What documents are needed to export cumin to USA?

IEC, Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC), Certificate of Registration as Exporter of Spices (CRES), Food facility registration, Spices Board registration is mandatory for export of notified spices, the Spices Board may inspect the exporter’s premises before registration, U.S. FDA food facility registration is required for the foreign facility that manufactures/processes/packs food for U.S. consumption, no U.S. pre-market import licence for spices was identified in the official sources reviewed.

What does cumin cost in India today?

₹24,250 per quintal (₹2,42,500 per tonne), median of 27 mandis on 3 Nov 2026. This is the domestic wholesale price, not an export price.

Export lanes › Cumin › USA

Export cumin from India to USA: duty, documents and price

Q: What duty does USA charge on cumin from India?

USA charges basic duty Free, no Indian trade agreement in force, plus VAT none (the US has no federal VAT) (HS 0909.31).

HS 0909.31 (cumin seeds, neither crushed nor ground) · duty checked 23 Oct 2026 · documents checked 24 Sept 2026

Duty: basic duty Free, no Indian trade agreement in force, plus VAT none (the US has no federal VAT). Reference

Documents: IEC, Food facility registration, Commercial invoice, packing list, plus 10 more listed below. Directional

Price in India: ₹24,250 per quintal (₹2,42,500 per tonne), median of 27 mandis on 3 Nov 2026. Real

What USA charges

Item	Rate
Basic (MFN) duty	Free
Preferential rate	none: no agreement in force
VAT / GST at import	none (the US has no federal VAT)

Reference Source: US Harmonized Tariff Schedule, official USITC API: https://hts.usitc.gov/search?query=0909.31. Official tariff schedule. Not established: Chapter 99 additional duties. Chapter 99 additional duty on products of India: 9903.01.55 The duty provided in the applicable subheading + 26%; 9903.01.84 The duty provided in the applicable subheading + 25%; 9903.02.26 The duty provided in the applicable subheading + 25%; 9903.05.44 The duty provided in the applicable subheading + 10%. Some goods are exempt, so check whether this product is. Confirm with USA customs before pricing a deal.

Documents and registrations

IEC
Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC)
Certificate of Registration as Exporter of Spices (CRES)
Food facility registration
Spices Board registration is mandatory for export of notified spices
the Spices Board may inspect the exporter’s premises before registration
U.S. FDA food facility registration is required for the foreign facility that manufactures/processes/packs food for U.S. consumption
no U.S. pre-market import licence for spices was identified in the official sources reviewed
Commercial invoice
packing list
bill of lading or airway bill
shipment-specific export declaration and customs documents
RCMC/CRES proof
and shipping/transport documents required for customs and carrier clearance

Where to get them: IEC: Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT); RCMC/CRES: Spices Board of India via DGFT e-RCMC/Spices Board channel; U.S. food facility registration: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The main failure point on this lane is missing or mismatched Indian exporter registration, especially IEC and Spices Board registration, which can stop export clearance. On the U.S. side, shipments commonly fail when the foreign facility is not FDA-registered or the labels and food safety documentation do not match the product actually shipped.

Directional Compiled for spices exports to USA from the official pages below, checked 24 Sept 2026. Confirm with the issuing authority.
https://www.dgft.gov.in/CP/?opt=e-rcmc
https://content.dgft.gov.in/Website/HTE.pdf

Cumin prices in Indian mandis

Median ₹24,250/quintal across 27 markets; middle 80% ₹22,105 to ₹25,110. Reported 3 Nov 2026.

Real Source: Agmarknet, Government of India, via data.gov.in (Cummin Seed(Jeera)). Domestic wholesale price, not an export or FOB price.

What this page does not know

Freight and port costs for your shipment. Carrier rates are not connected yet, so we do not print a freight number here. Put your own quotes into the landed cost calculator; it fills in this duty.
Your buyer's price. The mandi price is what cumin costs inside India.

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Grades: Real is read from an official or primary source on the date shown. Directional is an estimate, a compilation or a single unconfirmed source. Reference is an official schedule or rule.