Send personal belongings & gifts to India

Personal Effects Shipping to India

Shipping personal effects from the UK to India — clothes, books, kitchenware, gifts and household items — by air (14 working days to metro cities) or sea (45 working days), with everything included.

  • From £40 by air
  • From £299 by sea
  • All duty pre-paid
  • WhatsApp support
Book NowCalculate price
Family belongings boxes and suitcases packed for an international move

Transparent, all-inclusive pricing

One quote, one number, everything in. Chargeable weight is the greater of actual and volumetric (L × W × H cm ÷ 5000) — the same formula on both air and sea. The Air and Sea transit clock starts when final payment is received. Working days exclude weekends and public holidays in both UK and India.

Air freight

£4.00 /kg

£40 minimum

Transit promise

Fixed 14 working days metro, 21 working days remote

Counted from the next working day after payment received.

Sea freight

£2.99 /kg

£299 minimum per shipment

Transit promise

Fixed 45 working days, everywhere in India

Counted from the next working day after payment received.

Worked pricing examples

Real chargeable-weight scenarios so you can see exactly what you'd pay before requesting a quote. These are the prices a customer with the same shipment would be quoted today.

ScenarioChargeable weightAir priceSea priceNotes
Small parcel (gifts, documents)60 × 40 × 40 cm20 kg£80.00£299Sea hits the £299 shipment minimum — air wins outright here.
Suitcase / mid-size box100 × 60 × 50 cm50 kg£200.00£299The whole-kg Air/Sea price crossover is 75 kg; the Sea chargeable-weight minimum remains 100 kg.
Bulk / multiple boxes3 × (80 × 60 × 50 cm)150 kg£600.00£448.50Sea saves £151.50 on the per-kg rate.
Whole-home move / business pallet~1.5 m³300 kg£1200.00£897.00Sea is up to 25% cheaper on the per-kg rate at volume.

Prices derived from the published £4.00/kg air and £2.99/kg sea rates, with the £40 air parcel minimum and £299 sea shipment minimum applied. All prices are all-inclusive: customs, duty, and door-to-door delivery.

Air vs Sea — side by side

The same shipment, two modes. Use this row to pick the right one — or send the same shipment on both if half is urgent and half is bulk.

AttributeAir freightSea freight
Rate per kg£4.00/kg£2.99/kg
Minimum charge£40 per shipment£299 per shipment
Transit · metroFixed 14 working daysFixed 45 working days
Transit · remoteFixed 21 working daysFixed 45 working days
Chargeable weightmax(actual, L × W × H ÷ 5000)max(actual, L × W × H ÷ 5000) — same formula
All duty, customs & deliveryIncludedIncluded
Best forUrgent, time-sensitive shipmentsHeavy, bulky, cost-sensitive shipments
Lithium-battery itemsNot permittedNot permitted

What's included

When we say everything is included, we mean it. No fuel surcharges, no peak-season uplifts, no surprise customs bill at delivery.

  • Choose air or sea

    Same all-inclusive promise on both — pick air for speed, sea for value. We quote both side-by-side so you can compare.

  • Free UK pickup + free packing materials

    Driver brings boxes and tape to your address if you need them. Any UK postcode.

  • All Indian customs & duty

    For personal effects, Indian customs duty and IGST are pre-paid in your quote — no surprise bill at delivery.

  • Door-to-door delivery

    Direct to the receiver in any Indian metro or non-metro city. They sign for it; you get a confirmation.

  • KYC handled for you

    We collect the receiver Aadhaar copy and packing list, file customs documents, and send you a copy for your records.

  • Festival-aware booking

    Diwali, Eid, Christmas and wedding-season delivery? We flag cut-off dates so your package arrives on time.

How it works

We handle every step from your UK doorstep to the receiver's door in India, so you don't have to.

  1. Get an instant quote

    Use our calculator or share dimensions and weight by WhatsApp — we reply with a single all-inclusive price, no hidden extras.

  2. Pay the deposit

    A deposit of £50 minimum, or £10 per box for more than five boxes (whichever is higher), is required before pickup is scheduled and deducted from the final invoice. Accepted: Bank transfer (UK), Bank transfer (India), UPI / Google Pay (India only). No cash. No card payments. Payments into our Indian account incur 18% GST.

  3. UK collection

    Collection is ground floor only. Free packaging materials are available for customers packing and dropping off at Wembley; we do not deliver boxes to homes.

  4. Wembley consolidation

    Your shipment is weighed, measured and prepared at our Wembley warehouse. Photos and the final chargeable-weight invoice are shared with you.

  5. UK export & India customs

    We handle all UK export paperwork, IGM filing, Indian customs clearance and import duty — everything is pre-paid in your quote.

  6. Door-to-door delivery

    Final-mile delivery direct to the receiver in India. They sign for it; you get a delivery confirmation.

Is this the right service for you?

Ideal for

  • Gifts and care packages to family in India
  • Students returning home with belongings
  • Wedding trousseau, saris, jewellery (declared)
  • Indian groceries, spices, sweets (non-perishable)
  • Clothing, kitchenware, bedding, books

Not the right fit for

  • Laptops, phones, tablets, power banks — battery items are strictly prohibited
  • Perishable foods, fresh produce, dairy
  • Liquids, aerosols, paints, chemicals

Surcharges & restrictions

Full transparency. These are the only situations where extra charges or restrictions apply — and we tell you up front, never at delivery.

  • Battery items prohibited

    Laptops, Mobile phones, Tablets / iPads, Power banks, Drones, E-cigarettes, Smart watches with batteries are strictly NOT accepted on air or sea — international aviation safety rules.

