DDP (Delivered Duty Paid / Entregado con derechos pagados) puts one counterparty over freight, Indian Customs clearance and delivery in India. It does not invent HS, waive BIS/FSSAI or erase IGST. This spoke does not replace the country hub or the mode hub. Shipping from China to India · DDP from China · Sea to India.
Transit + Cost Position
📦 DDP
Same sea or air transit; value is clearance, IGST and delivery to postcode.
🚢 Sea
Typical band: about 10–25 days; usual volume base under DDP.
✈️ Air
Typical band: about 3–6 days; use air DDP when must-arrive demands it.
An operable India DDP declares in writing: named mode (sea FCL, sea LCL or air), gateway (Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Chennai, DEL, BOM), final Indian city/ICD and site type, whether BCD and IGST are included, excluded or disbursed, duty assumptions by HS, BIS/FSSAI status for regulated SKUs, and exception rules for Customs query, storage and failed delivery. A single number labelled “DDP” without those lines is not a service description. Coste puesto en destino still includes freight, locals, duty if any, IGST and last mile. Sea LCL DDP needs longer planning bands than FCL because of CFS. Air DDP must disclose chargeable weight, not hopeful actual weight. When comparing two DDP quotes, align week, mode, tax assumption and destination city/ICD. Archive the dated quote with the booking.
Illustration only
Time bands are typical ranges, not schedules or offers. For a real figure, request a quote · landed cost.
Origin Hubs + Destination Handoff
🇨🇳 Where cargo leaves China
- Shanghai / Ningbo ocean
- Yantian / Guangzhou ocean
- PVG / CAN / HKG when DDP rides on air
🇮🇳 Where DDP delivers
- Named Indian city or ICD (Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Chennai, inland plant)—not only “India”
- Nhava Sheva / Mundra / Chennai as ocean gateway when mode is sea—release and delivery still follow Bill of Entry
- DEL / BOM when mode is air—ramp arrival is not door delivery
DDP must name the postcode, not only “India” or “Nhava Sheva/Mundra.” After release, inland to the DC is part of the product if writing promises it. If scope stops at berth, it is not door-to-door even if the subject says DDP.
Only-here: require the quote to state whether BCD and IGST are included, excluded or disbursed, and what IEC/GSTIN/power is needed. Keep duty breakdown by HS. BIS/FSSAI evidence remains mandatory where regulated; DDP branding does not invent certificates. Align with same-country sea/air/customs. Do not reuse a short-sea Korea playbook without adapting Indian PGA gates and ICD inland. Confirm handoff against ICEGATE CIP and DGFT when you scope destination clearance and gateway delivery.
When to Use (and When Not)
DDP to India usually fits when:
- ✓ You want one counterparty over freight, clearance, IGST and delivery
- ✓ Internal teams do not want to run brokerage and advances separately
- ✓ You need a written SKU split between air and ocean
It is usually the wrong call when:
- ✕ The “DDP” does not declare taxes, gateway or postcode
- ✕ You prefer your own broker and internal tax control
- ✕ You compare totals from different weeks without aligning assumptions
2026 reality: well-written DDP reduces friction on a high-volume, high-control India lane; glamorous incomplete DDP creates arrival-day disputes. Duty and IGST change who pays, they do not vanish. Confirm tax recovery with your advisor. Archive the dated quote. Only-here: do not reuse a Gulf free-zone DDP playbook without adapting Bill of Entry, IGST cash-flow and BIS/FSSAI gates.
See also Shipping from China to India · DDP from China · Sea to India · Air to India · Customs India · Incoterms 2020.
What to send for a DDP quote
Origin, mode, CBM/weight or chargeable weight, commodity and HS, Indian city or ICD (Mumbai / Delhi NCR / Chennai / inland), whether IGST must be included, and must-arrive.