International Removals to Mumbai
Moving to Mumbai? Personal-effects containers clear at Nhava Sheva, not in the city, and Customs X-rays all of them and opens a share.
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
Where does a personal-effects container go in the Mumbai area?
Not into the city. Sea shipments for Mumbai clear at Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House, Nhava Sheva, which is in Raigad district, not in the city. A Customs public notice of 12 January 2018 directed the shipping lines to send full containers of personal effects “directly from Port to Speedy CFS, Sonari Village only, for examination & clearance”.
That freight station houses the Unaccompanied Baggage Centre. The notice explains why it had to be said again: “some Shipping Lines have been shifting even FCL containers, stuffed with only baggage/personal effects” to other warehouses as part loads, which delayed clearance. A household that books a full container should ask the firm to confirm the container is routed to Speedy CFS.
What if the household shares a container?
A shared container is handled differently. A 2010 notice told shipping lines to move containers of part-load baggage “directly from Port to U.B. C. at Speedy CFS, Sonari Village only”, after passengers complained about the cost of shifting cargo between warehouses.
To let the ship identify those boxes, forwarders and non-vessel carriers must file their sub-manifests together with the main one. The freight station is told to unpack such containers at once and not to use the emptied containers for storage. The 2018 notice adds that part-load cargo is examined by the baggage centre's officers at whichever warehouse it lies in, on prior notice.
How much of a consignment does Customs open?
A share of it, and the Standing Order of 16 August 2019 gives the figures. First, every consignment is scanned: “conduct 100% screening of all Unaccompanied Baggage through X-ray machine installed at Speedy CFS”.
Opening is graded by origin. Consignments from Middle East ports and Singapore, where officers had seen attempts to push commercial goods through, must have “30% of packages of such consignments are to be compulsorily opened and examined”, and every fifth and tenth consignment is examined before a senior officer. For other origins, a UK household included, “the present practice of 10% examination of the packages, will continue”.
The order also states the centre's purpose: it is for bona fide baggage under the Baggage Rules, not for household goods sent door to door as trade. Pack the cartons so a tenth of them can be opened and repacked, and label them with the contents, as the transfer of residence guide explains what counts.
What should you ask a removal firm before a Mumbai move?
Ask which port and which freight station the container will use, whether it is full or shared, who files the baggage declaration and whether the firm has cleared consignments at Nhava Sheva before. The UK to India guide covers the one-month rule that applies to the dispatch date, and the removals cost guide explains how a quotation is built. The sea freight guide compares full and shared containers, and the India hub lists the other cities.
What did we not confirm?
The notices are dated 2010, 2018 and 2019 and we found no later change, so check the current practice. Air cargo at Mumbai airport, charges at the freight station and the city's own road rules for lorries were not on pages we could read.
Questions about moving to Mumbai
Where do household containers for Mumbai clear?
At Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House, Nhava Sheva, where full containers of personal effects are sent to Speedy CFS, Sonari Village.
Does Customs open the boxes?
Everything is X-rayed.
For consignments not from Middle East ports or Singapore, a tenth of the packages is opened under the 2019 Standing Order.
Does it matter whether my container is full or shared?
Yes.
Full containers go straight to Speedy CFS, and shared ones are unpacked there or examined at the freight station where they lie.
Tell us about your Mumbai move
Give us your UK postcode, the Mumbai address, the month you land and whether you want a full or shared container.
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.
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- In partnership withAGM Group (agm.group)