FTWZ Entry
SEZ · BVC Service Unit
The collection lands at Mumbai airport and moves under secure transit directly to the FTWZ. Logged into the SEZ bonded record piece-by-piece. No customs duty triggered at entry.
Stage 01 · Import
A Dubai luxury maison's full India tour —
display, sale, distribution and duty-free return.
A global luxury brand faced delays with customs, import handling, and distribution. BVC took over and streamlined the entire FTWZ journey—from clearance and display to pan-India distribution and return.
24–48 hr
SEZ customs clearance window at FTWZ
60+
BVC vaults across India for display & distribution
12000+
Pincodes served on the secure delivery network
0
Indian customs duty paid on unsold pieces
The context — what an FTWZ programme really is
A foreign maison can bring an entire collection into India,and only pay duty on what actually sells.
Before we get to the story, here's the simple version. An FTWZ (Free Trade and Warehousing Zone) is a Special Economic Zone where imported goods can sit, be displayed, viewed, even taken to off-site events — without Indian customs duty being triggered until a piece is actually sold. For a foreign luxury house, that changes everything.
Think Of It Like This
Imagine the FTWZ as a duty-free zone at an airport, but for an entire luxury collection. The maison's pieces fly in from Dubai or Europe, land at Mumbai airport, and move under BVC's secure transit straight into our FTWZ service unit. From the moment they enter, they're inside an SEZ — so Indian customs duty is paused. Not waived. Just paused, until something actually sells.
Inside the FTWZ, the maison can do real business. Vault the collection. Host UHNI viewings by appointment. Take selected pieces out under temporary clearance for a curated event at a five-star hotel in Mumbai or Delhi. Bring them back. Display some more. Sell a piece in Hyderabad. Deliver it. Re-export the rest.
The Dubai maison's earlier provider couldn't make this rhythm work — their FTWZ was at Nava Sheva and the customs clearance, import process and Nava Sheva-to-Mumbai TAT kept breaking. BVC ran the full rhythm cleanly. The 8-step process below is exactly what we ran for them.
Earlier set-up at Nava Sheva
Right idea, wrong rhythm
- FTWZ vault was at Nava Sheva with a previous provider
- Regular issues with customs clearance and import flow
- Nava Sheva → Mumbai TAT was difficult and unpredictable
- No vault network across India for pan-India tours
- Re-export of unsold inventory was a separate, slow workstream
After moving to BVC's FTWZ programme
One end-to-end facility
- Import clearance, display and distribution under one partner
- On-site SEZ customs officers — 24–48 hr clearance
- 60+ BVC vaults across India for tours and viewings
- Same-day delivery after single-piece sale clearance
- Re-export of unsold inventory filed via SEZ Online — duty-free
The real story
From a stuck FTWZ at Nava Sheva to one end-to-end India programme run by a single partner.
The maison's brief was honest. They loved India as a market — UHNI clients in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore — but the operational backbone was failing. They wanted a partner who could own the whole arc: land the collection, hold it duty-free, show it, sell it, deliver it, send the rest home — all without surprises.
The ProblemSCENE 01
"Our FTWZ is at Nava Sheva, customs is slow, and getting pieces from there to Mumbai keeps breaking."
That was the conversation in one sentence. The maison's earlier setup had the right idea — keep the inventory inside an FTWZ so duty stays paused — but the execution was the bottleneck. Customs clearance was inconsistent, import handling was patchy, and the Nava Sheva to Mumbai turnaround was hard to plan around. Every viewing, every event, every sale was negotiating with logistics instead of being served by it.
For a luxury maison running a tight calendar of UHNI viewings and curated brand events across multiple Indian cities, that kind of friction is not a small issue. It directly affects which pieces are where, when a client can see them, and whether a confirmed sale ships on the same day or the next week. The maison wanted a partner whose FTWZ, customs desk, vault network and delivery arm were all the same brand.
The three things a foreign maison really needs from an FTWZ partner
(1) A clean FTWZ entry with customs that actually clears in 24–48 hours, not weeks. (2) A vault and viewing infrastructure inside the SEZ — plus a wider India vault network — so the collection can travel without leaving custody. (3) A clean way to clear single pieces on confirmed sale and re-export the rest duty-free at the end of the tour. BVC offered all three under one roof.
The maison switched. We took over their FTWZ programme end-to-end. The 8-step rhythm below is the actual playbook we ran during their India tour — and it's the same playbook foreign maisons without an India presence use through us today.
What BVC Did — Step by StepSCENE 02
One programme. Eight clean steps. Land, hold, show, sell, deliver, return.
Received the shipment directly into the FTWZ (BVC's Service Unit) facility
The shipment flew into Mumbai airport and moved under BVC secure transit directly to the FTWZ SEZ facility — not to a domestic bonded warehouse. The inventory was logged piece-by-piece into the SEZ bonded record on arrival. No customs duty was triggered at entry.
Used on-site SEZ customs officers for 24–48 hour clearance
Dedicated customs officers are stationed at the FTWZ. Inbound documentation was filed, examined and cleared within 24–48 hours of the shipment landing — so viewing appointments could start immediately after clearance.
