Partnered carrier shipping from India to the US  

The Partnered Carrier program allows you to send your Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) inventory from India to fulfillment centers in the US. The program enables you to commercially ship your FBA shipments in a cost-effective manner. Once the carrier participating in this program picks up your shipment, they will handle shipping from customs clearances to delivery to an Amazon fulfillment center. (Doorstep pickup and drop-off at a carrier facility in India is available.)

Below is a detailed list of program features:

• Integrated in Seller Central

  You can book shipments, enter customs information, schedule pickup by the carrier, and pay logistics freight charges directly in Seller Central while creating your FBA shipment.

• Amazon facilitated shipping

  You don’t need to create a separate account with the carrier or do any credit checks to use the Partnered Carrier program for global shipments. Just make sure that your shipment documents and know-your-customer (KYC) documents are ready at the time of pickup. KYC documents establish your proof of identity and address.

• Commercially cleared

  Partnered carrier shipments will be commercially cleared, with the carrier taking care of both origin and destinations custom clearance.

• Amazon negotiated rates and seamless payments

  You can rely on Amazon negotiated rates along with seamless Seller Central integrated payments.

• Door-to-door pickup and delivery

  Once you schedule pickup from your location, the carrier will come to your door for pickup and will take ownership for delivery to a US fulfillment center.

• End-to-end tracking

  You can track the status of your FBA shipment within Seller Central.

• Express shipping solution

  This program offers an express shipping solution. The average delivery time will be 6 to 8 business days for FedEx International (Priority) and 14 to 16 business days for FedEx International (Economy).

You can buy shipping by using the existing FBA workflow for sending your shipments to fulfillment centers. The shipping options available to you will be based on the ship-from the location that you provide. Book an FBA shipment with a participating carrier in eight steps.

1. To create an FBA shipment, select ‘Manage Inventory’ from the Inventory drop-down menu in Seller Central. Select each item that you want to ship, and then select ‘Send/replenish inventory’ from the ‘Action on selected’ drop-down menu.
2. On the ‘Send/replenish inventory’ page, select ‘Create a new shipping plan’ or ‘Add to an existing shipping plan.’
   • To create a new plan, use the shipment creation workflow (visit Send/replenish inventory to Amazon to learn more).
   • To add your items to an existing plan, select the plan from the Add to shipping plan drop-down list.
3. After creating a FBA shipment for the US, in the ‘Prepare Shipment’ page, you will see the available carrier options in the carrier section after choosing 'Small Parcel Delivery' in type of shipment, in the FBA shipment creation workflow.
4. Follow the current FBA shipment workflow of shipment packing, and entering box weights in pounds and dimensions in inches. For multiple boxes, it is mandatory to enter box weights and dimensions for each box in the shipment
5. After confirming the boxes and their dimensions, you have to enter the information required for customs clearance listed below:
   • Description of the commodity: Full description of the commodity along with intended use (for example: Thermometers for non-clinical use, Shampoo for washing hair, Face moisturizer for facial cleansing). Please be as precise as possible in your descriptions to avoid issues during customs clearance.
   • Declared value: Value of the product based on which customs duty and taxes are charged.
   • GST number: GST stands for “goods and services tax”
   • CSB selection (CSB V/IPHV - high value commodity): CSB-V is courier clearance, and IPHV is high-value clearance. Generally, if the declared value of shipment is less than INR 5 lakhs, you can select CSB-V for faster customs clearance. IPHV entails formal clearance, which is generally for shipments with declared value more than INR 5 lakhs. If you intend to claim duty-drawback for your shipment, you have to choose IPHV as the clearance mode, as duty-drawback is not available for CSB-V clearance.
   • Invoice type: GST/Non-GST
   • Terms of invoice selection: Delivery duty unpaid (DDU), because the carrier will collect any customs duty paid from Amazon at the destination and we will charge your seller account once we receive the carrier invoice.
   • If the carrier is FedEx:
     • Against bond or undertaking (UT) selection: A customs bond or letter of undertaking (LUT), whichever is applicable. If you don’t intend to pay GST against your export invoice, you must provide an LUT or a customs bond.
   • E-com shipment selection
   • MEIS and non-MEIS: MEIS (Merchandise Exports from India Scheme) has been discontinued by the government of India, and all shipments will move as non-MEIS.
   • GST paid: Value of GST paid (if any)
   • Invoice date: The date mentioned on the invoice, in the format DD/MM/YY
   • Invoice number: The number of the invoice
6. After confirming the customs information, you can choose the pickup date and slot for the carrier to pick up the shipment, and enter the pickup address. If you choose drop off, you will see the carrier’s contact details to coordinate for the drop off. Upon clicking calculate, you will see the shipping charges estimate (this does not include customs duty charged by US customs) for the shipment based on the box dimensions and weight. You have to agree to the carrier’s terms and conditions and accept the charges by clicking on ‘Accept Charges.’ After accepting charges, you have 24 hours to cancel the pickup/drop off slot for the shipment by clicking ‘Void charges.’ Upon canceling, you won’t be charged. Post the 24-hour time period, you will not be able to cancel the pickup/drop-off slot and you will be charged for the estimated amount from your Seller Central account.
7. Upon accepting charges, you can download the print box labels, and relevant carrier labels that have to be handed over to the carrier at pickup/drop-off.
8. After printing the box labels, click on complete shipment. This will send a notification to the carrier for pickup slot confirmation, and you will be able to track the shipment on Seller Central.

