Ship boxes from United Arab Emirates to India
1 to 10 boxes, collected from your door in United Arab Emirates and delivered to the door in India. Price up front, customs paperwork prepared for you.
- Typical transit
- 4–7 business days
- Duty-free up to
- There is no general duty-free threshold for courier boxes, and used personal items are dutiable too
United Arab Emirates → India
Enter a weight to see your price.
Who ships on this route
- People returning home after time abroad
Large returning-expat flow.
Leaving United Arab Emirates
Sending boxes out of United Arab Emirates
Sending your own belongings out of the UAE is straightforward. The courier files the export declaration, and as the sender you show a national ID, passport, or residence visa. Restricted goods need their permits before the boxes are handed over.
Documents
- Itemized packing list or invoice with fair values, marked as used personal effects or gift
- Sender's Emirates ID or passport (citizens), or passport or residence visa (residents)
- Receiver's full address and phone number
- Any permit needed for restricted goods, such as a license for antiquities
Can't leave United Arab Emirates
- Antiquities can't leave the UAE without a license or permission from the competent authority
- Goods banned locally or internationally, counterfeit goods, and goods that infringe intellectual property rights can't be exported
- Travelers must declare cash, checks, and precious metals or stones worth more than AED 60,000 (about $16,340) when leaving; never pack them in boxes
- Products made from protected wildlife may need CITES paperwork from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
Arriving in India
India customs, in short
- Duty-free threshold
- There is no general duty-free threshold for courier boxes, and used personal items are dutiable too. The courier rules allow duty-free gifts of up to INR 10,000 (about $104) per consignment, but since December 2019 only life-saving medicines and rakhi may be imported as gifts by courier or post. Any other gift can still come in if the receiver pays the full duty.
- Import tax
- IGST (Integrated Goods and Services Tax) at 18% on goods imported for personal use, or 5% on medicines for personal use, charged on the CIF value plus customs duty. Basic customs duty on personal imports (tariff heading 9804) fell from 20% to 10% on April 1, 2026, and a 10% social welfare surcharge on that duty now applies. Together that is about 31% of the CIF value. Alcohol, tobacco, printed books, and motor vehicles fall outside this heading and pay their own rates.
- 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?
- Under the Baggage Rules 2026, people moving their home to India can bring personal and household goods they owned abroad free of duty, including one unit each of listed items such as a TV, fridge, washing machine, or laptop. Indian residents and people of Indian origin get up to INR 1.5 lakh (about $1,560) after 3-12 months abroad, INR 3 lakh (about $3,130) after at least a year abroad in the last two years, and INR 7.5 lakh (about $7,820) after two years or more, with conditions. Foreigners on a non-tourist visa get the same amounts based on their stay in India. The relief is claimed on unaccompanied baggage declared on form CBD-II, not on regular courier imports.
Not allowed into India
- 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
- E-cigarettes, vapes, and their parts
United Arab Emirates to India: questions
How long does it take to ship boxes from United Arab Emirates to India?
Typically 4 to 7 business days door to door after pickup, plus any time customs in India takes to clear the shipment.
Do I pay duty on used belongings sent to India?
There is no general duty-free threshold for courier boxes, and used personal items are dutiable too. The courier rules allow duty-free gifts of up to INR 10,000 (about $104) per consignment, but since December 2019 only life-saving medicines and rakhi may be imported as gifts by courier or post. Any other gift can still come in if the receiver pays the full 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 United Arab Emirates?
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 the UAE is straightforward. The courier files the export declaration, and as the sender you show a national ID, passport, or residence visa. Restricted goods need their permits before the boxes are handed over.
What KYC documents do I need to receive a courier package in India?
Any one valid ID that shows your name and address: Aadhaar, passport, PAN card, or voter ID. If the address on it is different, the courier records your delivery address at handover. That shortcut covers personal shipments up to a CIF value of INR 50,000 (about $520).
Is there a duty-free limit for gifts sent to India?
Only for life-saving medicines and rakhi, up to INR 10,000 (about $104) per consignment. Since December 2019, other gifts by courier or post are allowed only with full duty paid, which is about 31% of the CIF value from April 2026.
How much duty will my family pay on a box of personal items?
From April 1, 2026: 10% basic customs duty, a 10% surcharge on that duty, and 18% IGST on the total. That comes to about 31% of the CIF value (goods plus shipping and insurance). Medicines pay 5% IGST instead of 18%.
Official sources
Export rules for United Arab Emirates and import rules for India, checked against these official pages. Customs makes the final decision on every shipment.
- 1.Dubai Customs · Passenger Customs Guide, Version No. 6 - 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- 2.Abu Dhabi Customs · Unified Guide for Customs Procedures at First Points of Entry in the GCC Member States (2025) (opens in a new tab)
- 3.UAE Ministry of Culture · Federal Law No.11 of 2017, on Antiquities (opens in a new tab)
- 4.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)
- 5.Chennai Customs Zone, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs · FAQ: Import of Gifts and Personal Imports through Courier (opens in a new tab)
- 6.Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue · Baggage Rules, 2026 (Notification No. 14/2026-Customs (N.T.)) (opens in a new tab)
- 7.Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) · Customs Baggage (Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2026 (Notification No. 15/2026-Customs (N.T.)) (opens in a new tab)
- 8.Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue · Annexure I: Customs (Budget 2026-27 changes, Tax Research Unit) (opens in a new tab)
- 9.Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (ECCS courier advisory) · Notification No. 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate), dated 17 September 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- 10.Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (Plant Quarantine Management System) · Mail: PQ Requirements; Import Inspection and Clearance of Plants and Plant Materials (opens in a new tab)
- 11.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)
Going the other way? Ship boxes from India to United Arab Emirates