Exporting to India

There are both advantages and potential challenges for Northern Ireland companies doing business in India.

India is a price-competitive market, and price is an important consideration for consumers. You will be expected to negotiate the price of your goods and offer discounts.

Advantages of exporting to India

India can offer numerous benefits to companies looking to do business in the region, including:

• The UK-India Free Trade Agreement will strengthen Northern Ireland’s economy by enhancing its trading relationship with India across multiple sectors. Find out more about the benefits of the UK-India free trade agreement.
• English is widely spoken
• a common legal and administrative history
• rising personal incomes, creating a new middle-class consumer market
• a fast-growing economy with one of the world’s largest youth populations
• expanding emerging cities with more than 50 cities now with over a million people

Challenges of exporting to India

You should also be aware of some challenges you could face when exporting to India. It is a large market to do business in, which can lead to some unique challenges, including:

• multiple religious, ethnic and annual variations in holiday timings, requiring careful planning for business trips
• barriers to trade and investment in some sectors because of regulatory constraints, local sourcing requirements and import tariffs
• intellectual property protection (IP)
• risk of delays due to administrative requirements
• difficulty of land acquisition
• access to the right skills in the local workforce
• infrastructure challenges, including for distribution and logistics
• extremely hot weather in summer and wet weather in the monsoon season can affect business
• risk of bribery and corruption

Opportunities exist for UK companies across a wide range of sectors, including technology, fintech and automotive.

Some sectors may offer opportunities to Northern Ireland companies.

Technology

India is rapidly becoming one of the most data-rich countries in the world. It has a strong tech ecosystem and is a global hub for technology startups. India boasts some of the lowest mobile data costs globally and has a huge number of internet subscribers.

Start-up ecosystem

The Indian start-up ecosystem has seen significant evolution in recent years. Start-ups are using emerging technologies such as social, mobility, analytics and cloud (SMAC), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and the internet of things to solve key challenges in fields such as healthcare, education and financial inclusion.

Telecommunications

The telecoms sector presents a significant opportunity for exporters, driven by a diverse and rapidly evolving market. Alongside traditional demand for telecoms equipment, there is a growing global demand for advanced technologies and services that support next-generation networks. In particular, the rollout of 5G is creating opportunities for companies specialising in data analytics, artificial intelligence and cyber security, as operators seek to optimise networks, enhance performance and ensure secure, resilient connectivity.

UK-India Tech Partnership

The India-UK Tech Partnership aims to bring together the best minds working in tech to support innovation and technology, unlock its future potential and deliver high-skilled jobs and sustainable economic growth. This pioneering partnership has strong support in both countries.

Fintech

India’s impressive fintech growth and adoption rate, combined with strong Indian government support, make it one of the most important global fintech markets. Peer-to-peer lending, small and medium-sized enterprise lending and digital payments are rapidly driving fintech growth and adoption in India.

Market size

India's fintech sector has grown substantially over the past decade and is now transitioning from rapid expansion to sustainable resilience. With a projected 31% Compound Annual Growth Rate through to 2029, India continues to offer a strong growth narrative. (Source: KPMG, 2025).

High demand

Demand is increasing in India for digital onboarding, lending, wealth management, and technology around regulation, insurance and blockchain. This demand offers huge opportunities for UK exporters.

Automotive

Several major UK automotive companies are present in India, including JCB, Jaguar Land Rover (as part of Tata Motors), GKN Driveline, Johnson Matthey and Ricardo. Sector growth combined with strong government support makes India a promising market for UK exporters.

Market size and potential

India is the fourth-largest automobile market in the world after China, the USA and Japan. There are considerable opportunities for UK companies in the manufacture of tractors, two-wheelers, buses, cars and commercial vehicles.

Luxury car market

Leading luxury car manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded record revenue in India in 2025, and the luxury car market is expected to grow considerably over the next few years. India is a viable outsourcing hub for UK exporters, offering low production costs and increasing domestic demand.

Governmental reform

India’s government has announced an ambitious target for 30% of its vehicle sales to be electric by 2030. It aims to provide grants for electric vehicle procurement.

