Customs Clearance

Customs clearance is the regulatory process a shipment goes through when leaving India (export clearance) and when entering the destination country (import clearance). Understanding both sides helps you predict where delays are likely to come from.

Export clearance (India)

Indian Customs, operating under CBIC, reviews the shipping bill (CSB-IV or CSB-V for courier-mode exports) against the commercial invoice and, for commercial shipments, the exporter's IEC. For a compliant, correctly-documented courier shipment, this step is usually fast — often completed the same day the shipment is booked — because most of it happens electronically through the courier's integrated customs filing.

What causes export-side delays: a declared value on the invoice that doesn't match the shipping bill, an invalid or missing IEC for a commercial shipment, or a goods description too vague to classify.

Import clearance (destination country)

Once the shipment arrives, the destination country's customs authority assesses it — checking the declared value, classifying the goods (usually via an HS/tariff code), calculating any applicable duty and tax, and clearing it for entry. This step is entirely under the destination country's rules, not India's, and varies significantly by country.

A specific and current example: for US-bound shipments, this step now applies to every single parcel regardless of value, following the 2025 suspension of the $800 de-minimis exemption for all countries — see Customs Information for Shipping to USA. This is a meaningful change from the older norm where low-value parcels often cleared with minimal formality.

What causes import-side delays: duty/tax assessment and payment (especially where duty is collected on delivery rather than prepaid), incomplete recipient information, or the goods falling into a restricted category requiring extra review — see Restricted Items.

How to keep clearance smooth on both sides

1. Match your commercial invoice value to your shipping bill exactly
2. Use a specific, accurate goods description — never a vague placeholder
3. Have a valid IEC ready for any commercial shipment
4. Understand and plan for the destination country's duty rules before you ship, not after
5. Provide complete, reachable recipient contact information

What to do if a shipment is held

Check the specific reason given (most tracking systems will show a customs-hold status with some detail), and act on it directly — pay the duty if that's the block, provide additional documentation if requested, or contact your courier's customs support team if the reason isn't clear. Most holds resolve within days once the specific requirement is addressed.