How to find buyers in the UK for exports from India, step by step

How do you find buyers in the UK for exports from India?

Work from data to people: find your UK commodity code, measure what the UK imports under it, list the UK businesses that import it, then meet them at fairs and through export promotion council (EPC) programmes with a buyer-ready file and a price that reflects the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The method is the same for spices, rugs or bed linen; only the codes, rules and fairs change.

The pool is large. A Department for Business and Trade factsheet released on 24 September 2026 counts about 16,600 UK VAT-registered businesses that imported goods from India in 2025 (only those above HMRC's statistical threshold), and puts UK goods imports from India at £10.9bn in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026.

1. Pick the 10-digit UK commodity code for each product.
2. Size the UK market and India's share of it with HMRC trade data.
3. List the UK businesses that import the code's first 8 digits, the level Find UK traders and HMRC trade statistics use.
4. Choose channels: data-led outreach, fairs, EPC programmes, the High Commission and agents.
5. Prepare the documents a UK buyer will ask for.
6. Price with CETA and a clear Incoterm.
7. Follow up, ship a trial order and protect payment.

Pick your commodity code and size the UK market

Start with the 10-digit commodity code on the UK Integrated Online Tariff, because every later step, from finding importers to quoting duty, runs on it. Then use HMRC's free trade data to see how much the UK imports under that code and how much comes from India.

On uktradeinfo, HMRC's trade statistics site, Build your own tables and its API give UK import values and quantities by commodity code and partner country. Compare India with competing origins to see whether it leads or has share to win. As of October 2026 the latest monthly data covers July 2026.

CETA entered into force on 15 July 2026. Most UK tariff lines for Indian goods became duty-free that day with no phasing, but some lines, such as milled rice, are excluded, and Indian electric and hybrid cars still pay the full UK rate. Classification is the UK importer's responsibility, so confirm your code with the buyer. The India-UK trade agreement guide covers the rules of origin.

How do you identify the UK businesses that import your product?

Use HMRC's free Find UK traders tool to list the businesses that import your commodity code, then check each one on the Companies House register.

Find UK traders searches by commodity code, description, postcode or name. It shows each business's name and address, whether it imports or exports, and which goods it traded when, updated monthly from customs declarations.

Companies House advanced search is free and filters companies by SIC code, such as 46170 (agents in the sale of food, beverages and tobacco), 46160 (agents in textiles and clothing), 46370 (wholesale of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices), 46410 (wholesale of textiles) and 46470 (wholesale of furniture, carpets and lighting). Companies choose their own codes, so treat a match as a lead.

Not everyone on the list can buy direct. To import, a UK business needs a GB EORI number, someone to make the import declaration and any licences or certificates, and it pays duty and import VAT. Importers, distributors and larger retailers with their own import process can buy from you; smaller shops and caterers usually buy from them.

The ICO says cold email to UK companies needs no prior consent under PECR, but you must say who you are and give a working opt-out address. Sole traders and some partnerships need consent or a soft opt-in.

Which channels put Indian producers in front of UK buyers?

Trade fairs and EPC programmes give you face-to-face meetings, while data-led outreach reaches buyers who never visit a fair.

• EPC membership. A Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) from the EPC or commodity board for your main product, or from FIEO if no council covers it or you are a multi-product exporter whose main line is not yet settled, is valid for five years and gets you into council pavilions and buyer-seller meets.
• Market Access Support (MAS). Launched on 31 December 2025 under the Export Promotion Mission, MAS supports buyer-seller meets, international trade fairs, reverse buyer-seller meets in India and trade delegations, with proposals and approvals handled on trade.gov.in. Small exporters with export turnover of up to Rs 75 lakh in the preceding year can get partial airfare support.
• DGFT Trade Connect. trade.gov.in connects IEC holders with Indian Missions abroad, EPCs and banks.
• High Commission of India, London. Contact the commerce wing through its commercial representative page.
• UK agents. The agent SIC codes above find sales agents; agree territory and terms in writing.
• Online marketplaces. A retail route with its own VAT rules: the marketplace accounts for VAT on consignments of £135 or less sent from abroad and on sales of stock an overseas seller holds in the UK, but the seller stays liable for import VAT and duty when that stock first enters the UK.

Prepare what a UK buyer will ask for

A UK buyer will check that you can export legally, that your product meets UK rules and that your supply chain can support the buyer's own legal duties. Have these ready before the first meeting.

• Indian registrations: your IEC, which under Foreign Trade Policy 2023 must be updated online every year in April to June or it is de-activated; your RCMC; and a Letter of Undertaking in Form GST RFD-11 for each financial year, so you can export without paying IGST.
• Food: specifications, residue and allergen information and label artwork. The UK importer is the food business operator responsible for UK food law compliance, including GB labelling. Dairy from India, and foods containing Indian dairy ingredients, cannot currently be imported into Great Britain because India has no approved veterinary residue plan for milk (FSA and FSS joint Section 42 advice on the UK-India FTA, para 13.2).
• Non-food consumer goods: test reports and technical documentation. Importers share responsibility for product safety, and gov.uk notes that many businesses take out product liability insurance, so expect questions about yours.
• Ethical audits: SMETA or amfori BSCI, both social audits rather than certifications. UK businesses with turnover of £36m or more must publish an annual modern slavery statement, so they ask suppliers for audits and traceability.
• Plant health and origin: a phytosanitary certificate through DPPQS where your product needs one, ISPM 15 marks on solid wood packaging, and a CETA origin declaration. The phytosanitary certificate guide explains which goods need a certificate.

How should you price for UK buyers under CETA?

