Shared container
Under roughly 300 cu ft · groupage or LCL
You pay for the space you occupy in a container shared with others bound for India. Good value for a flat or a single posting, though consolidation and deconsolidation add time at both ends.
Moving to India
India rewards preparation more than almost any destination we serve. The sea route is well established and the ports are busy and capable. What decides how smoothly a move goes is customs: whether you qualify for transfer of residence, how your goods are valued, and whether you are in the country, passport in hand, when the container lands.
Last reviewed:
The route at a glance
- Ships from
- Southampton, Felixstowe, London Gateway
- Arrives at
- Nhava Sheva, Chennai, Mundra, Kolkata, Kochi
- Typical transit
- 7–12 weeks door to door
- Air freight
- 5–8 days
- Book by
- 10 weeks before you fly
Transfer of residenceDuty relief depends on how long you have lived abroad
Arrive firstYour goods cannot be cleared until you are in India
TelevisionsFlat-screen sets are dutiable, even under the concession
E-cigarettesBanned outright, and seized on arrival
A generous concession, if you qualify for it
Many of the people we move to India are going home: British Indians and returning Indian nationals after years in the UK, often with a full household behind them. Indian customs offers a transfer of residence concession for exactly this, and it can take a large share of the duty off used household goods. It is also conditional, value-capped and assessed carefully, so whether you qualify is the first question we answer at survey, not the last.
The second thing to understand is valuation. Indian customs assess duty on their own view of what your goods are worth, not simply on the figure you write down. A clear, honest, itemised inventory is the best protection you have, and it is the part of the paperwork we spend the most time on.
Mumbai · Hyderabad · The port
Four ways to ship, and how to choose
Volume decides it first, urgency second. We recommend one after your survey and show you the alternative price rather than quietly choosing the bigger box.
Sole-use 20ft container
Roughly 1,000 cu ft · one to two bedrooms
Yours alone, sailing when it is loaded and opened only for your own customs examination. Many families prefer it here for that reason alone.
Sole-use 40ft container
Roughly 2,200 cu ft · three to five bedrooms
Common on this route, because people returning home after a long career in the UK often bring a whole house. Worth pairing with a careful conversation about duty on anything new.
Air freight
Priced by weight · 5–8 days
Into Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai or Hyderabad. Used for the essentials that need to be with you in the first weeks, and cleared under the same baggage rules as your sea shipment.
What it costs to ship
Most movers make you fill in a form before they will discuss money. Here is the shape of it up front — and, unlike most published prices in this trade, an honest account of what these figures do and do not cover.
| Size of move | Shipping, port to port | Packing and UK collection |
|---|---|---|
| Small move, shared containerA flat, a student move, part of a house | Price on request — ask for a quote | Quoted per move |
| 20ft containerTypically a three-bedroom house | Price on request — ask for a quote | Price on request — ask for a quote |
| 40ft containerFour bedrooms and upwards | Price on request — ask for a quote | Price on request — ask for a quote |
The middle column is the shipping, and only the shipping. It is the cost of moving the container from a UK port to the destination port. The third column adds packing to export standard and collection from your home. Still to come on top of both: customs clearance at each end, any duty assessed in India, inland haulage to a container depot such as Delhi or Bengaluru, insurance, destination charges and delivery into your new home. Those are quoted per shipment, and every one of them is explained with published figures on what your quote doesn’t include.
We split it out this way because a shipping figure presented as the price of a move is how an advertised number ends up a couple of thousand pounds below what anybody actually pays. Ranges are indicative, move with sailing rates and the season, and depend on your actual packed volume — which is why we survey before we quote. The same figures for every destination, with a worked example, are on what an international move costs.
