Learn

How this actually works.

The words trade runs on, the reference material behind the calculators, the trade notes we write when we get something wrong ourselves, and every route to a person. The definitions here are true everywhere; pick your country to see what your own customs does with each one.

Answers for Global India United Arab Emirates Germany United Kingdom United States Singapore

You look like you are in United States. See the United States answers → — a guess from your connection, not a setting.

01Start here

Four things worth reading first.

Reference

The eleven Incoterms® rules

Who pays for what, when your buyer takes over, and which two make you buy insurance.

Read it →

Coverage

What we cover, and what we estimate

Where we have checked the rules ourselves and where the AI estimates. Read before quoting a firm price.

Read it →

Pricing

What a Credit is

A Credit is one AI answer. Which actions spend one, which are free forever, and why the calculators never cost anything.

Read it →

Roadmap

What we are building next

The modules not built yet, and the real thing each one is waiting on rather than a date we would miss.

Read it →

02The words

Fifteen terms, in plain English.

Each definition is true in every country. Where the answer depends on your customs, open How this differs by country to compare the jurisdictions we have modelled — or pick your country above and read only yours.

Search the glossary

HS code

The international product number. The first six digits are agreed worldwide by the World Customs Organization; each country adds its own digits after those six. It decides your duty rate, your licences and your paperwork.

How this differs by country

India — 8 digits, ITC-HS, set by DGFT / CBIC.

United Arab Emirates — 8 digits, GCC Common Customs Tariff, set by Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security.

Germany — 8 digits, Combined Nomenclature (CN); TARIC to 10, set by European Commission (TARIC).

United Kingdom — 10 digits, UK Global Tariff commodity code, set by HMRC.

United States — 10 digits, HTSUS, set by USITC / CBP.

Singapore — 8 digits, ASEAN Harmonised Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN), set by Singapore Customs.

Incoterm®

One of eleven three-letter rules saying who pays for what and at which point the goods stop being your risk. It is not a delivery address; it is a division of cost and liability, and two of the eleven oblige the seller to buy insurance.

FOB

Free On Board. The value of the goods loaded at the port of export, without the freight or the insurance onward.

How this differs by country

India — export refunds are worked out on this figure.

United States — export refunds are worked out on this figure.

CIF

Cost, Insurance and Freight. FOB plus the freight and insurance to the destination port.

How this differs by country

India — duty is charged on an assessable value built from this.

United Arab Emirates — import duty is charged on this figure.

Germany — import duty is charged on this figure.

United Kingdom — import duty is charged on this figure.

United States — import duty is charged on this figure.

Singapore — import duty is charged on this figure.

Assessable value

The figure the destination’s customs applies the duty percentage to. Get this wrong and every line below it is wrong.

How this differs by country

India — CIF plus what the statute adds — the customs value, never the invoice.

United Arab Emirates — this is simply the CIF value.

Germany — this is simply the CIF value.

United Kingdom — this is simply the CIF value.

United States — this is simply the CIF value.

Singapore — this is simply the CIF value.

Duty

The tax the destination charges for letting the goods in. Nobody gets it back, anywhere. It is a real cost and it belongs in your selling price.

Duty chain

The order the levies are applied in, and what each one is charged on. Some countries charge a single line; others stack several, one of them on the total of the others. The sequence is the calculation.

How this differs by country

India — 4 levies: Basic customs duty → Agriculture levy → Health levy → Social Welfare Surcharge — the last charged on the total of the ones above it.

United Arab Emirates — 1 levy: Customs duty (GCC CET).

Germany — 1 levy: Common Customs Tariff duty.

United Kingdom — 1 levy: UK Global Tariff duty.

United States — 4 levies: HTSUS duty → Section 301 additional duty → Merchandise Processing Fee → Harbor Maintenance Fee.

Singapore — 1 levy: Customs / excise duty.

Import VAT, IGST, import GST

A consumption tax charged at the border that a registered business normally reclaims. Whether it exists, and what it is charged on, is decided entirely by the destination.

How this differs by country

India — IGST, on the assessable value, and again on the duty.

United Arab Emirates — Import VAT, on the CIF value plus the duty.

Germany — Import VAT (EUSt), on the CIF value plus the duty.

United Kingdom — Import VAT, on the CIF value plus the duty.

United States — nothing of the kind is charged at the border.

Singapore — Import GST, on the CIF value plus the duty.

Input credit

The mechanism that gives that tax back. Where a country charges no border tax there is nothing to reclaim, and an exemption that stops the tax arising is not the same thing as a refund.

How this differs by country

India — called Input Tax Credit (ITC).

United Arab Emirates — called Input VAT recovery.

Germany — called Input VAT deduction (Vorsteuer).

United Kingdom — called Input VAT recovery.

United States — nothing to reclaim — resale exemption certificate instead.

Singapore — called Input tax claim.

Landed cost

Everything the goods have cost you by the time they are in your warehouse: purchase price, freight, insurance, duty, clearance and inland transport. Not the invoice value, and never the invoice value.

