Ship boxes from India to United Arab Emirates
1 to 10 boxes, collected from your door in India and delivered to the door in United Arab Emirates. Price up front, customs paperwork prepared for you.
- Typical transit
- 4–7 business days
- Duty-free up to
- Dubai exempts cross-border e-commerce purchases worth up to AED 1,000 (about $272) from customs duty since August 3, 2026, up from AED 300
India → United Arab Emirates
Enter a weight to see your price.
Who ships on this route
- Expats and people relocating for work
Large professional-expat flow.
Leaving India
Sending boxes out of India
Sending your own belongings out of India by express courier is routine once you complete KYC with the courier. The courier files a courier shipping bill for you, and personal gifts up to INR 25,000 (about $260) per consignment use the simplified gift form. Antiquities and e-cigarettes can't leave, and anything that looks old should travel with an ASI non-antiquity certificate.
Documents
- Sender's KYC document: Aadhaar, passport, PAN card, or voter ID
- Itemized packing list with values, plus a declaration of contents and total value on each package
- Non-antiquity certificate from the Archaeological Survey of India for old-looking statues, paintings, brassware, or manuscripts
- Importer Exporter Code (IEC) for anything commercial
Can't leave India
- Antiquities (objects in existence 100 years or more, and valuable manuscripts or records 75 years or more) may be exported only by the central government or its authorized agencies. Illegal export can mean 6 months to 3 years in prison and a fine.
- E-cigarettes and their parts cannot be exported
- Commercial goods paid for from abroad go on a different courier shipping bill and need an IEC
- Couriers will not carry cash or negotiable instruments
Arriving in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates customs, in short
- Duty-free threshold
- Dubai exempts cross-border e-commerce purchases worth up to AED 1,000 (about $272) from customs duty since August 3, 2026, up from AED 300. The rule covers goods bought online and handled by companies registered with Dubai Customs. Tobacco, e-cigarettes, nicotine liquids, alcohol, and food containing alcohol are excluded. No official low-value exemption is published for gifts or your own belongings, and the VAT rules set no low-value exemption for imports, so a small personal box can still owe 5% VAT and possibly 5% duty.
- Import tax
- VAT at 5%, charged on the customs value (goods, freight, and insurance) plus any customs duty and excise tax. Customs duty is 5% of the CIF value for most goods. Dubai charges 50% duty on alcohol and 100% on cigarettes.
- Who pays
- Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
- Moving there?
- Used personal effects and household items are free of customs duty, and of VAT, for UAE nationals returning from living outside the GCC and for foreigners arriving to live in the UAE for the first time. Items must be used, personal, in non-commercial quantities, and sent from the country where you lived. Foreigners must show they are coming to work or live for at least 365 days. New items need an invoice and can be charged, and vehicles are not covered. Customs asks for your passport or ID, your residence visa, and a detailed packing list.
Not allowed into United Arab Emirates
- Aerosols, spray cans, and compressed gas cylinders
- Flammable liquids and solids: fuel, lighter fluid, paint, nail polish, matches
- Loose or spare lithium batteries and power banks not installed in a device
- Cash, gift cards, checks, and other negotiable items
- Firearms, ammunition, replicas, and weapon parts
- Perishable food, and meat, dairy, or fresh produce
- Cannabis, CBD, and THC products, even where they are legal at origin
- Narcotics of all kinds
India to United Arab Emirates: questions
How long does it take to ship boxes from India to United Arab Emirates?
Typically 4 to 7 business days door to door after pickup, plus any time customs in United Arab Emirates takes to clear the shipment.
Do I pay duty on used belongings sent to United Arab Emirates?
Dubai exempts cross-border e-commerce purchases worth up to AED 1,000 (about $272) from customs duty since August 3, 2026, up from AED 300. The rule covers goods bought online and handled by companies registered with Dubai Customs. Tobacco, e-cigarettes, nicotine liquids, alcohol, and food containing alcohol are excluded. No official low-value exemption is published for gifts or your own belongings, and the VAT rules set no low-value exemption for imports, so a small personal box can still owe 5% VAT and possibly 5% duty. Shipments are sent DAP. The receiver pays any duties and taxes before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee.
What paperwork do I need to send boxes from India?
A commercial invoice listing what's in each box and what it's worth today. Onvoyo prepares it from your contents list for you to review and approve. Sending your own belongings out of India by express courier is routine once you complete KYC with the courier. The courier files a courier shipping bill for you, and personal gifts up to INR 25,000 (about $260) per consignment use the simplified gift form. Antiquities and e-cigarettes can't leave, and anything that looks old should travel with an ASI non-antiquity certificate.
Is there a duty-free limit for parcels to the UAE?
Dubai exempts online purchases worth up to AED 1,000 (about $272) from customs duty since August 3, 2026, except tobacco, vapes, and alcohol. For gifts and your own belongings no official low-value exemption is published, and VAT has no minimum. Plan for 5% duty and 5% VAT unless the household-effects exemption applies.
How much will the receiver pay on a personal box?
Usually 5% duty on the CIF value (goods plus shipping and insurance) and 5% VAT on that value plus the duty, so about 10.25% in total, plus any courier fee. Alcohol and cigarettes pay much higher duty.
Do I pay duty on used household items when I move to the UAE?
No, if you are a foreigner coming to live in the UAE for the first time, for at least 365 days, or an Emirati returning from living outside the GCC. Items must be used, personal, and not in commercial quantities. VAT doesn't apply to them either. New items can be charged.
Official sources
Export rules for India and import rules for United Arab Emirates, checked against these official pages. Customs makes the final decision on every shipment.
- 1.Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) · Courier Imports and Exports (Electronic Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2010 (last updated 30 June 2022) (opens in a new tab)
- 2.Chennai Customs Zone, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs · FAQ: Import of Gifts and Personal Imports through Courier (opens in a new tab)
- 3.Archaeological Survey of India · The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 (opens in a new tab)
- 4.Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (National Tobacco Control Programme) · The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019 (opens in a new tab)
- 5.Dubai Customs · Clearance of Personal Effects (opens in a new tab)
- 6.Dubai Customs · Customs Notice No. (16/2026) Amending Customs Notice No. (15/2021) concerning Customs Procedures for Cross-Border E-Commerce (opens in a new tab)
- 7.Dubai Customs · Customs Notice No. (15/2021) Concerning Customs procedures for Cross-Border e-Commerce (opens in a new tab)
- 8.Dubai Customs · Passenger Customs Guide, Version No. 6 - 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- 9.The Official Portal of the UAE Government (u.ae) · Customs duty and tariff (opens in a new tab)
- 10.Abu Dhabi Customs · Unified Guide for Customs Procedures at First Points of Entry in the GCC Member States (2025) (opens in a new tab)
- 11.Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council · Common Customs Law of the GCC States, Rules of Implementation and Explanatory Notes Thereof (opens in a new tab)
- 12.Federal Tax Authority · Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax and its amendments (opens in a new tab)
- 13.UAE Ministry of Finance · Executive Regulation of the Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax (Cabinet Decision No. 52 of 2017) and its amendments (opens in a new tab)
- 14.Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) · Import an agricultural consignment (opens in a new tab)
- 15.Central Bank of the UAE · Exchange Rates against UAE Dirham for VAT related obligations, June 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Going the other way? Ship boxes from United Arab Emirates to India