KYC documents, required for all shipments:

• Identity proof (any one)
  • Certificate of incorporation
  • Memorandum and articles of association
  • Permanent account number (PAN) card of the company
• Address proof (any one)
  • A landline or mobile telephone bill in the name of the company (last three months)
  • Certificate of incorporation
  • Copy of PAN required with signed KYC form
  • Copy of the importer-exporter code (IEC) required for international account along with signed KYC form
  • Copy of tax deduction account number (TAN) required with signed KYC form
  • All documents to be self-attested by a director or authorized signatory
  • Form 32 or online verification of the director and a photo ID if the director signs using a digital signature certificate (DSC)

All documents must be signed by a director or authorized signatory.

Clearance documents required

Document	Required for IPHV	Required for CSB-V	Number of copies required
Carrier shipper’s letter of instruction (SLI)			2 copies
Commercial invoice (CSB-V)			1 original plus 5 copies*
Commercial invoice (IPHV)			1 original plus 5 copies*
Packing list			1 original plus 5 copies*
Export value declaration			2 copies
Good and services tax identification number (GSTIN) certificate			1 copy
Copy of the importer-exporter code (IEC)			2 copies
Authorized dealer (AD) code letter			2 copies
E-way bill If the shipment value is above INR 50,000, the E-way bill part A with transporter ID 27AABCF6516A1Z3 is required, mentioning accurate place of dispatch. The E-way bill has to be generated from the GSTIN portal.			1 copy

* The five copies have to be on the company letterhead.

Regulatory documents required, specific to commodity

You may be required to download and share some of the documents below, depending on the product commodity, per applicable regulations in India and the US. Work with a compliance consultant to identify the specific documents that are required for your products.

• Exemption sheet (batteries and battery-powered products)
• Battery checklist (battery-powered products)
• Exemption sheet (health and beauty products without harmful chemicals)
• Certificate of analysis (COA) (health and beauty products)
• Children's Product Certification (CPC) (toys)
• Radiation declaration (laser products)
• Non-dangerous goods declaration
• Example of a phytosanitary certificate (for tea, spices, and anything made from plant seeds)
• Certificate of origin
• Import-export license under the US Fisheries and Wildlife Service
• FDA registration and prior notice (as applicable, for products falling under US Food and Drug Administration purview)
• Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) certificate (products that contain a chemical substance or mixture)

For guidance on product-specific documentation, contact your compliance consultant or reach out to third-party service providers on the Service Provider Network.

FedEx compliance

Shipments that are destined for Amazon fulfillment centers require the following information for accurate and effective clearance:

• Clear and accurate descriptions of all articles that are being imported.
• Correct value for all articles that are being imported. If the articles are being sold, the value indicated must be the price paid or payable.
• All shipments regardless of value require a fully completed and accurate commercial invoice or a pro forma invoice if the items are not sold. The following information is required in English on the invoice:
  • Commercial invoice number and the date
  • Shipper name and address as registered on your IEC
  • Manufacturer name and address
  • Ultimate consignee (sold-to party, recipient of the goods, or both)
  • FedEx air waybill number
  • GST number, IEC number, AD code letter, and letter of undertaking (LUT) number (if applicable)
  • Integrated goods and services tax (IGST) paid (yes or no). If yes, then the IGST percentage and IGST amount per-line item must be listed. In the case of an LUT or customs bond, put 0 as the IGST for each line item.
  • A detailed description of the product (for example, “women’s T-shirt, 100% cotton, crewneck” instead of just “women’s T-shirt
  • Intended use of the product for each line item
  • Value and currency (accurate value of the goods, along with currency)
  • Country of origin (country where the goods were grown, produced, or ultimately manufactured)
  • State and district of origin
  • Harmonized System (HS) code clearly mentioned for all commodities
  • Additional charges, discounts, or both
  • Sold-to party
  • Authorized signatory with designation and stamp of shipper

For general regulatory questions about US import or export issues before you ship, email the Regulatory Consulting Group at rcg@fedex.com.

If a shipment is subject to clearance requirements for partner government agencies that require a US presence, additional restrictions will apply. These requirements apply to commodities that are overseen by agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Dangerous goods

Dangerous goods (hazardous materials) may not be sent using the Partnered Carrier program for global shipments. To ensure safe transportation, dangerous goods must comply with all applicable regulations. To learn more, visit FBA Dangerous Goods program.

FedEx International