India, as the largest country in the South Asian subcontinent, has 12 major ports, including Mumbai, Calcutta, Chinatown (formerly called Madras), Cochin, Goa, etc., accounting for three-quarters of the domestic cargo volume of India.The MaritimeCapacity ranked 18th in the world, however, Chinas shipping to Indias Calcutta port requires transfer through other ports, including Colombo, Vishakapatna, Krishna Patna, Port of Basin, Singapore and other ports.

In mid-January 2023, the Central Indirect Tax and Customs Commission (CBIC) of India notified the Ministry of Commerce that it had seized some of the goods related to low development tickets imported from China. The Ministry of Commerce has to the Ministry of Taxation the issue of low development tickets imported from China.

When conducting maritime business in India, the following must be taken into account:

The single certificate information involved in Indias maritime import and export mainly includes signed invoices, luggage lists, shipping invoices or pick-up/air shipping invoices, completed GATT declarations, etc. It should be noted that not only these basic certificates are required, depending on the nature of the goods and the transaction situation, it may also be necessary to provide additional certificates, credit certificates / bank transfers, insurance documents, import licenses and so on.

The General Office of Customs of India has issued No. 33/2018, which stipulates that from April 1, 2018, importers must notify their exporters of basic details, including the importers import and export code (IEC), consumption tax importer identification number (GSTIN), official email ID, etc.

India’s tariff policy has changed rapidly, such as integrating local service taxes into GST in 2017 and raising import tariffs on 19 “unnecessary goods” in 2018.

The Indian Customs has strict regulations for all goods transported to Indias inland freight stations. There are also detailed clearance regulations for the time of storage, customs clearance and removal of goods. Knowing and complying with these regulations can avoid unnecessary losses.

Due to the climatic conditions of India’s ports, special requirements apply to the packaging and labelling of cargo. Waterproof, heat-resistant and moist packaging and English labelling are essential.

The Indian Customs has strict auction regulations for unreported goods.The return procedure must be handled by the exporter or his agent in accordance with the Indian Customs regulations.

In summary, the regulations and requirements involved in Indian maritime transport are complex and need to be adjusted in a timely manner as policies change.Therefore, it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge of these regulations and to remain flexible to adapt to success in China-India maritime transport.