Zero-rated export

An export invoice that carries no consumption tax. Some countries want an instrument filed first; most simply zero-rate it.

How this differs by country

India — Under LUT or bond — no tax on the export invoice; With payment of IGST, refunded after shipment.

United Arab Emirates — Zero-rated export — no VAT on the invoice.

Germany — Zero-rated export outside the EU — no VAT on the invoice.

United Kingdom — Zero-rated export — no VAT on the invoice.

United States — No federal export tax.

Singapore — Zero-rated export — no GST on the invoice.

Customs registration number

What identifies you to a customs authority. It is separate from your tax number, and you need both.

How this differs by country

India — IEC code, alongside your GSTIN.

United Arab Emirates — Customs client code, alongside your TRN (VAT registration).

Germany — EORI number, alongside your VAT ID (USt-IdNr).

United Kingdom — EORI number, alongside your VAT registration number.

United States — CBP importer number, alongside your EIN.

Singapore — UEN, alongside your GST registration number.

Export incentive

Money back from your own government for exporting. Plenty of countries offer none, and a calculator that invents one is worse than a calculator that says so.

How this differs by country

India — RoDTEP and Duty drawback.

United Arab Emirates — none that we model — the calculator will not invent one.

Germany — none that we model — the calculator will not invent one.

United Kingdom — none that we model — the calculator will not invent one.

United States — Duty drawback.

Singapore — none that we model — the calculator will not invent one.

Customs exchange rate

The rate customs values your consignment at. It is set by the authority, not by the market and not by your bank — routinely three different numbers on the same day.

How this differs by country

India — a rate published monthly, and it is not the market rate.

United Arab Emirates — no published customs rate that we model — ask your broker which rate your entry is valued at.

Germany — a rate published monthly, and it is not the market rate.

United Kingdom — a rate published monthly, and it is not the market rate.

United States — a rate published quarterly, and it is not the market rate.

Singapore — no published customs rate that we model — ask your broker which rate your entry is valued at.

Proceeds deadline

A rule requiring an exporter to be paid within a set time and prove it. It is exchange-control regulation rather than commerce, and most countries impose no such rule at all.

How this differs by country

India — 9 months from shipment, evidenced by BRC / eBRC (RBI / FEMA).

United Arab Emirates — no such deadline — the tracker stays out of your way.

Germany — no such deadline — the tracker stays out of your way.

United Kingdom — no such deadline — the tracker stays out of your way.

United States — no such deadline — the tracker stays out of your way.

Singapore — no such deadline — the tracker stays out of your way.

The delivery terms get a section of their own, with all eleven side by side — who pays for what.

03Trade notes

What quietly costs money.

6 published · written when we get something wrong ourselves

Classification 1 Sep 2026 4 min

The first six digits of a product code are global. Everything after them is not.

An HS code is half an answer until you say which country will read it. Six digits are agreed worldwide. The digits after them, the duty rate and the licence are written by the country you file in — and there are not even the same number of digits from one country to the next.

Read the note →

Import costing 1 Sep 2026 5 min

Not every country charges a tax at the border that you can claim back

India charges IGST on the assessable value and again on the duty. The EU, the UK, the UAE and Singapore charge VAT or GST on CIF plus duty. The United States charges nothing of the kind at the border at all. One spreadsheet shape cannot be right in all three places.

Read the note →

Compliance 1 Sep 2026 3 min

Nine months to get paid is an Indian rule, not a law of nature

Indian exporters must realise export proceeds within nine months of shipment and hold the bank certificate that proves it. Of the other jurisdictions we model, not one imposes the same deadline. Carrying that clock abroad and leaving it behind at home are both expensive.

Read the note →

Import costing India example 26 Jul 2026 4 min

SWS is charged on the aggregate, not on Basic Duty alone

SWS is charged on the aggregate of customs duties, not on Basic Duty alone. If your spreadsheet does the latter, every import you have costed is wrong — and always in the same direction.

Read the note →

Import costing India example 24 Jul 2026 3 min

IGST on imports is cash flow, not cost — and mixing them up ruins your pricing

A GST-registered importer reclaims IGST as input credit. Basic Duty, AIDC, cess and surcharge are gone forever. Treating those two the same way guarantees you price wrong.

Read the note →

Export costing India example 22 Jul 2026 3 min

Your bank spread is eating a quarter of your export margin

You realise export proceeds at the buying rate and buy freight at the selling rate. Using one rate for both hides a real cost that lands entirely on your margin.

Read the note →

04Questions

How the product behaves.

What counts as a Credit?

One Credit is one AI answer: a product code, a country rules check, a Market Compass run or a Trade Doctor diagnosis. Anything the computer simply works out uses no Credits at all, on any plan — both cost calculators, the Clearance Builder, Document Studio, the currency converter and the trackers never spend one. That is separate from which plan includes them: see the comparison table above for that. Asking the same thing twice is free too, and a Trade Doctor request we cannot help with is refunded.

