Import guide · Stage 1 of 10 · The Sourcing Trail
Import Stage 1: choose the supplier, before you order
Six stations to cross before you pay a rupee. Pin down the goods, check the policy, approvals, duty and origin, and check the supplier. Clear each hurdle, earn each badge, and finish as a Supplier Sage. Prefer reading? Use the plain guide button.
6 stationsAbout 8 minutesTap a station, swipe the cardsClear a hurdle, earn a badge
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Sourcing Cadet
0 of 6 stations0 XP
Tap a station to open it. Clear each hurdle to earn its badge and unlock the next.
Station 1 of 6
Pin down exactly what you are importing
Station 1 of 6 · Badge: Clear Brief
Pin down exactly what you are importing
Say precisely what the goods are, in words Customs will accept.
What you do
- Name, material, use, model
- Datasheet or catalogue from the supplier
- Settle the 8-digit HS code
- Note the quantity and packing
Keep these ready
- Catalogue, specification or datasheet
- Composition or test report, where the code depends on it
- Photographs, if the goods are unusual
- Draft purchase specification
Watch out
- Descriptions such as "parts" or "accessories" that fit three different codes.
- Using the code the supplier's country uses.
- Used or refurbished goods bought without checking the conditions.
Pro tip
If you cannot describe the goods in two lines, Customs cannot classify them in two minutes. Write it before you ask for a price.
Full details for this station
Everything later, the duty, the approvals and the filing, hangs on what the goods are. A vague brief gives you a vague code and a vague bill.
How to do it
- Write a one-line description: what it is, what it is made of, what it does and its model or grade.
- Ask the supplier for a catalogue, specification or datasheet. For chemicals, also ask for the composition and the safety data sheet.
- Shortlist the HS code? with our free HS Code Finder and the chapter notes. Do not copy the supplier's code.
- Decide the quantity, the packing and whether the goods are new, used or refurbished. Used and refurbished goods can have their own conditions.
Documents to keep ready
- Catalogue, specification or datasheet
- Composition or test report, where the code depends on it
- Photographs, if the goods are unusual
- Draft purchase specification
What the documents must show
- Goods description
- Plain words: what it is, the material, the use, the model. For example "Stainless steel kitchen sink, 304 grade, for household use", not "Spares".
- Safety data sheet
- Needed for chemicals and some other goods. It comes from the maker and lists the hazards, handling and emergency measures.
Time and cost
- Brief and datasheet: a day or two, waiting for the supplier.
- HS shortlist: an hour, longer for technical goods.
- No Customs charge at this stage.
Where people get stuck
- Descriptions such as "parts" or "accessories" that fit three different codes.
- Using the code the supplier's country uses.
- Used or refurbished goods bought without checking the conditions.
Station 2 of 6
Check the import policy
Station 2 of 6 · Badge: Green Light Pass
Check the import policy
Find out whether the goods are Free, Restricted or Prohibited.
What you do
- Look up your code in ITC(HS)
- Free: carry on
- Restricted: licence first
- Prohibited: stop
Keep these ready
- IEC? certificate
- Import authorisation or permission, if Restricted
- Printout of the policy entry for your code, for your records
Watch out
- Finding out at the port that the goods were Restricted.
- An authorisation that has expired, or was issued to a different importer.
- Assuming a Free item has no other rules.
Pro tip
Print or save the policy entry with its date. If the policy changes later, you can show what applied when you ordered.
Full details for this station
India's import policy puts every goods code into one of three boxes. You want to know which box before you pay anything.
How to do it
- Look up your 8-digit code in the ITC(HS) import policy, which DGFT publishes on its website, and read the policy condition against it.
- Free: you may import without a licence, though other rules can still apply.
- Restricted: you need an authorisation or permission from DGFT or the department named in the policy. Apply before you place the order.
- Prohibited: the goods cannot be imported. Do not order them.
- Check the DGFT notifications for any recent change to the policy for your code. Policies change by notification, so check on the day you order.
Documents to keep ready
- IEC? certificate
- Import authorisation or permission, if Restricted
- Printout of the policy entry for your code, for your records
What the documents must show
- Import authorisation
- Issued online through DGFT. Keep the number and the validity date. It is quoted in the Bill of Entry.
Time and cost
- Policy check: minutes.
- Authorisation: days to weeks, so start before the order.
- No Customs charge at this stage.
Where people get stuck
- Finding out at the port that the goods were Restricted.
- An authorisation that has expired, or was issued to a different importer.
