Freight Shipping Between Thailand and India | Rates – Transit Times – Taxes
SIAM Shipping by Docshipper is the partner you need to export goods from Thailand to India, by Sea, Air, Rail or Road Freight. We can plan full container or groupage from Thailand to the major cities of India every week. We accept all kind of products, usual goods, hazardous or perishable.
Are you in contact with a new supplier in Thailand? Do you need a few CBM of products from Thailand for your business or e-commerce? Are you planning to import heavy and large quantities of products or raw materials for your business in India? No matter what your current situation is, this article will provide you great data and advises that will help you implement or boom your business between the two countries. We know that going global for the first time or searching trade information between two specific countries can be a difficult task to achieve. Our decade of experience in International trades in Asia, and our hours of research spent on this subject enabled us to build this page, for your own interest.
What is the most suitable method of transport between Thailand and India?
First, we will talk about the different freight methods, the time and prices involved. Afterwards, we will approach the trade bonds and formalities between Thailand and India. We dispatched a few personal advises that our experience gave us, through this page.
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Sea freight between Thailand and India
Overview – Ocean cargo from Thailand to India
India’s geography and position, makes it an incredible pivot between Europe, the Middle East and South-East Asia. Its triangular shape penetrating the Indian Ocean makes of India the greatest peninsula in the world with 7517 kilometres of coastline. This linked with its tremendous population and economy, explains the amount of big ports that are boarding its coasts. The Ministry of Shipping announced that 95% of the international trades in volume and 70% in value are made via ocean freight. The biggest ports in terms of TEU are the ports of Jawaharlal Neru and Chennai.
All your goods departing from the ports located in the Gulf of Thailand will have the same itinerary in order to join India. Firstly, they will go south to join Singapore’s shore. Then, they will go north-west by crossing the Malacca strait.
Multiple routes are possible to take after, depending where is the final place of destination.
- If they are going to Kolkata and North-east India, the vessel will go through the Andaman sea.
- If you’re joining Chennai and the East-coast, the ship will cross the Bay of Bengal to rally the destination.
- Finally, if your goods should arrive on Mumbai or the west-coast, the vessel will go straight west to join the south of Sri Lanka and go along the west coast onto the port of arrival.
Siam Shipping Info
If you’re sending goods from Phuket or Ranong (west-coast of Thailand), they will directly go near the north of Sumatra and join India after.
SIAM Shipping has collaborators positioned in every major port of Thailand. Thanks to them, we’re proud to deliver a complete range of sea freight services to India. We can plan LCL (less than a container) and FCL (Full container) for 20’, 40’, and 40’ HQ containers. For special goods, we’re also able to arrange reefer containers, bulk cargos, or RoRo.
Here is a table that defines average transit times between the largest Thai and Indian ports. Smaller ports may have slightly higher times due to lower traffic volumes:
| Bangkok / Laem Chabang | Phuket | Songkhla | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kandla | 14 days | 11 days | 13 days |
| Paradip | 10 days | 7 days | 9 days |
| JNPT | 17 days | 10 days | 12 days |
| Mumbai | 17 days | 9 days | 11 days |
| Visakhapatnam | 12 days | 6 days | 9 days |
| Chennai | 10 days | 7 days | 9 days |
| Kolkata | 15 days | 7 days | 9 days |
| Krishnapatnam | 10 days | 7 days | 9 days |
| Mangalore | 11 days | 8 days | 10 days |
| Tuticorin | 10 days | 7 days | 9 days |
*Please note that these transit times are indicative for Thailand–India routes.
Siam Shipping Advice
To have precise rates and transit times for your Sea freight from Thailand to India, don’t hesitate to contact our SIAM Experts.
Air freight between Thailand et Russia
Air freight will be an interesting freight solution for you because both countries have numerous international airports that are serving the major cities. Thailand and India are strongly bonded by air. Many direct lines are linking both countries. Several Indian Airlines possess branches and daily flights going from Thailand to India or vice versa.
A cargo plane will usually join the two countries in less than 10 hours door-to-door. An express air freight (courier) will deliver your goods to India in less than three days usually. A normal air freight will allow to transfer your goods in 6 days at the most.
We putted a lot of time and effort to negotiate attractive rates and services with Indian and Thai Airlines. This permit us to present you a complete range of Air freight services. Courier services (Express), Normal Air freight, Delivery at the Airport terminal, Air freight coupled with trucking… A lot of options and freight combinations are offering to you.
Road freight between Thailand and India
Road freight between Thailand and India will go through similar itineraries as rail freight to link the two countries. Roads in Thailand and India are well-designed and maintained, but in Myanmar and Bangladesh they still require improvements.
Compared to sea freight, transit times for road freight are halved, but prices are multiplied by 3 or 4 at least. Road freight is also riskier, with a greater chance of delays. Depending on your goods and priorities, we will compare sea and road freight rates to find the most suitable option.
Here is a table of average transit times between major Thai and Indian cities by truck:
| Bangkok / Pattaya | Chiang Mai | Udon Thani | Phuket / Hat Yai | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | 6 days | 6 days | 6 days | 7 days |
| Delhi | 5 days | 5 days | 5 days | 6 days |
| Bangalore | 6 days | 6 days | 6 days | 7 days |
| Kolkata | 4 days | 4 days | 4 days | 5 days |
| Chennai | 6 days | 6 days | 6 days | 7 days |
| Hyderabad | 6 days | 6 days | 6 days | 7 days |
| Ahmedabad | 6 days | 6 days | 7 days | 8 days |
| Pune | 6 days | 6 days | 6 days | 7 days |
| Surat | 6 days | 6 days | 6 days | 7 days |
| Kanpur | 5 days | 4 days | 4 days | 5 days |
Rail freight between Thailand and India
Thailand doesn’t have common borders with India. To transfer them by rail freight, they will go through Myanmar, sometimes Bangladesh and then join the territory of India on the east.
