Import and export, step by step
Where are you in your shipment's journey?
Find your stage, open the guide that answers your question, and see how we can help at that stage and the next. Led by Shankar Jha, with 27+ years in Customs and EXIM.
Getting startedYou are here
“I am starting out. What do I need to register first?”
Find your answer
- Which registrations does your business actually need?
- Step-by-step: obtain your Importer-Exporter Code (IEC)
- ICEGATE registration and its benefits
- Digital Signature (DSC) set-up for Customs filings
- Shipment Quest: a free quiz to see where you standFree tool
Steps in this stage
- Decide what you will trade and with which country
- Get your Importer-Exporter Code (IEC)
- Register on ICEGATE and get a Digital Signature (DSC)
- Join the export promotion council and get the RCMC
- Register your bank AD code with Customs
- Find out which licences or registrations your goods need (for example FSSAI, BIS, WPC)
How we help here
We tell you which registrations your business needs, in what order, and we guide you through them.
Start-up Exim DeskRegistrations and licences
Ask us on WhatsAppNext stage: 2. Know your goods →
Know your goodsYou are here
“What is my HS code, and do my goods have rules or restrictions?”
Find your answer
- HS Code Finder: search the Indian Customs Tariff by chapterFree tool
- Which HS code is right for my product?
- How to classify goods: the 8-digit ITC-HS code explained
- Customs Advance Ruling on classification
- Product rules and certifications before you export to India
Steps in this stage
- Find the 8-digit ITC-HS code for your goods
- Check whether import is free, restricted or prohibited
- Check duty rates, certifications and labelling rules
- Check the export policy and the destination country rules
- If in doubt, seek a Customs Advance Ruling
How we help here
We give you a written view on the classification, check which approvals your goods need, and can file a Customs Advance Ruling application for you.
Classification and Customs opinionDrone imports
Ask us on WhatsAppNext stage: 3. Plan the deal →
Plan the dealYou are here
“What will this really cost, and can I trust the other party?”
Find your answer
- Landed cost and Incoterms: what an import really costs
- Customs costs that bidders miss
- How to import duty-free in India
- New exemptions under the Project Import scheme
- How to verify a buyer or supplier before you pay or ship
- Shipment Readiness Check: your document checklistFree tool
Steps in this stage
- Work out the landed cost: duty, freight, insurance, clearing charges
- Price your goods with the right Incoterm and your incentives
- Verify the buyer or supplier before you commit
- Agree the contract or proforma invoice with clear terms
How we help here
We work out the duty and landed cost, check your documents and the other party before you commit, and tell you what could go wrong.
Shipment Readiness CheckExim Compliance Desk
Ask us on WhatsAppNext stage: 4. Pay and protect →
Pay and protectYou are here
“How do I pay or get paid safely, and insure the cargo?”
Find your answer
- Getting paid safely: Letters of Credit, open account and cargo insurance
- Insure your cargo before it moves
- Clueless about an IDPMS error in the bank?
Steps in this stage
- Choose the payment term: advance, Letter of Credit or open account
- Check that documents match the payment terms
- Insure the cargo
- Consider export credit insurance (ECGC)
How we help here
We check that your documents match your payment terms and help you arrange marine cargo insurance.
Ask us on WhatsAppNext stage: 5. Move the goods →
Move the goodsYou are here
“Where is my cargo, and are my shipping documents right?”
Find your answer
- Door-to-door international shipments, with Customs handled properly
- Essential documents for smooth Customs clearance
- Shipment TrackerFree tool
- Ship Finder: ships on a live map around Indian portsFree tool
- Warehousing of bonded goods: compliance tips
- E-commerce export: shipping from India to the USA and UK
Steps in this stage
- Book freight through a registered forwarder
- Prepare the invoice, packing list and other documents
- Pack, mark and stuff the container
- Receive the Bill of Lading and arrival notice
- Track the cargo and the vessel
- Use a bonded warehouse if you need to defer duty
How we help here
We arrange door-to-door shipments through registered freight and clearing partners, with Customs handled properly from the start.
Ask us on WhatsAppNext stage: 6. Clear Customs →
Clear CustomsYou are here
“My goods are at the port, or Customs has sent me a query.”
Find your answer
- A Customs query on your shipment? We draft the reply
- How to reply to a Customs query without losing time or money
- Customs query case notes (real cases, details removed)
- Drone import and Customs clearance
Steps in this stage
- File the Bill of Entry
- Assessment, query and examination by Customs
- Pay duty and get the out-of-charge order
- File the Shipping Bill
- Examination and the Let Export Order (LEO)
- If Customs raises a query, reply in time with the right documents
How we help here
This is our core work. We study the query, your documents and the rules that apply to your goods, and draft the reply. The fee is quoted in writing before we start.
Ask us on WhatsAppNext stage: 7. Resolve problems →
Resolve problemsYou are here
“Customs has raised a dispute, a demand or a penalty, or I already have a draft reply.”
Find your answer
- Have your draft reply reviewed before you submit it
- Customs query case notes
- Quality complaints and trade disputes (QCTD)
- Customs Advance Ruling: settle a classification doubt
Steps in this stage
- Read any notice or show cause carefully
- Have your draft reply reviewed before you submit it
- Reply with facts, documents and the rules in force
- Appeal or seek settlement where needed
- Quality complaints and trade disputes (QCTD)
How we help here
We review your draft against the query, your documents and the rules, and give you a corrected final draft.
Draft reply reviewCustoms query reply
Ask us on WhatsAppNext stage: 8. Claim what is due →
Claim what is dueYou are here
“Am I getting every incentive, refund and drawback I am entitled to?”
Find your answer
- Export incentives like RoDTEP
- EPCG redemption: step-by-step guide
- Section 74: duty drawback on re-exported goods
Steps in this stage
- Realise the export payment and close it in the bank (IDPMS)
- Claim RoDTEP and duty drawback
- Redeem your EPCG authorisation
- Claim drawback on goods re-exported (Section 74)
- Check refund or provisional assessment closure
How we help here
We check which incentives and drawbacks apply to your shipments and help you claim them correctly.
Ask us on WhatsAppNext stage: 9. Stay compliant →
Stay compliantYou are here
“I ship regularly and want one expert on call.”
Find your answer
- Exim Compliance Desk: a consultant on call through the year
- Start-up Exim Desk
- Resources: all our guides
- About Multimodal
Steps in this stage
- Keep records and the IEC and registrations up to date
- Check new notifications that affect your goods
- Have a consultant review shipments before they move
How we help here
A yearly desk: queries answered, shipments checked before they move, and replies drafted when Customs asks.
Exim Compliance DeskStart-up Exim Desk
Ask us on WhatsAppNot sure where you are?
Tell us in two lines what is happening: the goods, the country or port, and what you need. We tell you the stage you are at, what to do next and what we will charge, in writing, before any work starts. We reply within one working day (Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 7 PM IST).
Multimodal Logistic Systems Private Limited, Pune, India. We are consultants, not a law firm. Rules and notifications change; we check those in force on the date of your query.