- Assuming a Free item has no other rules.
Station 3 of 6
Check approvals from other agencies
Station 3 of 6 · Badge: Seal Collector
Check approvals from other agencies
Some goods also need another body's approval or certificate.
What you do
- BIS for notified products
- FSSAI for food
- WPC or MeitY for electronics and radio
- Quarantine for plants and animals
Keep these ready
- Agency registration or approval number
- Test report from an accepted lab, where required
- Application copy and receipt
- Product label or sample
Watch out
- Approval held by the supplier but not in the importer's name.
- Samples tested but not by an accepted lab.
- Assuming the Free policy status means no other rules.
Pro tip
Ask the agency or us before you order. A registration that takes six weeks can make a fast shipment pointless.
Full details for this station
The import policy is one gate. Many goods also have to satisfy the rules of the agency that looks after them.
How to do it
- Find out whether a quality or safety rule applies to your goods: for example BIS certification for products covered by a quality control order, MeitY registration for notified electronics, or WPC approval for wireless items.
- For food, check the FSSAI import clearance rules.
- For plants, seeds, animals and their products, check plant and animal quarantine requirements.
- For medicines, medical devices and chemicals, check the CDSCO or the relevant pollution or chemical rules.
- Ask the agency, or us, in writing if you are not sure. Keep the reply.
Documents to keep ready
- Agency registration or approval number
- Test report from an accepted lab, where required
- Application copy and receipt
- Product label or sample
What the documents must show
- Agency approval
- Each agency gives its own certificate or registration number. Keep the number and expiry date. Customs checks them against the goods at the port.
Time and cost
- Check: a day.
- Registration or testing: weeks, sometimes months, so start early.
- Fees and test charges depend on the agency.
Where people get stuck
- Approval held by the supplier but not in the importer's name.
- Samples tested but not by an accepted lab.
- Assuming the Free policy status means no other rules.
Station 4 of 6
Work out the duty, and check for extra duties
Station 4 of 6 · Badge: Duty Decoder
Work out the duty, and check for extra duties
The code gives you the duty. Check for anti-dumping and other extra duties too.
What you do
- BCD from the tariff
- Social Welfare Surcharge
- IGST on the total
- Anti-dumping or safeguard duty
Keep these ready
- Customs Tariff page or notification for your code
- Exemption notification number, if you claim one
- Duty working sheet
Watch out
- Forgetting the surcharge or IGST when budgeting.
- Using last year's rate.
- Missing an anti-dumping duty on goods from one country.
Pro tip
Ask for the sum on the day you order and again when the ship sails. If the duty changes in between, you want to know before you file.
Full details for this station
A price that looks good can change once duties are added. Do the sum now, and look for extra duties that apply to your goods or the supplier's country.
How to do it
- Read the duty rates against your code: BCD?, Social Welfare Surcharge? and IGST on imports?, which is charged on the Assessable value? plus the duties.
- Check whether any exemption notification applies and what conditions it sets.
- Check whether anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or safeguard duty has been imposed on your goods, especially from the supplier's country. These are notified by the Ministry of Finance, on the recommendation of the trade remedies authority.
- Check any other levy or cess that applies to the goods.
- Write the answer in a landed cost sheet, with the date of the rates you used.
Documents to keep ready
- Customs Tariff page or notification for your code
- Exemption notification number, if you claim one
- Duty working sheet
What the documents must show
- Landed cost sheet
- A simple table: goods price, freight, insurance, each customs duty, port and clearance charges, inland transport. Note the date of the duty rates.
Time and cost
- Duty work-out: an hour for simple goods, a day for technical goods.
- Rates change by notification, so refresh the sheet before you pay the advance.
Where people get stuck
- Forgetting the surcharge or IGST when budgeting.
- Using last year's rate.
- Missing an anti-dumping duty on goods from one country.
Station 5 of 6
Check origin and any trade-agreement benefit
Station 5 of 6 · Badge: Origin Scout
Check origin and any trade-agreement benefit
Where the goods are made can lower the duty, if you can prove it.
What you do
- Which country made the goods
- Does a trade agreement apply
- Certificate of Origin in the right form
- Keep the proof of origin
Keep these ready
- Certificate of Origin? issued by the authority named in the agreement
- Supplier declaration or cost sheet supporting origin
- Copy of the agreement's origin rule for your product
Watch out
- A certificate issued in the wrong format.
- Goods only transhipped through a partner country, not made there.
- No supporting records when Customs asks for them.
