Shipping From the US to India: What You'll Actually Pay at Both Ends

When people ask what it costs to ship from the US to India, they usually mean the courier bill. That's half of it. India is one of the few corridors where the second half, what customs charges when the box lands, can be as big as the first.

Let's take both halves in order.

The courier half

Shipping cost to India comes down to billable weight, the greater of what the box weighs and its dimensional weight (length × width × height in inches, divided by 139), and the service tier you choose. FedEx Express to India comes in a faster and a slower tier, and the slower one costs less.

Here's a live quote for a laptop in its retail box, so you can see what a typical electronics shipment looks like today:

Rates change, which is why that number is pulled live and not typed in. For your own box, the shipping calculator takes your actual dimensions.

The customs half

Here's the part that catches people out. India doesn't have a value-based duty-free threshold for purchased goods sent by courier. A $30 order and a $300 order both go through assessment.

For personal-use goods, the usual route is customs heading 9804: 10% basic customs duty, plus a 10% surcharge on that duty, plus 18% IGST on the sum. Stack those and you land at roughly 30% of the goods' value. It's an estimate, since the exact figure depends on the item's classification, so treat "roughly 30%" as a planning number rather than a promise.

That's lower than it used to be. Budget 2026-27 cut the duty on goods imported for personal use from 20% to 10%.

Two practical things:

• KYC. Individuals complete courier KYC with one ID: Aadhaar, passport, PAN or voter ID. Have it ready so the package doesn't sit while someone chases you.
• Declare it honestly. A paid order is a purchase and gets declared as one at what you paid. Labeling a purchase as a gift is not a workaround. Gifts by courier are banned except under narrow rules, and getting it wrong is how packages end up held.

A quick worked example

Take a laptop bought for a family member in Bengaluru. Courier quote from the box above, goods value on the invoice, then roughly 30% of that value assessed in India on top. People forget the second line and then feel ambushed at the door. The exact figure depends on how the item is classified, so use the calculator number as a plan, not a promise.

So what does the whole thing cost?

Add the two halves. Say the courier quote above comes back at X and the goods are worth Y: you'll owe X, plus Y itself if we bought it for you, plus roughly 30% of the goods' value on arrival. The 30% is paid in India, not at Shipbird checkout.

If you want a US store's item bought and sent, the India guide covers the buying side, including why Indian cards get declined at US checkout. For a live number, the Ship to India page has the quote form.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a duty-free limit when shipping to India by courier?

There is no value-based duty-free threshold for purchased goods sent by courier, so even a low-value order can be assessed duty.

How much duty will I pay on goods shipped to India from the US?

Personal-use goods by courier generally fall under customs heading 9804: 10% basic customs duty, a 10% surcharge on that duty, and 18% IGST, which comes to roughly 30% of the goods' value in total. Budget 2026-27 cut the personal-use duty from 20% to 10%.

What ID do I need for an international courier to India?

Individuals complete courier KYC with one ID: Aadhaar, passport, PAN or voter ID.

Anything specific about your shipment I didn't cover? hello@shipbird.io reaches me directly.