Importing Textiles from India to the UK After Brexit: Customs, Duty and Documentation

Something material changed for UK brands buying from India on 15 July 2026, and a surprising number of them have not adjusted their costings for it. The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement entered into force, and the 12% tariff that UK importers had been paying on Indian apparel and textiles went to zero.

This post covers what CETA actually does, how the rest of the import mechanics work, and two places where widely repeated advice is wrong. Our general guide to importing textiles from India is the broader overview; this one goes deep on the UK.

What CETA did

The agreement was signed on 24 July 2025 and entered into force on 15 July 2026. For textiles specifically it removed duties across 1,143 textile tariff lines, eliminating rates of up to 12% on apparel and made-up textiles. Across all goods, roughly 99% of Indian exports to the UK now enter at zero duty.

Put that in a landed cost. A £100,000 order of woven linen shirting that carried 12% duty before was costing you £12,000 in duty alone. That is now nil, provided you claim preference correctly. For an independent brand it is frequently the difference between a viable margin and a marginal one.

That last row is the one that costs people money. Preference is claimed on the declaration and supported by proof of origin. If your broker does not claim it, you pay the full rate on goods that were eligible.

Commodity codes: the number everything hangs off

Every item you import is declared under a 10-digit commodity code from the UK Global Online Tariff. Apparel sits in Chapters 61 (knitted or crocheted) and 62 (not knitted). Made-up home textiles - napkins, tablecloths, cushion covers, curtains - sit in Chapter 63. Fabric by the metre sits in the fibre chapters, 52 through 55.

The code determines the duty rate, any licensing or quota triggers, and which origin rule applies to your product. Getting it wrong is not a technicality: an incorrect classification can mean underpaid duty recovered later with interest, or overpaid duty you never reclaim.

Three things drive classification for textiles, and they are worth knowing because we are the ones who can answer them:

• Knitted or woven. This alone decides between Chapter 61 and 62.
• Fibre composition by weight. A 100% linen shirt and a 55% linen / 45% cotton shirt can classify differently. Get the composition from us in writing.
• Garment type and gender. The codes are granular in ways that feel arbitrary until you are in them.

The most common cause of a held entry is not a missing document. It is a description mismatch - the commercial invoice describes the goods one way, the code implies another, and the entry gets queried. Agree the wording between us, you and your broker before the goods ship.

Proof of origin

CETA preference depends on the goods genuinely originating in India under the agreement's rules of origin, not merely being shipped from there. For textiles the rules turn on where the fabric was woven and where the garment was made up. We supply the origin documentation as part of the export set, and we keep the supporting records - both parties are expected to be able to substantiate a claim if it is verified later.

Two practical points. Ask for the origin document before the vessel sails, not when the goods are sitting at Felixstowe. And be honest with us about your supply chain expectations, because an origin statement that cannot be substantiated is worse than paying the duty.

The rest of the mechanics

EORI

You need a GB EORI number to import. It is free, it takes a few days, and it is the identifier every declaration hangs off. If you are also moving goods into Northern Ireland you may need an XI EORI as well.

Import VAT - not the same thing as duty

CETA removes duty. It does not remove import VAT, which applies at the standard rate on most textiles and is calculated on the value of the goods plus freight, insurance and any duty. If you are VAT-registered this is generally recoverable, and postponed VAT accounting lets you account for it on your VAT return rather than paying it at the border - which is a meaningful cash-flow difference on a large first order. Ask your accountant to switch it on before your first shipment, not after.

Transit times

One routing note that affects planning. Since late 2023 most carriers have avoided the Red Sea and routed around the Cape of Good Hope, which adds roughly ten to fifteen days against the Suez routing on some lanes. As of mid-2026 that diversion remains the industry norm. Build schedules on current carrier advice rather than on pre-2023 rules of thumb.

Labelling: what UK law actually requires

This is where a lot of supplier-written advice goes wrong, so it is worth being precise.

Fibre composition labelling is mandatory. Under the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012, textile products must carry a label stating fibre content. A single-fibre product may be labelled "100% linen". A blend must list each fibre by name in descending order of weight - "60% linen, 40% cotton". This is a legal requirement, not a convention, and it is the importer's responsibility that the product on the shelf complies.

Care labelling is not mandated by UK law in the same way, but it is a commercial expectation and effectively universal. We apply care instructions and symbols as standard.

UKCA almost certainly does not apply to you. UKCA marking replaced CE marking for the product categories that required it - things like personal protective equipment, toys and electrical goods. Ordinary apparel and home textiles are not in scope and do not carry a UKCA mark. You will find blog posts telling UK textile importers they need UKCA marking; unless your product is genuinely PPE, they are wrong. If you are making high-visibility workwear or protective garments, that is a different conversation and you should take specialist advice.

What buyers should ask about instead is substantive: restricted substances compliance, and whatever testing your own retail customers require. We manufacture to OEKO-TEX standards and supply testing and compliance documentation to buyer requirements.

Your document set

1. Commercial invoice - correct value, Incoterm, and a description that matches the commodity code.
2. Packing list - carton counts, net and gross weights, dimensions.
3. Bill of lading or air waybill.
4. Proof of origin under CETA, referencing the invoice.
5. Your GB EORI, held by your broker.
6. Fibre composition statement, which you need for labelling compliance as well as classification.
7. Any test reports your own customers require.

Practical sequence for a first UK import

1. Get a GB EORI. Free, and it blocks everything until you have it.
2. Appoint a customs broker before you order, and have them confirm your commodity codes against the product description we give you.
3. Enable postponed VAT accounting.
4. Tell the broker in writing that you will claim CETA preference.
5. Agree the invoice description across all three parties.
6. Confirm the fibre composition and get the labelling artwork to us before bulk, so labels are applied at manufacture rather than relabelled in a UK warehouse.

Zed Aar Exports has been exporting since 2007 - the first international order was 206 scarves to the UK - so this documentation set is routine at our end. If you are working out whether the numbers stack up at your volume, our breakdown of what actually drives cost at low volume is the natural next read, and our linen page covers what we make.