Pro tip
Ask for a draft certificate before the goods ship. A mistake is cheap to fix before the date of issue.
Full details for this station
A trade agreement can reduce the duty, but only if the goods really originate in the partner country and you hold the proof.
How to do it
- Ask the supplier where the goods were made, not where they are shipped from.
- Check whether India has a trade agreement with that country and whether your product is covered.
- Read the origin rule for your product and ask the supplier for the Certificate of Origin? in the form the agreement requires.
- Keep the information that shows the goods meet the origin rule, because Customs can ask for it.
- Where origin is not proved, the normal duty applies.
Documents to keep ready
- Certificate of Origin? issued by the authority named in the agreement
- Supplier declaration or cost sheet supporting origin
- Copy of the agreement's origin rule for your product
What the documents must show
- Certificate of Origin
- In the format required by the agreement and issued by the authority named in it. A wrong format or an issuer not on the list means the benefit can be refused.
Time and cost
- Check: a day or two.
- Certificate: arranged by the supplier, usually days.
- A missing certificate cannot be fixed on arrival, so ask before shipment.
Where people get stuck
- A certificate issued in the wrong format.
- Goods only transhipped through a partner country, not made there.
- No supporting records when Customs asks for them.
Station 6 of 6
Check the supplier before you commit
Station 6 of 6 · Badge: Trust Check
Check the supplier before you commit
Make sure the supplier is real, and that the bank details are theirs.
What you do
- Company name and address check
- Trade references
- Sample before bulk
- Bank account in the company's name
Keep these ready
- Company registration and address proof of the supplier
- Trade references
- Sample or inspection report
- Written purchase terms
Watch out
- Paying to a personal account or a different company's account.
- A website created last month.
- Advance paid in full on the first order.
Pro tip
If a supplier asks you to change the bank account at the last minute, phone them on a number you already had before you pay.
Full details for this station
Most import losses start with a supplier who was never checked. A short check costs far less than a lost advance.
How to do it
- Check the company name, address, website and phone, and match them across the documents they send.
- Ask for two or three trade references and call them.
- Ask for a sample or an inspection report before a bulk order.
- Check that the bank account for payment is in the supplier's own company name, in the country they ship from.
- Start with a smaller first order if you can. Increase it once the supplier has delivered.
- Agree the terms, the date and the quality standard in writing.
Documents to keep ready
- Company registration and address proof of the supplier
- Trade references
- Sample or inspection report
- Written purchase terms
What the documents must show
- Supplier details
- Legal name, address, registration number, contact person, bank name and account in the company's name. Keep them on file.
Time and cost
- Check: a few days.
- Sample: days to weeks, plus courier time.
- A lost advance usually cannot be recovered.
Where people get stuck
- Paying to a personal account or a different company's account.
- A website created last month.
- Advance paid in full on the first order.
Words used on this page
Assessable value: The value on which duty is calculated. Usually the transaction value plus freight, insurance and landing charges.
BCD: Basic Customs Duty. The main import duty, charged as a percentage of the assessable value.
Certificate of Origin: A document that says in which country the goods were made. Needed for a duty benefit under a trade agreement.
HS code: Harmonised System code. An international product code. India uses 8 digits for duty and for Customs filings.
IEC: Importer Exporter Code. A 10-character code issued by DGFT. You need it to import or export goods as a business.
IGST on imports: Integrated GST charged at the port on the value plus duties. A GST-registered business can usually claim it as input tax credit.
Social Welfare Surcharge: An added charge worked out on the Basic Customs Duty, at the rate notified. Some goods are exempt.
Questions people ask
Do I need an IEC to import?
Importing for business generally needs an IEC?. Check the current rules for your case with DGFT or with us.
Where is the import policy for my goods?
In the ITC(HS) schedule published by DGFT on dgft.gov.in. Look up your 8-digit code and read the policy condition.
What if I am not sure of the HS code?
Use our free HS Code Finder to shortlist it, then send us the product details. We will confirm it.
Can I ask the supplier to fill the forms?
The supplier can help with the datasheet and certificates. The declaration to Customs is yours, so the details must be right.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is practical guidance. Rules change, so confirm the position on the date of your order.
Want us to check your goods before you order?
Send two lines about your goods and the country. We will tell you the policy, the approvals and the duty that apply. It is just a call and a message away.
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Last checked: 12 November 2026. Based on the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 and ITC(HS) import policy (DGFT), the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 and the Customs Act, 1962 (CBIC). Rules and notifications change, so confirm the position on the date of your order.