EU Import Duty on Indian Textiles: 2026 Guide

The EU MFN (Most Favoured Nation) import duty on cotton towels (HS 6302.60) is 12%. India-origin towels pay that full 12%: the EU withdrew India's GSP preference on textiles (Section XI) for 2026-2028, so the reduced Standard GSP rate (about 9.6%) no longer applies. India was never in the deeper GSP+ tier. Relief will come from the India-EU FTA, concluded on 27 January 2026, once it enters into force. The duty is applied on the CIF (Cost + Insurance + Freight) value of the goods at the EU border. EU buyers should also account for VAT at the applicable rate in their import country, which is applied on top of the customs duty.

Key HS codes for Indian home textile exports to the EU: HS 6301 (blankets and travelling rugs - 12% MFN), HS 6302.10 (bed linen, knitted - 12% MFN), HS 6302.21/22/29 (bed linen, woven - 12% MFN), HS 6302.60 (toilet and kitchen linen, including towels - 12% MFN), HS 6304 (other furnishing articles - 12% MFN), HS 6302.91/99 (table linen - 12% MFN). All these categories fall under Section XI (Textiles and Textile Articles) of the EU Combined Nomenclature. The exact 8-digit EU CN code determines the precise duty rate, which can vary within a chapter.

Not for textiles. The EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences (Regulation (EU) 978/2012) cuts duty for developing countries, but it graduates a country out of a product section once its exports there pass a share threshold. India's textiles (Section XI) are graduated for 2026-2028, so Indian towels and bed linen pay the full MFN rate (12% on HS 6302). India stays in GSP for other sections, which is why REX registration still matters to some exporters. Budget at MFN and treat the India-EU FTA as the upside.

India and the EU concluded negotiations on their Free Trade Agreement on 27 January 2026, after talks first opened in 2007. The agreement is expected to remove EU duties on most Indian textile lines, but it has not yet entered into force: it still needs legal scrubbing, signature and ratification. Until then Indian towels and bed linen pay the 12% MFN rate, because India's GSP on textiles is withdrawn for 2026-2028. We will update this page the day the FTA applies.

At MFN you need: (1) commercial invoice with the accurate HS code and description; (2) packing list; (3) bill of lading or airway bill; (4) a non-preferential certificate of origin if your buyer or bank asks for one. No preference claim is possible on HS 6302 in 2026-2028. Once the India-EU FTA is in force, the preference will be claimed with a statement on origin under the FTA's own origin rules (in practice, manufacture from yarn in India). Form A has not been used for EU imports since 2017.

EU Regulation 1007/2011 requires a permanent fibre-content label on every textile product sold in the EU, stating fibre composition by percentage (e.g. '100% Cotton') using the regulation's standardised fibre names - generic marketing terms alone are not sufficient. Care instructions use the internationally recognised GINETEX wash-care symbols (wash, bleach, dry, iron, professional care), and country-of-origin marking, while not an EU-wide fibre-labelling requirement, is commonly required by individual buyers or destination-country customs rules. Labels must be durable for the product's useful life and legible in the language(s) of the country where it is sold - Anabyn supplies woven or printed labels in the buyer's required language as standard, included in the per-piece price.