Corporate & Office Relocation to India
Relocating a business or office from the UAE to India — sea and air freight, Indian customs, and delivery to Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and beyond, planned around your operations.
India is a major destination for UAE corporate relocations, and the corridor reflects that. Technology companies opening Indian engineering centres from a Dubai base, financial services firms consolidating regional operations into Mumbai, energy and infrastructure businesses expanding into Indian projects, and UAE-headquartered groups setting up wholly-owned Indian subsidiaries — this is a well-worn corporate route, and we run it continuously. What makes a corporate move on this corridor work is the same thing that makes any corporate relocation work: treating it as a sequenced operational project, not a large household move, and accepting that Indian customs and the regulatory paperwork at the Indian end set the timeline, not the freight schedule.
The Indian regulatory picture you are arriving into
A UAE company opening an Indian office is usually doing one of three things: incorporating an Indian subsidiary or LLP with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, opening a branch or liaison office under RBI approval, or registering in an SEZ such as GIFT City. Each pathway sets its own document and timing constraints, and each affects when the office can practically take delivery of shipped equipment. GST registration is required before commercial activities commence, and IGST applies to imported goods at clearance. None of this is something we file for you — that is what your Indian counsel and accountants do — but the move plan has to fit the corporate calendar, not run parallel to it.
City corridors and where Indian offices actually open
Where in India your office opens shapes the move:
- Bengaluru — the technology corridor. Whitefield, Outer Ring Road, Electronic City and the Bellandur belt for engineering centres; Manyata Tech Park and Koramangala for product teams
- Hyderabad — HITEC City and the Financial District in Gachibowli for IT, SaaS and pharma; growing rapidly as an alternative to Bengaluru
- Mumbai — Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) for finance and professional services; Andheri (E) and Lower Parel for media, tech and corporate functions; Nariman Point for legacy financial occupancy
- Delhi NCR — Cyber City and Cyber Hub in Gurugram, Sector 62 and 16 in Noida; head-office space, captive centres and consulting
- Pune — Hinjewadi Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, Magarpatta City and Kharadi for engineering and back-office
- GIFT City, Gandhinagar — for IFSC entities; sea via Mundra and road onward
The corporate move picture on this corridor
Corporate moves to India typically combine several streams that need separate handling. Office furniture and fit-out items travel well on sea freight from Jebel Ali, with a predictable five-to-nine-day transit to Nhava Sheva and onward inland haulage to the final city. IT infrastructure, servers and sensitive equipment usually move by air to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad or Delhi when there is a go-live date that the sea schedule cannot meet. Commercial items with HS Code classifications carry their own duty exposure under the Customs Tariff Act — Basic Customs Duty plus IGST plus any applicable cess — and the documentation has to reflect the right classification at the bill-of-entry stage. We coordinate with your Customs House Agent at the Indian port, or work alongside a CHA you already use, so the import filing is not the moment when surprises surface.
Indian working patterns also shape office turn-ups. Most corporate offices run a five-day week, but trading floors and some financial-services teams work alternate Saturdays. A weekend recommissioning that assumes Saturday access needs to be confirmed against the building’s and the team’s pattern, not assumed from a UAE template.
What we handle
Office furniture & fit-out
Workstations, partitions, storage, meeting room furniture and fit-out items — packed, shipped via Nhava Sheva or Mundra and reassembled to your Indian floor plan.
IT & technical equipment
Decommissioned in Dubai, packed by our crew, flown to the Indian gateway when timing demands it, and brought back up in order in your Indian office.
Indian customs for commercial goods
Bill-of-entry filing, HS classification, IGST and BCD documentation handled through a CHA at the Indian port of entry — coordinated, not improvised.
Last-mile delivery
Port to office — whether JNPT to a BKC tower, Mundra to a GIFT City unit, or Chennai to an OMR campus — planned and costed as part of the relocation.
How a corporate relocation runs
- Survey both ends. We assess the UAE premises, confirm the Indian office destination, access, building permissions and any landlord constraints, then build a move plan that accounts for the sea transit, customs clearance window and last-mile delivery.
- Split and route. IT and time-critical items go air via the Indian gateway airport; bulk furniture and fit-out go sea via Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Chennai or Cochin. Documentation for each stream is prepared in advance of departure.
- Execute and clear. Our crew packs to the agreed plan; Indian import documentation is filed ahead of arrival with our CHA; port clearance and onward delivery are coordinated and tracked.
- Ready for restart. The Indian office is laid out, the IT comes back up cleanly, and your team walks in on day one.
Whether you are opening a new captive in Bengaluru, setting up a finance entity in GIFT City, or relocating a corporate function to Mumbai BKC, this corridor is familiar territory. Talk to us about your India relocation and we will plan it around your timeline.
Common questions about this move
Anything specific to your situation? A specialist for this corridor is happy to help.
Contact usHow long does a move to India take?
Transit time depends on the freight mode and the volume. Your coordinator gives you a realistic window when quoting — sea freight is slower and more economical, air freight is faster for time-sensitive moves.
Do you handle customs at both ends?
Yes. Export and import documentation is prepared and submitted on your behalf, and clearance is coordinated at both origin and destination.
Is my shipment insured in transit?
Transit insurance is available on every corridor. Your coordinator explains the cover options when quoting so you can choose what suits the shipment.
How far ahead should I book?
Two to four weeks is comfortable for most international moves, but we regularly handle urgent relocations. The earlier you reach out, the more flexibility you have on dates and freight space.
Will I have one point of contact?
Always — a dedicated coordinator owns your move from first quote to final delivery, including the customs and freight handovers in between.