrival ports:

Nhava Sheva (Mumbai) and Mundra for West and North India; Chennai for the South.

FCL or LCL

Full containers (FCL) are the main mode on this lane and are priced per container, however much you load. LCL, available on select port pairs, is charged by weight or measure, per cubic meter or per 1,000 kg, whichever is greater, with CFS handling at both ends as separate lines. Below about 13 m³, LCL is usually cheaper; above about 20 m³, a container of your own usually wins.

Container type and cargo weight

Dense cargo such as machinery and metals reaches a container’s weight limit before it fills the space, while light, bulky cargo fills the space first. That decides whether a 20′, a 40′ or a 40′ high cube is the practical choice. Hazardous cargo is subject to carrier acceptance and a surcharge, and oversized cargo needs open-top or flat-rack equipment, which is quoted separately.

US origin port and routing

East Coast departures often sail direct: New York to Nhava Sheva is the quickest listed pair at 28–36 days. West Coast and Gulf departures usually transship through hubs such as Colombo or Jebel Ali, which changes both transit time and price: Houston to Nhava Sheva is listed at 32–45 days and Los Angeles to Nhava Sheva at 36–48 days. Trucking or railing the cargo from your facility to the port is part of the cost, so the nearest port is not always the cheapest overall.

Season, surcharges and contract or spot

Carriers announce general rate increases and surcharges, such as fuel adjustments or charges tied to a routing change, sometimes at short notice, so a quote holds only for the validity dates it states. Recurring export programs can be placed on carrier contracts with protected space; one-off shipments move on spot rates.

US origin charges and Indian destination charges

The ocean freight covers port to port. Origin charges in the USA (pickup and drayage to the port, export documents and the AES filing, and terminal handling) and destination charges in India (terminal handling, CFS charges, customs clearance and final delivery) are separate lines. Detention and demurrage, charged for keeping a container past its free days, differ by carrier and terminal at Indian ports, so confirm your free days when you book.

Indian import duties

Duties in India are not part of the freight, but they are part of what the shipment costs your consignee. They depend on the HS classification of the goods and are paid in India before the cargo is released: Basic Customs Duty at the rate set for the HS code, a Social Welfare Surcharge of 10% of the customs duties payable, and IGST at the GST rate for the same goods sold in India, calculated on the assessable value plus the customs duties. Registered importers can generally claim the IGST as input credit. Agree the HS code with your consignee before you ship, since it drives the duty on the Bill of Entry.

Air or ocean

Air freight is billed on chargeable weight, the greater of actual and volumetric weight, so for dense, urgent cargo the gap between the two modes can be smaller than you might expect. Run the shipment through the chargeable weight calculator before you compare.

Cargo insurance

A carrier’s liability for loss or damage is limited by law and by the bill of lading terms, and it is not insurance. Cargo insurance is optional and is priced on the insured value and the type of goods; say in your request if you want it quoted.

When EEI must be filed in AES

• Electronic Export Information (EEI) must be filed in the Automated Export System (AES), reached through the ACE portal, when goods under any single Schedule B number are worth more than $2,500, or whenever an export license is required, whatever the value.
• Lines worth $2,500 or less per Schedule B number are exempt: the shipping documents carry the exemption legend NOEEI 30.37(a) instead of an ITN.
• AES returns an Internal Transaction Number (ITN). Under 15 CFR 30.7, the ITN or the exemption legend must be annotated on the first page of the bill of lading or air waybill before the carrier loads the cargo.
• Airlift’s US office files the EEI as your authorized agent and sends you the ITN before the document cut-off. The EEI replaced the paper Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) when AES filing became mandatory in 2008.

Schedule B vs. HTS codes

• US exports are classified with 10-digit Schedule B numbers published by the Census Bureau. An HTS number may be reported in the EEI instead, except where the HTS headnotes say otherwise.
• The first six digits are the international HS code, the same root your Indian importer will use on the Bill of Entry. Agree the classification with your consignee before you ship.

Standard vs. routed transactions: who files the EEI

• Standard transaction: the US exporter (USPPI) controls the shipment and gives the forwarder the data needed to file the EEI.
• Routed transaction: the foreign buyer (the Foreign Principal Party in Interest, or FPPI) directs the shipment and authorizes a US agent to file the EEI on its behalf; the USPPI must still supply its own data elements. If your Indian buyer has nominated a forwarder in the US, it is usually a routed transaction, so confirm who files before the booking is placed.

Export controls: EAR and ITAR

• Most commercial goods are EAR99 and need no license for India. Items on the Commerce Control List carry an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) and may require a license from the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), depending on the item, end user and end use. Check the ECCN against the Country Chart and screen the consignee against the restricted-party lists.
• Defense articles and technical data on the US Munitions List fall under ITAR: the exporter must be registered with the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) and hold a license before export. Tell us at booking if any line is licensed so the license details go on the EEI.

What the importer needs before arrival

• An Importer Exporter Code (IEC): the 10-digit code issued by India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), mandatory for commercial imports unless a specific exemption applies.
• A GSTIN (GST registration), so the IGST paid at import can be claimed as input credit under the GST rules.
• The commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading, with values and HS classification matching the AES filing, plus any product certificate the goods require.

Bill of Entry on ICEGATE

• The Bill of Entry is the main import declaration, filed electronically on ICEGATE, Indian Customs’ EDI gateway. Customs uses it to assess duty, evaluate risk and release the goods.
• Customs checks classification and value against the invoice and packing list, so keep your documents consistent with what was declared at export.

How the duty is calculated

• Basic Customs Duty (BCD): the rate set for the HS code in the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, applied to the assessable value.
• Social Welfare Surcharge (SWS): 10% of the total customs duties payable, not 10% of the goods’ value.
• Integrated GST (IGST), under section 3(7) of the Customs Tariff Act: the GST rate for the same goods sold within India, calculated on the assessable value plus the customs duties. Registered importers can generally claim it as input credit.

Product certification and restrictions

• Electronics and IT goods notified under the Compulsory Registration Order, 2012 must be registered with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS); importing unregistered or non-compliant notified products is prohibited.
• Products under a Quality Control Order, including many steel items, must carry the BIS ISI mark before they can be imported.
• Second-hand capital goods are freely importable under Foreign Trade Policy 2023 paragraph 2.31, with exceptions: desktop computers, refurbished spares of personal computers and laptops, air conditioners and diesel generating sets are restricted and need a DGFT authorization. Refurbished spares of other capital goods are free with a chartered engineer certificate showing at least 80% residual life. Used electronics covered by the Compulsory Registration Order are restricted.

Top four by container volume:

• Machinery and equipment
• Industrial raw materials
• Chemicals (non-hazardous)
• Consumer goods

Also handled:

Agricultural inputs, automotive parts and construction materials.

At origin (USA)

• EEI filed through AES (Automated Export System), with the ITN annotated on the bill of lading
• Commercial invoice and packing list required
• Export documents processed by Airlift’s US office

At destination (India)

• Bill of Entry filed on ICEGATE under the importer’s IEC
• Basic Customs Duty, Social Welfare Surcharge and IGST may apply
• Customs filing coordinated by Airlift’s India office with CHA support

Before you choose a forwarder, check for:

• An FMC license and NVOCC bond, so the forwarder can issue its own bills of lading.
• Its own staff in India rather than a destination agent, since the customs entry and delivery happen there.
• AES filing done by the forwarder, with the ITN returned to you before the vessel cut-off.
• Clear estimates of Indian destination charges: terminal, CFS, duty and delivery.
• Live tracking and document access for both you and your consignee.