Guide · Updated September 2026
How to import clothes from India to Malaysia
What you pay at the border, how the goods travel, which documents come with them, and how to pay an Indian supplier safely. Written for boutiques and resellers buying women’s ethnic wear.
Step by step
Six steps from first message to stock on your rack
Check the supplier
Look up their registrations, ask for photos or a video call of the unit, and find the address on a map.
See the product
Order samples or a small first order so you can check fabric, stitching and sizing with your own hands. Ask up front whether samples are charged and whether the cost comes off a later order.
Agree a proforma invoice
It should list each design, size set, quantity, price, currency, shipping mode and who pays for what.
Pay by bank transfer
An international transfer to a business account in the supplier’s registered name, never a personal one.
Choose how it travels
Courier to your door for smaller orders; air cargo or sea freight for bulk. Compared below.
Clear customs and pay the tax
A courier usually clears the goods and bills you the sales tax on delivery. For air or sea cargo, a customs agent does it.
Duty and tax
What you pay at the border
Import duty: 0% on most lines
Kurtis, kurti sets, dresses, co-ords and dupattas mostly carry 0% import duty under Malaysia’s standard tariff. A certificate of origin does not lower it further: the preferential rates under the ASEAN–India and Malaysia–India agreements are not lower than 0% for these lines. The 10% sales tax still applies.
Sales tax: 10%, paid by you
Sales tax is charged at 10% of the CIF value (goods, insurance and freight) plus any duty. The importer pays it at clearance. For a retailer it is a cost rather than a credit, so build it into your selling price.
Source: Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) ezHS tariff lookup, headings 6104, 6106, 6114, 6204, 6206, 6211 and 6214, checked September 2026. Rates change; your courier or customs agent confirms the rate for the HS codes on your invoice.
Worked example
How the landed cost adds up
Round numbers, to show how the tax is worked out. This is an illustration only: it is not a quote and not our prices.
| Goods value | RM 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Freight and insurance | RM 200 |
| CIF value | RM 1,200 |
| Import duty (0%) | RM 0 |
| Sales tax (10% of CIF + duty) | RM 120 |
| Landed costBefore any courier clearance fee | RM 1,320 |
Divide the landed cost by the number of pieces to get your cost per piece, then set your selling price from that, not from the supplier’s price.
Rupees to ringgit
Our price list and invoices are in Indian rupees (INR). Enter an amount to see it in ringgit.
RM 1 = INR 23.51. Based on European Central Bank reference rates for 28 September 2026. For information only: your bank converts at its own rate on the day you pay, plus any fees.
Use the ringgit figure as the goods value in a sum like the one above; freight, insurance and the 10% sales tax come on top.
Shipping
Shipping from India to Malaysia: courier, air or sea
Three ways to ship clothes from India to Malaysia, and who clears customs for each.
Courier
Door to door, and the simplest way to send a first order from India to Malaysia. The courier clears customs and bills you the sales tax on delivery. The highest cost per kilo, but the least work for you.
Air cargo
Faster than sea and cheaper per kilo than courier at volume. You need a customs agent to clear it at the airport and bring it to you.
Sea freight
The lowest cost per piece. Goods arrive at Port Klang, where your agent clears and delivers them. The slowest option, so order well ahead of the season.
Paperwork
What travels with the shipment
- Commercial invoice — each item with its description, fibre content, HS code, quantity and value. Customs works from this.
- Packing list — what is in each carton, so the shipment can be checked on arrival.
- Air waybill or bill of lading — issued by the courier, airline or shipping line.
- Garment labels — ask for fibre content, care instructions, size and country of origin on every piece.
Payment
Paying a supplier in India
Pay a business, not a person
Transfer only to a business bank account in the supplier’s registered name, and against a proforma invoice. Keep the invoice and the transfer receipt together.
Expect an advance on a first order
Cross-border trade between new partners usually starts with payment in advance. Better terms come once you have ordered together before.
Before you pay
How to check an Indian supplier
Questions
What importers ask
Is there import duty on clothes from India to Malaysia?
On most women’s garment lines the import duty is 0%, but 10% sales tax is charged on the CIF value plus any duty, paid by the importer at clearance (Royal Malaysian Customs Department tariff, as of September 2026).
Do I need a certificate of origin to get a lower rate?
No. The standard duty rate on these garments is already 0%, and the ASEAN–India and Malaysia–India preferential rates for them are not lower. The 10% sales tax applies either way.
Do I need an import permit for ethnic wear?
Not for ordinary ethnic wear such as kurtis, kurti sets, dresses and co-ords. Traditional batik sarongs are an exception and need a licence.
Does the low value goods (LVG) tax apply to a wholesale order?
Malaysia’s 10% LVG tax is aimed at online retail sales of items worth RM500 or less, and it is charged at checkout by registered sellers. A wholesale shipment is normally declared to customs, with the 10% sales tax paid at clearance. Ask your customs agent to confirm how your orders are treated.
How should I ship my first order?
By courier from India to Malaysia, for most first orders. It is door to door and the courier handles clearance. Move to sea freight once your orders are large enough that the saving per piece matters.
How do I pay a supplier in India?
By international bank transfer to the supplier’s business account, against a proforma invoice. Check which currency the invoice is in: ours are in Indian rupees (INR), and your bank converts from ringgit at its own rate. Keep the invoice and the transfer receipt for your records and for customs.
Who pays the sales tax, the supplier or me?
On a normal import the importer pays it, which means you. On courier delivery it is usually billed to you on arrival; on sea or air cargo your customs agent pays it at clearance and charges it to you.
Ready to see the catalogue?
Our Malaysia page has the export terms, the categories we make and how an order runs, from first message to dispatch.
See wholesale for Malaysia