Do I need an account to try it?

Not for product codes or live exchange rates — those work signed out, with no card. Everything else needs an account, and a new account gets three days of everything plus 10 Credits. We need a card to start those three days but charge nothing, and you can switch to the permanent Free plan at any point before they end. If you do not, it carries on as Solo Exporter. Your saved work stays either way.

Which countries does Veloque actually cover?

Product codes and costing work for any origin and any destination. The detailed tax rules come in three tiers. Checked line by line for India. Structurally modelled, with indicative rates you can overwrite, for Germany, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States. AI-estimated everywhere else, where we assert nothing about the tax. The coverage section on the Tools page is generated from the same table as this answer.

Why does the product code tool ask for origin and destination?

Because the answer depends on both. The first six digits of an HS code are the same everywhere, but the digits after them are set by the country you file in — and there are not even the same number of them: 8 in Germany, India, Singapore, United Arab Emirates; 10 in United Kingdom, United States. The duty rate, any licence and the certificates come from that country too, and a lower rate under a trade agreement depends on where the goods were made. A code without a route is only half an answer — the long version is here.

Do I get the import tax back?

It depends entirely on the destination, which is why the calculator asks for one. Some countries charge a reclaimable border tax; at least one of the ones we model charges nothing of the kind at the border at all. Where it exists and you are registered it is cash flow rather than cost — but it is your cash until the refund lands. Import duty is never reclaimable anywhere. Pick your country above to see which case you are in.

How current are the exchange rates?

The rates in the converter and the calculators are European Central Bank reference rates, which the ECB publishes once each working day; we refetch as soon as a new set is out. Customs does not use them: each country publishes its own rate for duty purposes, on its own timetable. Both cost calculators say which rate they are using and warn you where the difference matters.

Something looks wrong in a calculation. What do I do?

Tell us, and include the numbers. A wrong figure in a calculator is the most serious kind of bug this product can have, and we would rather fix it than have you find out at the port. Use support for anything broken, or write to us.

Buying questions — trials, credits, seats, refunds — are answered on pricing.

05Trade basics

The words everyone uses, explained properly.

What is an HS code, and how many digits does it have?

Every product that crosses a border has a number. The first six digits are the same in almost every country in the world — that part is called the Harmonised System, or HS. Countries then add their own digits on the end: India goes to eight, the EU to eight, the United States to ten. Because the extra digits depend on the country you are filing in, Veloque asks where the goods are going before it gives you a code.

What does "landed cost" mean, and how is it worked out?

Landed cost is what the goods really cost you once they are sitting in your warehouse — not the price on the supplier’s invoice. Customs starts from the value of the goods plus freight and insurance, applies the basic import duty, then the extra surcharges, then — in the countries that charge one — a border tax such as VAT or GST on top of all of it. Add clearance charges and transport from the port and you have the landed cost. The order matters: each charge is worked out on a different base, and getting the order wrong is the usual reason an estimate is 5–10% out.

How far along the journey does the export price go?

The export calculator builds the price in five stages: at your factory gate (EXW), loaded on the truck (FOR), at the port ready to load (FOB), with sea freight paid (CFR), and with freight plus insurance paid (CIF). Those are the five prices exporters are usually asked to quote. The full table of all eleven Incoterms® 2020 delivery rules — who pays for what, where the risk passes, who insures — is on our features page for reference.

Should I quote FOB or FCA for a container?

FCA, usually. Under FOB, the goods stay your risk until they are actually on the ship — but you hand a container over at the terminal days before that, so there is a gap where the goods are yours on paper and the shipping line’s in practice. FCA closes that gap. FOB is still right for loose cargo loaded straight onto the vessel.

What changed between Incoterms® 2010 and 2020?

DAT became DPU, so delivery unloaded can now happen at any named place rather than only a terminal. CIP moved up to Institute Cargo Clauses A, all-risks cover, while CIF stayed on the narrower Clause C. FCA gained an optional on-board bill of lading mechanism for letters of credit. Both editions remain valid, so a contract must always name the year — the document generator writes it that way automatically.

Can I file customs paperwork straight from this?

No. Treat every number as a working estimate. The product code is written by an AI and duty rates change by government notice. Check it on the customs website of both countries — in India that is DGFT and ICEGATE, in the United States USITC and CBP — and confirm with your customs agent before anything is filed.

06Reach a person

Four ways in, two of them straight to a person.

Support

Ask for help or report a problem. It goes straight to the team and we track it until it is fixed.

Get help →

Write to us

A question about a route, a code, or whether we cover your country. Most replies come the same or next working day.

Send a message →

Escalation policy

The slowest we let anything sit, how urgent we treat it, and who it goes to next if we are slow.

Read the policy →

About the team

Who builds this, why, and the four rules the product is held to.

About Veloque →

There is also a chat assistant in the corner of every page. It answers from this same material and can raise a ticket for you if it cannot.

Answers for Global India United Arab Emirates Germany United Kingdom United States Singapore

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