Customs is the part of international shipping most first-time exporters find confusing — not because it's arbitrary, but because it runs on its own paperwork, its own terminology (shipping bills, HS codes, duties vs. taxes), and its own timelines that sit outside the courier's direct control.
This hub is the reference for the customs and compliance side of shipping from India: the shipping bill types used for courier-mode exports (CSB-IV vs CSB-V), how customs clearance actually works end-to-end, how duties and taxes are calculated on the receiving end, and what is prohibited or merely restricted when shipping internationally.
Guides in this hub
Getting these right before you book a shipment is what prevents the two most common failure modes in international shipping: a parcel held at customs because of missing or incorrect paperwork, and a recipient hit with unexpected duty charges because nobody set expectations up front.
For the export paperwork itself (commercial invoice, IEC code, KYC), see the Export Documentation hub — customs and documentation are closely related but covered separately here so each stays focused.