Classification, documentation and duties worked out before your goods ship — not after they're held at the border.
- HS-code classification and duty estimates shared up front
- Complete export and import documentation prepared for you
- Coordination with licensed brokers at origin and destination
- Import requirements for India, the GCC and Southeast Asia confirmed for your product
Classification is where import costs are decided
Your HS code determines the duty rate, whether the product needs a licence or certificate, and whether it is restricted at all. Get it wrong and the consequences are not limited to paying the wrong duty — misclassification can mean penalties, reassessment of past entries, and goods held at the port while it is resolved.
Classification is genuinely difficult for products that sit between categories, are made of mixed materials, or are assembled from components with different codes. It is worth settling before you order, because the duty rate feeds directly into whether the landed cost works at all.
We classify up front and give you a duty estimate you can build a price around, rather than discovering the number when the goods are already on the water.
The document set, and why entries get held
Most clearance delays are not disputes — they are paperwork that does not agree with itself. A commercial invoice that says something different from the packing list, a certificate of origin naming a different consignee, a bill of lading with a description that does not match the declared HS code: each is enough to stop an entry.
- Commercial invoice and packing list, reconciled against each other
- Bill of lading (sea) or air waybill, with a description matching the declaration
- Certificate of origin, where a trade agreement or the destination requires it
- Product certificates and test reports for regulated categories
- Insurance certificate where the Incoterm places cover on your side
- Import licences or registrations specific to the destination market
What changes by destination
“Importing from China” is not one process. The destination regime drives what you need, and the requirements differ enough that a document set built for one market will not clear in another.
- India. An Importer Exporter Code is required before you can import at all. Duty is layered — basic customs duty, IGST and applicable surcharges — and notified product categories require BIS certification, which the factory must hold before production, not after.
- Saudi Arabia. Shipments route through the SABER platform for product conformity, with certificates issued against the relevant technical regulation before goods arrive.
- UAE. Conformity schemes apply to regulated categories, and requirements differ by emirate and by free zone versus mainland entry.
- Wider GCC. The GCC Conformity Mark covers several regulated categories across member states, though national requirements still sit on top of it.
Incoterms decide who carries the risk
The Incoterm on your contract determines where the supplier's responsibility ends and yours begins — for cost, for insurance, and for who is the importer of record. It is one of the most consequential lines in a purchase agreement and one of the least read.
FOB is the common default and works well when you want control of the freight. DDP looks attractive because it quotes one number, but it makes the supplier responsible for clearing goods into your country, which means you lose visibility of what was declared on your behalf — and you may still be liable for an incorrect declaration.
We will tell you which term serves you for a given lane and order, rather than defaulting to whichever one the factory quoted.
How it works
- 1
Classify before you order
We confirm the HS code and flag any certification the category requires, so it is designed in rather than discovered.
- 2
Estimate the landed cost
Duty, taxes and surcharges for your destination, so you can price the product with confidence.
- 3
Prepare the documents
The full export and import set, reconciled against each other before anything is filed.
- 4
Coordinate the brokers
Licensed brokers at origin and destination, working from one consistent document set.
- 5
Clear and release
Entry filed, duty settled, and goods released to onward delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Can you estimate duty before I place an order?
Yes, and this is the right time to ask. We classify the product and give you a duty estimate for your destination up front, so you can price against it before committing to volume. Duty is formally assessed by customs at entry, so an estimate remains an estimate — but it is close enough to build a margin on, and it surfaces any certification requirement early, while you can still design around it.
Who is the importer of record?
That depends on your Incoterm. Under most terms you are, which means the declaration is made in your name and you carry responsibility for its accuracy — one of the main reasons we advise against letting a supplier quote DDP unexamined.
What if my product needs certification I don't have?
Better to find out before production than at the port. We flag certification requirements during classification, and where the factory must hold the certificate, that has to be settled before the line starts.
Do you handle clearance at both ends?
Yes — export clearance in China and import clearance at destination, coordinated so the same document set is used on both sides. That consistency is what prevents most holds.
What causes most customs delays?
Documents that disagree with one another, and declarations that do not match the goods. Both are preventable, which is why the document set is reconciled before filing rather than after a query.
Kaiz La works across Hong Kong, China, India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. Requirements and duty rates differ by destination — tell us where the goods are going and we will confirm what applies to your product.