How long it takes
Door to door, from UK collection to delivery at your Indian address. Planning figures rather than guarantees: the sea leg is predictable, clearance is where time is won or lost.
| Destination | Shared container | Sole-use container |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai and PuneVia Nhava Sheva (JNPT) | 8–11 weeks | 7–9 weeks |
| Delhi NCRGurugram, Noida · via Mundra or Nhava Sheva, then rail to an inland depot | 9–12 weeks | 8–11 weeks |
| Bengaluru and ChennaiVia Chennai port, or an inland depot at Whitefield | 9–12 weeks | 8–10 weeks |
| HyderabadVia Chennai or Nhava Sheva, then by road or rail | 9–12 weeks | 8–11 weeks |
| Kerala and GoaVia Kochi, or Mormugao and Nhava Sheva | 9–12 weeks | 8–10 weeks |
| Kolkata and the eastVia Kolkata port | 10–12 weeks | 8–11 weeks |
| Air freightDelhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad | 5–8 days, plus clearance | |
The sea leg to the west coast through Suez is around four to five weeks. Inland cities add rail or road haulage to a container depot, and every shipment adds customs examination, which in India is usually physical. The monsoon, roughly June to September, can slow port operations and deliveries, particularly in Mumbai and Kerala.
What a Halo move to India includes
Quoted as one price, delivered as one service. Anything not on this list is named in your quotation rather than discovered later.
- Pre-move survey by video call or in person, with a written volume assessment
- An early check on whether you qualify for transfer of residence
- Export-standard packing and materials, including custom crating for fragile pieces
- A detailed, itemised and valued inventory, written for Indian customs valuation
- Collection from any UK address, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Sea freight to the Indian port best placed for your address, or air freight for priority items
- UK export documentation and the Indian baggage declaration
- Attendance at customs examination by our destination agent, alongside you or on your authority
- Inland haulage to Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other cities away from the coast
- Society permissions, gate passes and lift bookings arranged with your building
- Unpacking, furniture reassembly and removal of packing debris on the same day
- One named consultant, contactable directly, from survey through to final delivery
Indian customs, in plain terms
Household goods enter India as unaccompanied baggage, cleared against your passport and your own arrival. The rules are detailed, the examination is thorough, and a small number of items cause most of the difficulty.
What actually causes problems
None of this is obscure. It catches people out because these items are ordinary in Britain, so they get packed without thought. Tell us at survey and we will plan around them.
- Flat-screen televisionsExcluded from the duty-free allowance, even under transfer of residence. Duty is charged on the assessed value, so an older set is often not worth the freight.
- New and boxed goodsThe concession is for personal and household articles you have owned and used. Anything new, still boxed or bought in multiples looks like trade goods and is assessed accordingly.
- E-cigarettes and vapesBanned outright in India, including for personal use. They are seized, and can cause delays to the rest of the shipment.
- Gold, jewellery and cashSubject to separate limits and declarations. Never pack them in your household shipment; carry them, declared, or leave them in the UK.
- Drones, satellite phones and radio equipmentNeed prior permission or are prohibited. Declare anything with a transmitter rather than hoping it passes.
- Alcohol, food, seeds and plantsAlcohol is tightly limited and dutiable. Meat, dairy, seeds and plant material face quarantine controls. Leave them behind.
India’s baggage rules, allowances and prohibited lists are revised from time to time. We confirm the current position at survey and give you a written list before packing.
Transfer of residence, cars and the things people get wrong
- Transfer of residence turns on time abroadThe concession is available to people genuinely moving their residence to India after a qualifying period living overseas, with only limited time spent in India during it. It covers used personal and household goods up to a set value. Stay too briefly abroad, or visit India too often, and the relief shrinks or disappears.
- You must be in India before your goods are clearedClearance is made against your original passport, showing your arrival stamp, and the shipment must arrive within a set window around your own arrival. Ship too early or fly too late and the container waits in the port at your expense.
- Shipping a car is rarely sensibleIndia drives on the left, so a British car is the right way round. But private imports are restricted to recent vehicles owned for a minimum period, homologation is required, and duty runs at well over the value of the car. We will check your eligibility and give you the honest figure before you decide.
- Your housing society sets the delivery dateApartment societies in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Delhi NCR often require a written permission, a gate pass, booked lift time and moves within set hours. We arrange it, but we need your address and the society contact early.
FurnitureApartments and houses, beds, dining sets, books and heirlooms
AppliancesIndia runs at 230 volts, so UK appliances work with a plug change or adapter
VehiclesRestricted and heavily dutied — ask us before you plan on it
Part loadsA single posting or a few boxes, in shared container space
Where we deliver
India is a continent in its own right, and the port your container uses depends on where you are going. These are the cities we deliver to most, and we reach everywhere else through our agent network.
