Frequently Asked Questions

Six sea ports: Mundra (INMUN1), Kandla or Deendayal (INIXY1), Pipavav (INPAV1), Hazira (INHZA1) and Dahej (INDAH1) in Gujarat, plus Nhava Sheva (INNSA1) in Navi Mumbai. We also clear cargo at five inland container depots in Gujarat.

ICD Ahmedabad, ICD Sanand, ICD Vadodara, ICD Ankleshwar and ICD Varnama. Containers are cleared at the depot and then move under customs seal, by rail or road, to the sea port.

First Floor, Plot No 73, Office No 1, Ward 5B, Gandhidham, Kachchh, Gujarat 370205, about 15 km from Kandla (Deendayal) port and about an hour from Mundra. The clearance desk is open 24 hours.

Yes. Kandla port was renamed Deendayal Port in 2017 and is run by the Deendayal Port Authority. Its location code, INIXY1, is unchanged, and both names are still used.

Mundra has the most container sailings, so it suits most cargo. Pipavav can be quicker when Mundra is congested, and Hazira is closest to Surat. We compare the ports for each booking.

An inland depot suits factories near it shipping full containers, because customs happens close to the factory. Clearing at the port suits LCL cargo, urgent sailings and cargo that is already at the coast.

Yes. Morbi and Rajkot exporters usually ship through Mundra or Kandla, Ahmedabad exporters often clear at an inland depot, and Surat exporters mostly use Hazira. Each city page covers the route to the port.

A customs broker files your Bill of Entry or shipping bill on ICEGATE, checks the HS code and value, follows the assessment and duty payment, attends any examination and obtains out-of-charge or the Let Export Order.

The import declaration filed with Indian customs on ICEGATE. It describes the goods, their value and HS code, and is the basis for assessing duty. It can be filed before the vessel arrives, which saves time.

The export declaration filed on ICEGATE. Once customs accepts it and any examination is done, the Let Export Order allows the container to be loaded. Export incentives are claimed on it, so the scheme must be declared correctly.

The container is opened at the terminal or CFS in front of a customs officer. We book the examination, attend it and follow up the report, so out-of-charge follows as soon as the cargo is cleared.

Call or WhatsApp +91 97141 41559 with the container or bill of lading number. We check the reason on ICEGATE and at the terminal, whether a query, a missing document or an examination, and act on it.

Yes. Many clients book freight themselves or through their supplier and use us only for clearance at the port. Each of our services can be bought on its own.

Yes. Filings for SEZ units are made on SEZ Online and approved by the zone's officers, not the port customs house. Kandla SEZ is in Gandhidham, and the SEZ at Mundra sits beside the port.

The invoice, packing list, bill of lading, IEC and GSTIN, and an authority letter for us to file. Add a certificate of origin to claim a trade-agreement rate, and any licence or certificate your product needs.

The invoice, packing list, IEC, your bank's AD code registered at the port, and our authority letter. The buyer's country may add certificates such as origin, phytosanitary, SONCAP or SABER.

The Importer-Exporter Code, issued by the DGFT. A business needs one to import or export goods from India, and it goes on every Bill of Entry and shipping bill.

The Authorised Dealer code identifies your bank for export payments. It must be registered with customs at each port you export from before the first shipping bill can be filed there.

The HS code classifies your product for customs. It decides the duty, any licence or certificate, and the export incentives, so a wrong code can mean a hold or a penalty.

Yes. Send photos or PDFs to +91 97141 41559, and the desk will tell you what is missing before the cargo reaches the port.

Once documents are complete, export clearance typically takes about 24 hours and import clearance about 48 working hours. An examination, an assessment query or a missing licence extends it, so we confirm the expected timing for each consignment.

Yes. Advance filing lets assessment start before the vessel berths. It is the biggest single time saver for imports, so we file as soon as the documents are complete.

Typically about 4 days to the UAE, 14 to Saudi Arabia, 18 to East Africa and 29 to West Africa, and about 42 days from Europe to Kandla. These are typical sailing times; the vessel and any transhipment change them.

Terminals and shipping lines allow a limited number of free days before storage and container detention charges start. Clearing quickly, or moving cargo to a warehouse, keeps those charges down.

Within 24 hours, with rates and the document list for your shipment. For urgent cases, such as a held container, call or WhatsApp the desk, which is open 24 hours.

Our clearance fee, terminal handling and CFS charges, the shipping line's delivery order charges, customs duty and IGST, and transport if you book it. Each part is shown separately, so you can compare like with like.

Duty is calculated on the assessable value of the goods: basic customs duty, the social welfare surcharge and IGST, plus any anti-dumping duty. The rates depend on the HS code and origin, and customs sets the final figure at assessment.

Ocean rates move with fuel, season and capacity, often weekly. We quote the current rate for your sailing and show every part of it separately.

On weight or measure, whichever is higher: usually per cubic metre, or per 1,000 kg if the cargo is dense. Most consolidators charge a minimum of 1 CBM, and CFS and documentation charges are added.

It depends on the incoterm agreed between buyer and seller. It decides who pays freight, insurance and the charges at each port, and where the risk passes to the buyer.

No. A quote is an estimate based on what you tell us, and a service is agreed only when we confirm it in writing.

FCL (full container load) means you book a whole container for your cargo. LCL (less than container load) means your cargo shares a container and you pay by volume. FCL is faster and handled less; LCL is cheaper for small volumes.

As a rule, once your cargo fills about 13–15 CBM, a 20ft container usually costs about the same or less than LCL. The exact point depends on the lane and the current rates, so we price both.

Six: exports from Mundra to West Africa, East Africa, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and imports from China to Mundra and from Europe to Kandla. Other destinations are quoted case by case.

Yes. We work with partner agents on our six trade lanes. They handle the far end, we handle India, and you deal with one team throughout.

Yes, where the carrier accepts it. Hazardous cargo needs an MSDS, a dangerous goods declaration, correct labels and the shipping line's approval before booking, so tell us early.

Yes, for urgent or high-value consignments that cannot wait for a vessel. Air cargo is charged on chargeable weight: the actual or volume weight, whichever is higher.

Yes. Project and ODC cargo covers route surveys, permits, specialised trailers and port handling for wind blades, transformers and machinery.

Yes: Ambaji Warehouse / CFS, Mundra. It is non-bonded, so it stores duty-paid imports and export cargo waiting to be stuffed or shipped.

A bonded warehouse stores imported goods before duty is paid, under customs control. A non-bonded warehouse stores goods that are duty-paid or domestic. Ours is non-bonded.

Yes. We destuff imported containers into storage and stuff export cargo into containers, with a tally of every lot at each step.

Yes. Cargo can be sorted into lots, repacked where packaging is damaged, and labelled with the buyer's marks before it is delivered or stuffed for export.

By space and time, plus handling in and out, stuffing or destuffing, and transport. We quote on the volume, the handling and the expected period, and review it if plans change.

The team has cleared cargo at the Gujarat ports since 2014. The firm was registered as RP International, a partnership, in 2024.

Yes. RP International is a partnership firm registered for GST (GSTIN 24ABJFR0784N1ZO), with Importer-Exporter Code ABJFR0784N and Udyam registration UDYAM-GJ-13-0106696.

Sunil P Chawda is the Director and Gajendra Singh Chouhan is the General Manager. Both can be reached through the clearance desk on +91 97141 41559.

Yes. We advise on export promotion schemes, MSME benefits, and Star Export House, EOU, SEZ, FTWZ and AEO set-ups: what each needs and whether it suits the business.

If you handle cargo to or from Gujarat, email pricing@rpinternational.net with your company, country and the lanes you cover.