- You can ship your household goods back to India by sea (LCL or a full container) or by air freight. A mover packs and inventories your goods, exports them, clears Indian customs and delivers to your home, or to storage.
- Duty depends on the Transfer of Residence (TR) allowance under India’s Baggage Rules, 2026 (in force from 2 February 2026). The duty-free value runs from about ₹1.5 lakh to ₹7.5 lakh, depending on how long you lived abroad.
- Your appliances are less of a problem than they would be from the USA or Canada. Australia, the UK and the UAE all run on 230V, like India, so many appliances work with a plug adapter. Check each item’s rating.
- Book early. Pikkol’s return-move pages recommend 8–12 weeks before you fly, and Pikkol’s general FAQ says at least two weeks for a standard international booking.
- Pikkol handles packing, export, Indian customs clearance and delivery across 15,000+ PIN codes in India.
To plan your return, message Pikkol on WhatsApp or see Pikkol’s international relocations.
How do you ship your belongings back to India?
- Get a survey and a written quote. A video survey gives a CBM (volume) estimate and a line-by-line quote.
- Check your TR slab. Confirm how long you’ve lived abroad, whose name goes on the shipment, and your landing window.
- Pack with an inventory. Crews pack your goods and prepare a numbered, valued inventory in English, which you sign.
- Ship by sea or air. LCL (shared container), 20ft or 40ft container, or air freight.
- Clear Indian customs. Your customs broker files the unaccompanied baggage declaration (Form CBD-II) and clears the goods at the port or nearest inland depot.
- Deliver, unpack and remove debris, or hold your goods in storage if your home isn’t ready.
Pikkol’s return-move guides for the USA and Canada show this process in detail. See moving from the USA to India and moving from Canada to India. The same steps apply to a return from Australia, the UK or the UAE.
Does Pikkol ship from Australia, the UK and the UAE?
Pikkol’s UK and Australia pages describe door-to-door service, expert packing, customs support and documentation, air, sea or express shipping, live tracking, damage cover (based on declared value), and storage in warehouses. Pikkol says it serves 180+ countries. Ask your coordinator to confirm the origin partner, port and timeline for your city, because Pikkol doesn’t publish route-specific details for these three countries.
For the UAE, see Pikkol’s UAE page and the guide to moving from India to Dubai.
What is the Transfer of Residence (TR) allowance?
TR is the customs concession for people returning to India after living abroad. The Baggage Rules, 2026 replaced the 2016 rules, and Pikkol’s pages give these caps on used household goods and personal effects:
| Time abroad | Duty-free TR value | Key condition |
| Under 3 months | No TR, only the general ₹75,000 allowance | n/a |
| 3–12 months | ₹1,50,000 | No TR claim in the prior 3 years |
| At least 1 year in the last 2 | ₹3,00,000 | No TR claim in the prior 3 years |
| 2 years or more | ₹7,50,000 (up from ₹5 lakh in 2016) | Short India visits in the prior 2 years total six months or less, and no TR claim in the prior 3 years |
- TR is a capped concession, not a blanket exemption. Goods above the cap attract duty.
- It covers your own used personal and household goods, not trade goods or items for resale.
- The allowance is per eligible passenger. How it applies to a family shipment depends on the names on the bill of lading and the inventory.
- It is separate from the general ₹75,000 allowance, which covers gifts and new items.
- Cars are generally not covered.
- One new laptop per adult is duty-free, and gold jewellery is weight-based (Pikkol’s pages report 40 g for women and 20 g for others who have been abroad over a year).
Read Pikkol’s guide to India’s Baggage Rules 2026: what NRIs returning home need to know and the customs, visa and documentation guide. Rules change, so confirm the current figures with the CBIC or your customs broker before you travel.
When should your goods arrive?
Pikkol’s USA and Canada pages say goods can land up to 2 months before you arrive and must be dispatched within 1 month after you arrive, with extensions of up to a year in special cases. Pikkol’s Baggage Rules blog notes a similar window but not the exact durations. Ask your broker to confirm the window for your case. A missed deadline can mean full duty.
What documents do you need?
| Document | Who provides it |
| Passport (stay and arrival pages), and OCI card or visa | You |
| Proof of residence abroad and of your move | You |
| Detailed inventory with values, in English | Your mover, at packing |
| Unaccompanied baggage declaration (Form CBD-II) | You, with the customs broker |
| Bill of lading or air waybill | The shipping line or airline |
| Authority letter for the customs broker, and your PAN copy if you have one | You |
| Invoices or purchase records for newer, high-value items | You |
| Pet NOC and endorsed health certificate | You, with the pet team |
What should you ship, sell or leave?
| Category | Usual advice |
| Furniture, books, kitchenware, art, instruments, sentimental items | Often worth shipping |
| Large furniture and mattresses | Often better sold and replaced in India |
| Appliances | Australia, the UK and the UAE all use 230V/50Hz like India, so many work with a plug adapter. Check each item’s voltage rating and plug type (India uses Types C, D and M). Large, old appliances are often not worth the expense. |
| Laptops, phones and chargers | Usually fine, and one new laptop per adult is duty-free. |
| Several new phones or laptops | A common mistake. Extra new items can attract duty. |
| Food, spices, plants, seeds, soil, meat | Restricted. Check before you pack. |
| Hazardous items (aerosols, gas cylinders, paint, loose lithium batteries) |
Not allowed |
A rule of thumb from Pikkol’s Baggage Rules blog: if shipping an item costs more than half its replacement price in India, replacing it is usually smarter. It isn’t an official rule.
What can’t you bring?
- E-cigarettes and vapes
- Foreign-made drones (largely prohibited since February 2022)
- Firearms without an Indian licence
- Gold or silver bars and coins
- Meat, seeds, plants and soil
- Trade goods and bulk gifts
- Indian currency above ₹25,000, and foreign currency above US10,000 in total, must be declared
How long does it take?
Pikkol doesn’t publish return-move timelines for Australia, the UK or the UAE, so ask your coordinator for your route. As a guide:
