International Shipping Process

Beyond the mechanical steps of booking and delivery (covered in How International Shipping Works), there's a practical process a shipper should follow before ever creating a shipment, to avoid the most common first-time mistakes.

Before you book

1. Confirm you can legally send the item. Check both India's export restrictions and the destination country's import restrictions — see Prohibited Items and Restricted Items.
2. Get your documentation in order. A valid IEC code is required for any commercial export from India. Personal/gift parcels below the CSB-IV threshold don't need one, but commercial shipments do.
3. Decide the correct shipping bill type. CSB-IV for genuinely non-commercial shipments (samples, gifts) up to ₹25,000; CSB-V for commercial exports, which also makes you eligible for export benefits like RoDTEP. See CSB-IV vs CSB-V.
4. Weigh and measure accurately. Get the actual weight and precise dimensions before requesting a quote — see Volumetric Weight. Under-declaring either causes a price correction (or a held shipment) later.
5. Declare an accurate value. The declared value on your commercial invoice must match the shipping bill. Under-declaring to reduce duty is a compliance risk, not a savings strategy — customs can and does reassess based on the actual item.

During booking

Provide a clear, specific goods description (not "gift" or "sample" for a commercial item), the correct HS classification if you know it, and full recipient contact details including a phone number — customs and last-mile couriers frequently need to reach the recipient directly.

After booking

Track the shipment through each customs milestone, not just "in transit." If a shipment shows as held at destination customs, check whether the recipient needs to submit an ID, pay duty, or provide additional information — most holds are resolved by the recipient taking one specific action, not by waiting.

Building a repeatable process

If you ship internationally more than occasionally, standardise your invoice template, keep your IEC and KYC documents on file and up to date (IEC profiles must be confirmed annually with DGFT between April and June even with no changes), and use the same accurate weighing/measuring process every time. This is what turns international shipping from a one-off ordeal into a repeatable operation.