The Trans-Asian Railway is a project firstly thought in the early 1950’s by the United Nations, wishing to create a great rail network between Europe and Asia to ease international trades in the world. It was also established to help develop landlocked countries like Afghanistan, Laos and Mongolia.
Because of decades of political conflicts and wars in Asia, and also the huge development of sea and air freight during the second half of the 20th century, the TAR has never been greatly achieved yet. One part of the project, “The southern corridor”, was to link Eastern Europe to South East Asia via India and Thailand. But gaps are still remaining between India and Myanmar and Myanmar and Thailand. This explains why India and Thailand are poorly linked by rail routes, and that most of the train traffic between the two countries is used for passenger’s wagons. For all of these reasons, rail freight is usually 5 times more expensive than sea freight, with greater transit time.
It will be a reliable option for you only on very particular occasions.
Here is a table of the regular transit times between the biggest Thai and Indian cities by rail freight:
| Bangkok / Pattaya | Chiang Mai | Udon Thani | Phuket / Hat Yai | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | 12 days | 12 days | 13 days | 14 days |
| Delhi | 10 days | 10 days | 11 days | 12 days |
| Bangalore | 12 days | 12 days | 13 days | 14 days |
| Kolkata | 8 days | 8 days | 9 days | 10 days |
| Chennai | 12 days | 12 days | 12 days | 14 days |
| Hyderabad | 12 days | 11 days | 12 days | 14 days |
| Ahmedabad | 12 days | 11 days | 12 days | 14 days |
| Pune | 12 days | 12 days | 13 days | 14 days |
| Surat | 12 days | 12 days | 12 days | 14 days |
| Kanpur | 9 days | 9 days | 10 days | 11 days |
What duties and taxes will I pay for my goods ?
Thanks to the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area (AIFTA), 90% of the tariff barriers applicable have been eliminated on both ways. This corresponds of a total elimination of 96% of the trade barriers between the two countries.
*In total tariff barriers over 4,000 product lines have been eliminated.
This allows to ease trades between the two regions and we’ve seen a growth on Indian investments in Thailand during the last five years.
Import duties from Thailand to India
Tariffs and Taxes
India is aligned with the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) for imported and exported goods coming from members states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Here is the composition of an HS Code, you can now see what an HS code is and what does it mean.
If you know the HS code of your goods, write it in the searching bar. If you don’t know the HS code, type key words to designate your goods in the “Product” bar.
Once the search has been done, you will reach a page showing tax information regarding your goods. Let’s continue with the pineapple example:
The Certificate of Origin (CO)
The CO is the official document that testifies of the origin of your goods. It proves that the goods have been made in a precise country and place. Normally, it is delivered by a government or a notary public. It is generally split in various regional certificates of origin, and non-preferential certificates of origin and into GSP certificate of origin.
*It is one of the few documents that must be issued to the Indian customs in order to clear your goods once they arrive, with the bill of lading (BL).
ASEAN-India Free Trade Certificate of Origin
The ASEAN-India Free Trade Certificate of Origin is valid for importations from the following countries: Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar. It must comply with the relevant provisions of the product, determined by the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area. The countries mentioned above are benefiting of preferential tariffs (up to a 5% lower tax rate).
*The “Trade in Goods Agreement” defines the sample format of certificates of origin that must be respected.
This kind of business relationships between countries has been a real driver for the development of the ASEAN community.
The customs services
Customs contact in India
Customs process
Prohibited & Restricted Items
Drugs
Explosives
Biohazard
Chemicals
Corrosive
Counterfeit
Ivory
Batteries
Flammable
Firearms
Drugs
Counterfeit
Poison
Pornography
Knife
Tobacco
Gambling
Hazardous
Additional logistics services
Venture beyond shipping and customs with SIAM Shipping! Explore our wide array of additional logistics services, ensuring your supply chain operation runs smoothly from start to finish. Let's take care of everything, together.
Warehousing and storage
Finding the right warehouse for your goods can feel like a treasure hunt—a steady temperature for your delicate items is a must. Storing chocolates? You wouldn’t want a meltdown! For a stress-free solution that considers all conditions, explore our warehousing services, designed to keep your goods in prime condition.
Packaging and repackaging
Inherent challenges in shipping from China to France make quality packaging vital. Having a reliable agent can help ensure your wine barrels or electronics are suitably packed and repacked, reducing the risk of damages. Whether it's ceramics securely cushioned or machinery components assembly-segregated, great packaging caters to every product. Find out more about securing your cargo on our dedicated page: Freight packaging.
Cargo insurance
Contrary to fire insurance limited to premises, transport insurance is your flotation device over rough trade seas. Imagine sending a pricey, custom-built machinery and it gets damaged in transit. Ouch! But, with cargo insurance, you're covered and can breeze through such setbacks. It's the booster dose of prevention to keep your trade immunity sky-high.
Personal effects shipping
Moving precious belongings from China to France? No worries, we manage fragile or bulky items with extra care, ensuring they reach your new French home intact. Like Aunt Mei's porcelain vase, we pack, transport, and deliver with professionalism. Save time and energy for croissants and vin rouge!
FAQ | Freight between Thailand and India
The average transit time for freight from Thailand to India can vary depending on the mode of transportation and the final destination in India. By sea, it typically takes around 14-21 days, while by air it can take anywhere from 2-5 days.