International: India

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Multimodal Transport Operator Registration

Yes

Required where applicable. Under the Multimodal Transportation of Goods Act, 1993, no person may carry on or commence the business of multimodal transportation unless registered under the Act. Multimodal transportation means carrying goods by at least two different modes of transport, such as truck and ship or truck and aircraft, under one contract, from a place of acceptance in India to a place of delivery outside India. The Act applies to a company that concludes that contract and takes responsibility for the whole move as principal. It does not apply to a company acting only as an agent of the customer or of the carriers.

Moves Into India

The Act’s definition covers carriage from India to a place outside India. A door-to-door move into India is therefore governed by the rules of the country where the move begins, not by Indian multimodal registration. A mover handling only the Indian end of an inbound move as delivery agent still needs the domestic requirements on the India page.

Who registers, and on what terms

The competent authority is the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA), which took over the functions of the Directorate General of Shipping in 2026; its Multimodal Transport Operator (MTO) Branch handles applications online. An applicant must be a company, firm or proprietary concern engaged in shipping or freight forwarding in India or abroad with annual turnover of at least ₹50 lakh (5 million rupees) in the previous financial year, or on average over the previous three years, certified by a Chartered Accountant. An applicant in another line of business must instead have capital of at least ₹50 lakh. The applicant must also have offices, agents or representatives in at least two other countries. A non-resident applicant not engaged in shipping must have a place of business in India. The application fee is ₹10,000.

Validity and Renewal

A certificate of registration is valid for three years and can be renewed for further three-year periods, provided the operator still meets the conditions set at registration. Registration can be cancelled for a false statement in the application, a breach of the Act or its rules, or where the operator has made no multimodal transport contract in the preceding two years.

Insurance

A registered multimodal transport operator may issue a multimodal transport document (the transport contract document given to the customer, which can be negotiable or non-negotiable at the customer’s option) only after obtaining, and while it holds, valid insurance cover. This research found no rule requiring movers to insure customers’ goods on international moves, so customers should ask what protection, if any, is offered.

Liability Limits Under the Act

Unless the customer declared the nature and value of the goods, a multimodal transport operator’s liability for loss or damage is limited to 2 Special Drawing Rights (SDR, an international reserve unit set by the International Monetary Fund) per kilogram of gross weight or 666.67 SDR per package, whichever is higher, or 8.33 SDR per kilogram where the move includes no sea or inland waterway leg. Household goods are often valuable for their weight, so customers should ask how their goods are valued and protected.

Cross-Border Road Moves

No separate Indian licence identified. India shares land borders with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement, signed in 2015 to allow cargo vehicles to cross between the four countries, has not been ratified by Bhutan, and the protocols needed to put it into operation between Bangladesh, India and Nepal had not been agreed as of the latest official statement found. Vehicle movement with Nepal runs on long-standing arrangements between the two governments, under which an Indian-registered vehicle travelling beyond the border area needs a pass issued by Nepal’s authorities. Entry of Indian trucks into Bhutan and Bangladesh is likewise set by those countries. A mover operating its own trucks across a land border must meet the destination country’s entry rules for the vehicle, in addition to its Indian permit; see Country Guides.

Importer Exporter Code (IEC)

Not a requirement for the mover. The IEC issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is a trade registration for importers and exporters of goods. Persons importing or exporting goods for personal use not connected with trade, manufacture or agriculture are exempt. A household move is the customer’s shipment, and IEC and related documentation are a customs and trade-documentation matter; see Country Guides.

Air and Ocean Freight Bookings

This research found no Indian licence that a mover must hold simply to book ocean or air freight with a shipping line or airline on its customer’s behalf, other than multimodal registration where the mover contracts as principal for a door-to-door move. Filings with Customs by carriers, consolidators and customs brokers are customs matters; see Country Guides.

OverviewOverview & Scope

A household goods mover operating only within India needs the business, common carrier and vehicle requirements on the India page. International moves add one main requirement. A mover that signs a single door-to-door contract for a move out of India, covering, for example, trucking in India and an ocean or air leg abroad, and takes responsibility for the whole move as principal, is a multimodal transport operator and must be registered with the DGMA before doing that business. Registration carries conditions: a minimum turnover or capital of ₹50 lakh, offices, agents or representatives in at least two other countries, and insurance cover before issuing multimodal transport documents. It lasts three years. A mover that only arranges transport as its customer’s agent, without taking carrier responsibility, falls outside that registration, and a move into India falls under the rules of the origin country. For road moves across India’s land borders, India does not add a separate licence for the mover’s own trucks beyond the domestic permit, but the neighboring country’s vehicle entry rules apply. Where a mover subcontracts the road, ocean or air legs, the carriers’ own licences cover the transport they perform, and the mover uses carriers that hold them.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Movers must:

1. Determine whether the company contracts as principal for door-to-door moves out of India using two or more modes of transport. If it does, it is carrying on multimodal transportation under Indian law.
2. If so, register as a multimodal transport operator with the DGMA before doing that business, meeting the turnover or capital, overseas presence and other conditions, and renew the registration every three years.
3. Hold valid insurance cover before issuing a multimodal transport document, and keep it in force while issuing them.
4. Issue the multimodal transport document as the Act requires, negotiable or non-negotiable at the customer’s option, signed by the operator or a person it authorises.
5. For cross-border road moves in the company’s own trucks, keep the Indian permit and vehicle documents on the India page and meet the destination country’s vehicle entry rules.
6. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Multimodal transport operator certificate of registration held with the DGMA (current three-year certificate)Where applicable (mover concludes, as principal, contracts for carriage of goods from India to a place outside India by at least two modes of transport)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Valid insurance cover in force for the multimodal transport operator’s liabilitiesWhere applicable (mover is a registered multimodal transport operator issuing multimodal transport documents)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Customer practices

• Multimodal transport document issued, negotiable or non-negotiable at the customer’s option, and signed by the operator or an authorised personWhere applicable (mover is a registered multimodal transport operator)Verified by AffirmationRequired