Quote so the UK buyer can see the landed cost: name the Incoterm, check the India rate under CETA and supply the proof of origin the importer needs to claim it. On FOB, CIF or DAP terms the saving goes to the UK buyer; on DDP the seller pays the duty, so the saving is the seller's if preference is claimed. Either way your goods become cheaper to land than goods from a full-rate origin.

The importer claims the preference on the customs declaration with a proof of origin. You make the origin declaration on DGFT's Trade Connect with a digital signature certificate linked to your IEC, or apply there for a certificate of origin from an authorised agency; either is valid for 12 months. CETA changes duty only, not VAT, plant health or product safety rules.

Rates were checked on the UK Integrated Online Tariff on 6 October 2026. Standard duty is the UK's most-favoured-nation (MFN) rate. India also stays in the UK's Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) until 14 July 2028, which already gave some Indian goods, such as packed green tea, a lower rate, so check the DCTS rate before quoting the saving. On a 12% line, a £10.00 customs value carries £1.20 of duty at the standard rate and none under CETA. Where the standard rate is already 0%, CETA changes nothing. Rates for other product groups are in the trade agreement guide.

Match the Incoterm to the buyer. FOB and CIF are for sea freight only; DAP and DDP work for any mode. Under DDP the seller clears the goods for UK import and pays the duty, which needs a UK-established partner because only UK-established people can declare for others. The DAP vs DDP guide compares the two.

How do you follow up and get paid safely?

Send what the buyer asked for promptly, agree samples and a small trial order, and set payment terms that fit RBI rules and your credit insurance.

As of October 2026, export proceeds must be realised and repatriated within nine months of the date of shipment, or twelve months for exports invoiced or settled in rupees, under India's Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, in force from 1 October 2026 and amended on 22 September 2026. For goods sent to a warehouse outside India, the nine months run from the date of sale. Your bank can extend the period if you ask and give reasons. Many older sources still quote the 15-month period that applied from November 2025 until 5 June 2026; if you shipped in that window, confirm the due date with your bank, because the RBI notifications do not say whether those shipments keep 15 months.

The 2026 Regulations set no fixed deadline for shipping goods against an advance from a UK buyer. Shipment follows your contract and your bank's published policy, the advance must be handled through that same bank, and if the goods are not shipped the bank handles any refund. The three-year limit that older sources quote, and the need for RBI approval, applied under the 2015 Regulations, which were replaced on 1 October 2026.

If you sell on credit, ECGC insurance covers buyer insolvency and non-payment. Its Small Exporters Policy, for export turnover up to Rs 5 crore, gives 95% cover for commercial risks and 100% for political risks; the Shipments (Comprehensive Risks) policy covers larger exporters at 90%. Both need a credit limit on each buyer, and terms can change.

Britbasket sources directly from Indian producers, farms and workshops for UK wholesalers, retailers and foodservice buyers, and offers those buyers DAP or DDP. Some consignments ship on Britbasket's own export registrations; others ship with the producer as exporter of record, holding the licences for its own goods. UK import declarations are lodged by UK-established partner companies. Britbasket's services page explains how this works.

Which product guides cover your sector?

Six product guides apply this method to spices, basmati rice, tea, home textiles, handicrafts and rugs.

• Spices: India is the UK's largest spice supplier by value, with £75.4m in 2025 (21.0% of the total), and the guide covers the border-check changes that took effect in England on 1 January 2026.
• Basmati rice: India supplied £179.3m of rice in 2025, 34.4% of UK import tonnage, and the guide explains why brown basmati can enter duty-free (the nine listed varieties at the standard 0% rate, others such as Pusa 1121 under CETA) while milled basmati pays £121 per 1,000 kg outside licensed quotas.
• Tea: India was the UK's second-largest tea supplier in 2025, behind Kenya, at £46.5m, mostly bulk black tea for UK blenders and packers.
• Home textiles: India supplied 11.2% (£92.9m) of UK household linen imports in 2025 and leads in cotton table linen.
• Handicrafts and home decor: India was the second-largest source of UK brass and base-metal ornament imports in 2025.
• Rugs and carpets: the UK imported £79.46m of carpets and rugs from India in 2025, and India leads in knotted carpets; there is no DOMOTEX until 17 to 20 January 2028.

Questions buyers ask

Sources

1. HMRC uktradeinfo: How to use the Find UK traders tool
2. HMRC uktradeinfo: Bulk data sets information pack (trader disclosure rules)
3. HMRC uktradeinfo: Trade data and Build your own tables
4. Companies House: Advanced company search
5. Department for Business and Trade: India trade and investment factsheet (24 September 2026)
6. HMRC Trade Tariff: India free trade agreement enters into force on 15 July 2026
7. UK Trade Tariff API: commodity 0409000090 (natural honey)
8. gov.uk: Import goods into the UK: step by step
9. gov.uk: Appoint someone to deal with customs on your behalf
10. FSA and FSS: Joint Section 42 advice on the UK-India free trade agreement (para 13.2, dairy)
11. ICO: Business-to-business marketing
12. PIB: Market Access Support under the Export Promotion Mission (31 December 2025)
13. RBI: Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 (FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, amended up to 22 September 2026)
14. RBI: FEMA 23(R)/(1)/2026-RB, 22 September 2026 (nine months, twelve for rupee exports)
15. RBI: FEMA 23(R)/(7)/2025-RB, 13 November 2025 (15 months under the 2015 Regulations)
16. RBI: FEMA 23(R)/(8)/2026-RB, 5 June 2026 (nine months restored)
17. ECGC: Small Exporters Policy
18. ECGC: Shipments (Comprehensive Risks) policy

Last reviewed 6 October 2026. Border, tariff and plant-health rules change. Check the sources above before relying on this guide for a specific consignment.