UK to India
Leaving Britain for India
Read the guide on timing and allowances first, then the transfer of residence rule. We quote no price or transit time because none of our sources gave one.
India movers for a move from the UK, with guides on timing, duty relief, pets, Mumbai and Chennai.
International Movers to India
Indian Customs rules shape a move to India more than distance does: the date the shipment must follow you, the duty-free ceiling for a returning resident and the port or shed that clears the goods. We introduce partner removal firms that pack and ship, and they will say what they need from you.
Which direction
Are you leaving Britain for India, or heading back?
The guides below are for households going from Britain to India, returning residents among them. A move the other way is not written up yet.
India to UK
Returning from India
We have not yet read the British rules for a return, so there is no guide to point to.
Order of steps
Which comes first: the visa, the Customs test or the shipping date?
Your own arrival date comes first, because Indian Customs times the shipment from it. Everything else is arranged around that date.
- Visa and arrival date. GOV.UK says “You must have a visa to visit India unless you are an Overseas Citizen of India”.
- Customs test. Years abroad decide how much a returning resident can bring duty-free; see the transfer of residence guide below.
- Dispatch window. The shipment goes within one month of your arrival, or may land up to two months before it.
- Port or airport. Mumbai and Chennai each have a guide on how a consignment is cleared.
For the British paperwork use the UK customs documentation checklist; the international moving checklist orders the tasks by date.
Customs and pets
Where do Customs, pets and the travel warning fit?
Two guides deal with Customs and one with pets. The travel warning is a government notice that any household should read before choosing a date.
Timing and transfer of residence
The UK to India guide covers the dispatch rule and the lack of a free allowance, and the transfer of residence guide covers the duty-free ceilings and excluded goods.
Pets
The pet transport guide lists the six gateway cities and the advance clearance.
Travel warning
The GOV.UK entry page for India carries a warning banner: “FCDO advises against all travel to parts of India.” The list of areas is on a regional risks page we did not save, so check it for your destination.
Car import rules for India were not found in an official source, so no car guide is offered; our general car shipping guide compares the shipping options.
Cities
Which Indian cities have a guide?
Mumbai and Chennai each get a guide because Indian Customs published a clearance procedure for both, and Bengaluru and Hyderabad get one because lorry-hour notices were reported for them. Delhi gets a section on this page, and every other city is only named.
- Mumbai: Mumbai, with the Nhava Sheva baggage centre and the share of packages Customs opens.
- Chennai: Chennai, with the airport baggage shed steps and the pet quarantine station.
- Bengaluru: Bengaluru, with the lorry hours and flyover bans reported in the news.
- Hyderabad: Hyderabad, with the lorry hours reported for the city and Cyberabad police areas.
Delhi
No Delhi guide exists, because the one official notice we read could not be resolved to a road. The Delhi Traffic Police notification dated 21 June 2024 sets “restriction timings for the operation and idle parking of heavy goods vehicles”, and its stated aim is “to align with those notified by the Transport Department of Government of NCT of Delhi”. The Gazette copy is dated Thursday 27 June 2024.
It amends two kinds of timing, day time and peak hours, and its table has many rows, one of them “Peak hours restrictions 7 AM to 11 AM & 5 PM to 11 PM”. Which row applies to which road did not come out of the text, so a lorry for a Delhi address needs the road named and the hours confirmed with the police or the firm.
Other cities
Kolkata is another pet gateway with an animal quarantine station, listed in the Chennai presentation with its founding year of 1975, as are Bengaluru and Hyderabad (2009 each), which have their own guides above. Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Kochi, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, Noida and Gurgaon are named here only: no clearance procedure or road rule for them was readable, and the pet gateways do not include them.
All guides
Every India guide, listed by subject and city
Each guide ends with its sources. A place without its own guide appears inside a larger one.
Questions
Common questions about moving to India
Which guide should I read first?
Begin with the guide on timing and allowances, then the one on transfer of residence.
Then read the city guide for Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru or Hyderabad if your shipment will land there.
Will India tax my household goods?
A returning resident can bring goods up to a ceiling by years abroad, with some goods excluded.
The transfer of residence guide gives the tiers and tests, and says what we could not confirm.
Can I take a pet?
Yes, through one of six cities, with an advance clearance.
The pet guide explains the steps and the limit of two pets on the transfer of residence route.
Is it safe to plan a move now?
GOV.UK advises against all travel to parts of India.
Read the current travel advice for the area you are going to and ask the firm what happens if plans change.
Tell us where in India you are going
Send your UK postcode, the Indian city, your arrival month and the biggest items, and say if a pet or car is travelling.
About International Removals Companies
International Removals Companies is an enquiry and introduction service run by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, in partnership with AGM Group. We don't move goods ourselves: the removal company quotes for your move and carries it out, so check its credentials and terms before you book. Our service is free. Discuss the quotation and booking terms directly with the removal company.
- Email[email protected]
- In partnership withAGM Group (agm.group)