There are many things to consider before you start exporting to India. It's essential to find out about local rules and regulations on tax and duty in your intended market.

Check for trade barriers

Trade barriers, such as tariffs or taxes, can raise costs, cause delays, or even stop you from exporting. Check for any issues that may impact your business when exporting.

See current trade barriers.

See resolved trade barriers.

Check duties and customs

Find information on how to export goods from the UK. View the duties, rules, restrictions, and the documents you need for your products.

See current duties and customs procedures.

Taxes

The UK and India have a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA), which helps ensure that the same income is not taxed twice in both countries. 

India’s taxation system operates at both central and state government levels. The introduction of the national Goods and Services Tax (GST) has helped simplify this system by creating a unified market across the country. GST replaces multiple indirect taxes, making it easier for businesses to operate within a market of over 1.3 billion people. You can find out more about taxation from India’s National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency.

Import restrictions

The Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) lists goods where restrictions are imposed, or import is not allowed.

Standards and regulations

Some imported products must meet Indian quality standards and have to be certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) before being exported to India. BIS does offer pre-certification, subject to production inspections. Find out more about product certification.

Use the Food Import Clearance System if you’re exporting food to India.

Labelling requirements

Product labels can be in English or Hindi. All imported goods, as well as transport documents, must show standard units of measurement and weight.

You must comply with these requirements for your consignment to be cleared by customs in India.

Using agents and distributors

You can export to India by contacting customers directly. This could be a first step before appointing a partner in India. Before appointing an agent or distributor, you should look closely at your potential partners:

• local business reputation
• financial resources
• regional coverage
• marketing ability

It may be best to appoint a series of agents or distributors to cover different regions.

Online selling to India

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) trade advisers in India can help you find the online marketplace best suited to your product or service and get access to deals negotiated by the UK government.

Intellectual property

Intellectual property (IP) rights are territorial, meaning they only provide protection in the countries where they are granted or registered. Rights protected in the UK do not automatically apply overseas.

If you plan to trade internationally or sell to customers abroad online, you should consider securing IP protection in each market where you operate.

The Intellectual Property Office’s International IP Service provides practical information to help you protect, manage and enforce your IP in India.

British businesses looking for IP support can also contact the IP Attaché for India.

Getting paid

You need to use secure terms of payment in India through a letter of credit or documentary collection through your bank. The other option is payment or partial payment in advance. Open account transactions are not allowed in India.

Your contract should always clearly state the terms for delivery and payment of goods and services. Indian law does not regulate late payments, and settlement action through the courts can be expensive and take a long time.

If you have any concerns about getting paid for your export, speak to UK Export Finance (UKEF) about insurance against buyer default.

The UK-India Free Trade Agreement will eliminate or significantly reduce tariffs on the vast majority of goods traded between the UK and India, helping to lower costs and improve competitiveness for businesses in both markets.

For Northern Ireland, the agreement is expected to strengthen trading ties with one of the world's fastest-growing economies, creating opportunities across a range of sectors.

By opening up new export markets and making it easier to do business with India, the deal could deliver an estimated £50 million annual boost to the Northern Ireland economy.

Read more about the UK-India free trade agreement.

Developing exports to India could be a key part of growing your business. But breaking into the market can be challenging. The right support and advice can significantly improve your prospects.

Invest NI offers a comprehensive range of advice, plus additional support services for businesses.

• The selling outside Northern Ireland schemes include support with market research and market visits.
• Invest NI sector specialists can help you assess the opportunities for your business and advise on the best way forward.
• Invest NI can advise on how to use technology to support your exports.
• Invest NI can advise on financing your export business and may be able to provide financial support directly to businesses.

As well as Invest NI, there are other sources of support.

• The Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce (NICC) provides trade support services and networking opportunities.
• Department for Business and Trade (DBT) in-market support - eligible UK businesses can access trade expertise and knowledge on exporting to specific countries from the DBT global network of international market hubs.
• A freight forwarder can organise delivery and customs clearance, minimising the logistical problems you deal with directly.
• Your bank can advise you on the most appropriate form of financing and how to protect yourself against foreign exchange risks and non-payment.