What compliance mistakes get first-time exporters' shipments stuck at customs?
The short answer
Wrong or vague HS codes are the number-one cause, customs holds the parcel to reclassify it, which can take weeks. Close behind: mismatched invoice value versus declared value, missing or incorrect AD code details, and forgetting the annual IEC update between April and June (DGFT can deactivate a lapsed IEC mid-shipment). Build a pre-shipment checklist, IEC valid, LUT current, correct HS code, invoice matches declared value, and you avoid most customs holds before they happen.
A quick summary to orient you. The real value is below: the resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it, not us.
Here are the resources
Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time. India-specific ones carry a badge.
Why we picked it
Written by the co-founder of an Indian export consultancy (EXIM Clinic), this is the rare export book aimed at practitioners rather than trade-law academics, covers documentation, LC, pricing and INCOTERMS in plain language.
Why we picked it
The government's own HS/ITC-HS classification lookup, the most authoritative place to confirm your product's code before third-party tools, since your duty rate and export policy depend on getting it right.
Why we picked it
The India-based way to ship cross-border with customs paperwork handled for you, relevant here because it bundles compliant export documentation with the actual shipment, reducing what you have to file yourself.
Why we picked it
A free search-by-product-name tool that's often faster than the government portal for a rough first lookup, cross-verify whatever it returns against the DGFT source before filing.