Mumbai and Pune
Nhava Sheva (JNPT)
India’s busiest container port sits across the harbour from Mumbai, so clearance is close to home. Apartment towers mean society permissions and lift bookings; Pune is a few hours inland by road.
Delhi NCR
Mundra or Nhava Sheva, then rail to an inland depot
Delhi, Gurugram and Noida are a long way from the sea, so containers travel by rail to an inland container depot for clearance. It adds a week or two, and we build it into the plan.
Bengaluru
Chennai, or the Whitefield inland depot
Home to a great many returning professionals and technology postings. Gated communities and apartment complexes are the norm, each with its own move-in rules and permitted hours.
Chennai
Chennai port
A major port with its own customs house, which makes clearance straightforward when you are delivering locally. Also the gateway for much of Tamil Nadu and, by road, for Bengaluru.
Hyderabad
Chennai or Nhava Sheva, then inland
Fast-growing, with large new residential developments in the western suburbs. Containers reach the city by road or rail from the coast, so allow a little longer than for Mumbai or Chennai.
Kerala, Goa and the rest
Kochi, Mormugao, Kolkata and beyond
Kochi serves Kerala directly, and Goa is reached through its own port or by road from Mumbai. Kolkata handles the east. Wherever you are heading, tell us the address and we will confirm the route.
When to do what
Working backwards from your flight.
10 weeks out
Book the survey and confirm the quotation. We check your transfer of residence eligibility against your dates abroad.
6 weeks out
Confirm your Indian address and housing society contact. Set aside televisions, new goods and anything restricted for a decision.
2 weeks out
We complete your itemised, valued inventory and the customs paperwork. Keep passport copies and documents in your hand luggage.
Packing day
We pack, inventory and load over one to two days, with humidity-sensitive items protected for the monsoon climate.
On arrival
You land first. We clear the shipment against your passport, attend the examination and deliver within your society’s permitted hours.
Moving to India: common questions
What does a move to India cost?
Volume first, then the city. A container delivered in Mumbai or Chennai, close to the port, costs less to land than one that has to travel inland to Delhi or Hyderabad. Duty is the other variable, and depends on whether you qualify for transfer of residence. Use the volume estimator on our home page for a sense of scale, then let us survey and quote.
Will I pay duty on my belongings?
That depends on how long you have lived abroad and how much time you have spent in India during it. If you qualify for transfer of residence, used personal and household goods are relieved up to a set value, with flat-screen televisions and some other items excluded. If you do not qualify, duty on household goods is substantial. We check your position at survey.
Do I need to be in India when my goods arrive?
Yes. Your shipment is cleared against your original passport showing your arrival in India, and you will usually be asked to attend the examination or authorise our agent to act for you. Goods that arrive long before you do sit in the port accruing charges.
Can I bring my car?
Rarely sensibly. Private imports are restricted to recent vehicles you have owned for a minimum period, and duty runs at well over the car’s value. We check your eligibility before quoting, and will tell you if it is not worth it.
Will my UK appliances work?
Yes, with a change of plug or an adapter. India runs at 230 volts, close to the UK, though the sockets are different. Voltage fluctuation is common, so a stabiliser is worth having for expensive electronics.
What should I not pack?
Vapes and e-cigarettes, which are banned. Gold, jewellery and cash, which must travel with you and be declared. Drones, satellite phones, alcohol, food, seeds and plants all need decisions in advance. We give you a written list before packing.
Do you move people back from India to the UK?
Yes. Returning to Britain after twelve consecutive months abroad may qualify you for Transfer of Residence relief, which must be applied for before your goods arrive.
Get a quotation for India
Tell us where you're heading and roughly when. A consultant will come back within one working day to arrange a survey.
- Asia desk
- 07749 924755
- india@halointernationalrelocations.com
- Not sure of your volume?
- Use the move estimator for an indicative figure in about thirty seconds, then send it through with your enquiry.
- Also considering the UAE or Singapore?
- Read our guide to moving to the UAE or to Singapore, or see every destination we serve.