  • INR payments +18% GST

    Quotes are in GBP. Paying in INR (bank transfer or UPI in India) incurs an additional 18% GST surcharge.

  • KYC required

    Indian customs requires: Detailed packing list, Receiver's Aadhaar card copy, Sender + receiver contact details.

Whether you are sending a few boxes of clothes to a relative in Mumbai, moving back to India after years in the UK, or shipping wedding gifts ahead of the season, CargoForce handles personal effects shipments end-to-end — pickup, packaging, Customs, IGST and delivery.

What we ship as personal effects

  • Clothing, footwear and textiles (new and used).
  • Books, stationery, study materials.
  • Kitchenware, crockery, cutlery (no electrical appliances over 1 kg).
  • Bedding, towels, curtains.
  • Wedding gifts, ceremonial items, decorations.
  • Sealed branded groceries from UK Asian supermarkets (under 10 kg).
  • Toys and games (without lithium batteries).
  • Cosmetics and toiletries in sealed retail packaging.

What we cannot ship

  • Laptops, phones, tablets, power banks (lithium-battery ban).
  • Home-cooked food, fresh produce, meat, dairy.
  • Aerosols, perfumes over 100 ml, paints, gas cylinders.
  • Alcohol (personal effects shipments only — no licence).
  • Firearms, ammunition, replica weapons.

Two ways to ship

Air freight (14–21 working days)

£4/kg, £40 minimum. Best for shipments under 100 kg or anything time-sensitive — wedding gifts, urgent deliveries, important paperwork.

Sea freight (45 working days)

£2.99/kg with a 100 kg chargeable-weight minimum. Best for full household moves and shipments over 100 kg, where it is about 25% cheaper per kilo than air.

Transfer of Residence (TR)

Transfer of Residence is an Indian Customs concession for people moving back to India. The allowance and the conditions depend on your own circumstances, so please confirm them with a qualified customs adviser before you book. Tell us at booking if you intend to claim it, and we will tell you which documents we need from you.

Pricing example

A 100 kg sea shipment of clothes, books and kitchenware from London to Bengaluru:

  • Sea freight (100 kg × £2.99): £299 (shipment minimum).
  • UK collection: included.
  • Customs clearance + IGST + duty: included.
  • Door delivery in Bengaluru: included.
  • Total: £299, door to door.

Booking process

  • Quote yourself in 60 seconds with the calculator.
  • Send us photos of what you plan to ship if you want sanity-checking.
  • We collect, pack (if needed), palletise and ship.
  • Door delivery in India 14–21 working days (air) or 45 working days (sea).

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Can I ship a single suitcase to India?

A single suitcase can be quoted for Air freight at £4 per kg of chargeable weight, with a £40 minimum once per shipment, plus the £15 suitcase charge. A locked item incurs a separate £25 lock-cutting charge. Air freight takes 14 working days to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune, and 21 working days to remote, rural, tier-2 and tier-3 destinations. The Air transit clock starts when final payment is received, not at booking, pickup or dispatch. Sea freight takes 45 working days. An additional 18% GST applies only if you pay into our Indian account by bank transfer, UPI or Google Pay.

Can I send food parcels with personal effects?

Sealed, branded, factory-packed groceries from UK Asian supermarkets are accepted in small quantities (under 10 kg per shipment). No home-cooked food, no meat, no dairy, no fresh produce.

Do you handle the Indian Customs paperwork?

Yes. CargoForce files the Bill of Entry, manages KYC, pays Customs duty and IGST on your behalf, and arranges delivery. The consignee just signs for the boxes when they arrive.

Learn more before you book

Shipping documents and customs stamps prepared for import into India
Customs & ComplianceUK to India Guides

Customs Clearance in India: Documentation, Duties & Process

A step-by-step 2026 guide to Indian Customs clearance for UK shippers: the Bill of Entry process, KYC requirements, duty rates, IGST and the common reasons shipments get held.

By Anil Kapoor
Container ship docked at Mumbai port with loading cranes overhead
Sea FreightUK to India Guides

Sea Freight UK to India: Routes, Transit Times & Pricing

The 2026 sea-freight playbook for UK to India: which ports we sail from, transit times per destination, LCL versus FCL pricing, and how to book it right the first time.

By James Whitfield
Moving boxes and packing materials prepared for international shipping from the UK
PackagingPersonal Effects

Packing Personal Effects for India: A Step-by-Step Checklist

A field-tested packing checklist used by 4,000+ CargoForce families to get clothes, gifts and household items from the UK to India intact — and through Customs first time.

By Priya Sharma
Container ship sailing across blue ocean at sunrise
Sea Freight

How Long Does Sea Freight from UK to India Really Take?

The honest answer to "how long is sea freight from the UK to India" is 45 working days door to door. Here is exactly where those days go, and where delays come from.

By James Whitfield

Popular routes for personal-effects shipments

Pick your UK home town and India destination — every pairing carries the same all-inclusive door-to-door promise.

Nottingham → Bhopalair 21d · sea 45dDerby → Mumbaiair 14d · sea 45dDerby → Delhiair 14d · sea 45dDerby → Bangaloreair 14d · sea 45dDerby → Chennaiair 14d · sea 45dDerby → Hyderabadair 14d · sea 45dDerby → Ahmedabadair 14d · sea 45dDerby → Puneair 14d · sea 45dDerby → Kolkataair 14d · sea 45dDerby → Jaipurair 21d · sea 45dDerby → Amritsarair 21d · sea 45dDerby → Suratair 21d · sea 45d

Ready to ship?

Quote in minutes. Door-to-door. All customs and duty included. No hidden charges, ever.

Book NowCalculate price