It’s the quiet worry behind sourcing from Nepal: “it’s landlocked — will my order be slow, expensive, or stuck?” It’s a fair question, and the honest answer is that shipping from Nepal is a well-established, predictable process once you understand the routes. Here’s how it works.
The two routes out
For bulk orders, sea freight is the norm: goods move overland from the factory to an Indian gateway port — commonly Kolkata or Visakhapatnam — and sail from there to your market. For samples and urgent runs, air freight ex-Kathmandu (Tribhuvan International) is fast and straightforward, at a premium price.
Lead time: plan realistically
Two clocks matter. First, production — from approved sample to finished, packed goods. Second, transit — the time on the road and water to your port. Sea freight from South Asia to Europe or North America typically runs several weeks port-to-port (industry ranges vary by lane and season), plus the overland leg. Air is measured in days. The practical takeaway: build a realistic buffer, order fabric early, and you’ll rarely need to pay for air.
Where Incoterms hand off
For a landlocked origin, the common terms are EXW (you take over at the factory gate in Gaindakot) or FOB at the Indian port of loading (e.g. FOB Kolkata), where the factory delivers the goods onto your nominated vessel and your freight forwarder takes it from there. Here’s our full Incoterms guide.
The paperwork travels with the goods
Your duty-free origin depends on documentation moving correctly with the shipment — above all the Certificate of Origin that proves LDC origin so your goods clear at 0% in the EU, UK, or Canada. A good exporter handles the export documentation and duty management so this isn’t your problem to solve.
What to ask your supplier
- Which port do you ship FOB from, and what’s the overland lead time to it?
- What’s your realistic production lead time for my quantity?
- Do you handle export documentation and the Certificate of Origin?
- Can we use my freight forwarder, or do you arrange freight?
Landlocked doesn’t mean complicated — it just means planning a little. Tell us your destination and we’ll walk you through the route and realistic timing for your order.