From India to Toronto.
Shipping from India to Canada? We book FCL and LCL from Nhava Sheva, Mundra and Chennai to the GTA. Containers often sail west to Halifax or Montreal and finish the trip by rail.
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Setara Logistics is a freight forwarder in Vaughan, Ontario. For freight from India, we book the sailing from the Indian port or your supplier's site, follow the container through any transshipment, coordinate customs through our licensed customs broker partner, and plan the rail leg and the delivery to your dock.
This page is for Canadian businesses buying commercial goods from Indian suppliers. It covers the two usual routings, the buying terms, the duty position and what to ask your supplier for.
How freight gets from India to Toronto
India's main container ports are Nhava Sheva (JNPA) near Mumbai and Mundra in Gujarat, on the west coast, and Chennai on the east coast. From any of them, a container for the GTA can go one of two ways.
The ocean line chooses the way, and the routing depends on current conditions at sea. When we quote, we tell you which way your sailing goes, the Canadian port it reaches and the GTA ramp it should end at.
West through Suez to the East Coast
Ships often head west through the Suez Canal, or connect at a transshipment port in the Mediterranean or Europe, and arrive at Halifax or Montreal. From Halifax, CN rail carries the container to CN Brampton. From Montreal, CN or CPKC rail runs to CN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan, and a full container can also come by road.
East through Asia to Vancouver
Some cargo goes the other way: east to a transshipment hub in Asia, then across the Pacific to Vancouver. From there, CN or CPKC rail carries the container across Canada to the GTA ramps.
Buying FOB Nhava Sheva, or FCA?
On FOB, FCA or EXW terms, you, the buyer, book and pay the ocean freight. You choose the forwarder and the sailing, and you see the freight as its own cost, apart from the goods.
- FOB Nhava Sheva (or Mundra, or Chennai): your supplier clears the goods for export in India and loads them on board at that port. Your cost and risk start once they are on board. FOB is for sea freight only.
- FCA: your supplier clears export and hands the goods to the carrier you name at an agreed place, such as its own dock, a container terminal or an LCL consolidator's warehouse. For a full container, this usually fits better than FOB, because the box is handed over at the terminal, often days before it is loaded.
- EXW: the goods wait at the supplier's site, not loaded, and the Indian export clearance falls to you, a buyer outside India. The International Chamber of Commerce, which writes the Incoterms rules, suggests FCA instead when goods cross a border.
Write the named place precisely: an address, a terminal or a port. Our guide to Incoterms 2020 covers all eleven terms.
A full container, or space in a shared one?
FCL from India
Your supplier packs and seals the container. We book it with the ocean line, often through to the GTA rail ramp on one bill of lading. From CN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan, Setara Transport runs the container to your dock.
Request an FCL quoteLCL from India
For a smaller lot, your supplier delivers the cargo to an LCL consolidator in India, which packs it with other shippers' goods. At this end, the consolidator unpacks the container at its container freight station (CFS), near the port or in the GTA. After customs release, a vetted partner carrier delivers it. We book LCL with consolidators; we do not run a CFS.
Request an LCL quoteLCL is priced by volume or weight, whichever is greater. If you are close to filling a box, check with our container load calculator. For a small or urgent shipment, ask about air freight.
What duty do goods from India pay?
Canada has no free trade agreement in force with India, so goods made there pay the Most-Favoured-Nation rate for their tariff classification. The rate follows where the goods were made or substantially changed, not the port they sailed from.
Some goods also carry surtaxes, quota limits, or anti-dumping and countervailing duties. These depend on the product and its origin, and they change. Our licensed customs broker partner confirms what applies when it classifies your goods, so send the product details before you place the order.
GST is worked out on the Canadian dollar value of the goods plus the duty, and paid with the duty. Our duty and tax calculator gives a first estimate.
Ready to import from India?
Set up your importer accounts before the first container ships: a business number with an import-export (RM) account, a CARM Client Portal account and access for your customs broker. Our guide to importing into Canada for the first time walks through each step, and our page on ocean freight into Toronto covers the charges and timing at the GTA end.
India to Toronto shipping FAQ.
Do you handle shipping from India to Canada?
Yes, for business freight. Setara Logistics, a freight forwarder in Vaughan, Ontario, books FCL and LCL from Nhava Sheva, Mundra and Chennai to the GTA. We coordinate customs through our licensed customs broker partner and plan the rail leg and the delivery to your dock.
Will my container arrive at Halifax, Montreal or Vancouver?
The ocean line decides. Sailings that head west, through the Suez Canal or a transshipment port in the Mediterranean or Europe, often arrive at Halifax or Montreal. Sailings that head east through a hub in Asia go to Vancouver. From Halifax, CN rail runs to CN Brampton. From Montreal or Vancouver, CN or CPKC rail runs to CN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan.
Is there a free trade agreement between Canada and India?
No agreement is in force, so goods made in India pay the Most-Favoured-Nation rate for their classification. The rate follows where the goods were made, not where they shipped from. Our licensed customs broker partner confirms the rate, and any surtax or anti-dumping duty, when it classifies your goods.
Should I buy FOB Nhava Sheva or FCA?
Both leave the Indian export clearance with your supplier and the main freight with you. For a full container, FCA at the terminal or at your supplier's dock usually fits better, because the supplier hands the box over, often days before it is loaded. EXW puts the Indian export side on you. See Incoterms 2020 explained.
Do I need a customs broker to import from India?
No. A broker is optional, but many importers use one, and we coordinate every entry through our licensed customs broker partner. Either way, you need your own business number with an import-export (RM) account and a CARM Client Portal account. Our guide to importing into Canada for the first time walks through the setup.
How long does shipping from India to Toronto take?
We do not publish a transit time. It turns on the routing, west to Halifax or Montreal or east to Vancouver, plus any transshipment, the rail leg, customs and, for LCL, the unloading at the CFS. Conditions at sea can change routings. Your quote comes with the schedule for your sailing.
Related services, guides and tools.
Importing from India?
Tell us the supplier's city or port, the Incoterm and what you are shipping. We will come back with a quote and the routing for your sailing.
Request a quote Talk to a freight specialist