Vaulted every piece in the SEZ's secure infrastructure
Each piece went into a monitored vault with controlled access — the same infrastructure used for high-value gems, jewellery and luxury imports. The brand's Paris HQ received real-time piece-level visibility via BVC's warehouse management system.
Hosted UHNI viewings inside the SEZ's dedicated viewing centre
Clients visited the FTWZ viewing centre by private appointment — booked 24 hours in advance. Pieces were moved from the vault to the viewing suite under controlled custody, shown to the client, and returned to secure storage immediately after the appointment. No duty was triggered by any of this movement.
Released selected pieces for off-site hotel events under temporary clearance
For curated brand events at any DTA territory (e.g. Mumbai or Delhi) specific pieces were temporarily cleared out of the FTWZ under temporary clearance documentation, shown at the event, and returned to BVC's service unit post-event — still duty-free, as a legal round-trip out and back.
Cleared each confirmed sale as a single-piece customs transaction
When a client in Hyderabad confirmed the purchase of a 6.2-crore necklace, BVC filed a SEZ customs clearance for that one piece. Duty was paid on the single piece, and the piece was custom cleared from SEZ as a domestic Indian good — ready for secure last-mile delivery.
Delivered sold pieces securely to the buyer's address pan-India
Once custom cleared, each sold piece moved via BVC's secure domestic logistics network — tamper-evident packaging, two-person handover, GPS-tracked transit — directly to the client's home or office, in any of 12000+ pincodes.
Re-exported unsold inventory at the end of the tour — duty-free
When the tour window closed, customers had the option to re-export the imported goods if not sold or not required by Indian customers without liability of customs duty and taxes. BVC filed the Re-export Shipping Bill on behalf of the customer via the SEZ Online platform, completed customs examination, consolidated the pieces for secure international freight back to the maison's European vault — zero Indian customs duty paid on any of them.
WHAT BVC HANDLED For the Maison
- Direct FTWZ entry from Mumbai airport — no domestic bonded leg
- Temporary clearance for off-site DTA brand events
- On-site SEZ customs officers, 24–48 hr clearance
- Single-piece SEZ clearance on confirmed sales
- SEZ vault with real-time piece-level WMS visibility
- Pan-India secure delivery — 12000+ pincodes
- Private UHNI viewings inside the FTWZ viewing centre
- Duty-free re-export of unsold inventory via SEZ Online
Special Note · Luxury WatchesSCENE 03
For watches with leather straps, we also handle the CITES NOC end-to-end.
Many luxury watches use leather straps from species protected under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). For pieces like these, a CITES NOC is required at both origin and destination. In India, the NOC is issued by the WLRO — Wildlife Regional Office.
The flow is: the origin country's CITES certificate is needed first, and that origin certificate is then submitted to acquire the Indian NOC from WLRO. BVC handles the entire NOC process — collating the origin CITES certificate, filing the application, coordinating with WLRO and securing the Indian NOC — so the maison doesn't have to figure out Indian wildlife regulation themselves.
Why this matters for foreign maisons without an India entity
Foreign brands that don't have a local office or subsidiary in India often discover the CITES requirement only after a watch shipment is already in transit — and at that point, fixing it is painful. With BVC, the CITES NOC is built into the FTWZ programme from day one. The maison gives us the origin certificate, and we handle the WLRO side completely.
The 4-Stage India ProgrammeSCENE 04
Land. Hold & Show. Sell & Deliver. Re-Export.
Vault & Viewing
In-SEZ · Duty-Paused
SEZ customs clears in 24–48 hours. Pieces enter the secure vault. UHNI viewings happen inside the FTWZ viewing centre. Live piece-level visibility for the maison's HQ.
Stage 02 · Display
DTA Events & Sales
Mumbai · Delhi · Pan-India
Selected pieces step out under temporary clearance for hotel events and return duty-free. Confirmed sales (e.g. a 6.2-crore Hyderabad necklace) get single-piece SEZ clearance + pan-India delivery.
Stage 03 · Distribute
Duty-Free Re-Export
SEZ Online · Back to Maison
At end of tour, BVC files the Re-export Shipping Bill via SEZ Online, completes customs examination, and ships unsold pieces back to the maison's European vault — zero Indian customs duty paid.
Stage 04 · Return
Outcome & PatternSCENE 05
This is now how foreign maisons without an India presence run their entire India tour through BVC.
The maison's switch to BVC didn't just fix Nava Sheva. It became the template. Massive reduction in TAT, smoother customs, in-SEZ viewings, single-piece sale clearance, same-day delivery after clearance, and duty-free re-export of whatever didn't sell. One programme, one partner, one set of accountabilities.
Foreign maisons with no entity, office or staff in India regularly come to BVC for exactly this. We act as their on-ground partner — handling FTWZ entry, SEZ customs filings, vault storage across 60+ India locations, private viewings, temporary clearance for events, single-piece sale clearance, pan-India delivery to 12000+ pincodes, CITES NOC for watches, and the final duty-free re-export. The maison stays focused on the client and the collection. BVC owns the rest.
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Find Your Answers Here
Everything you need to know about how BVC plans and executes complex, high-value shipments. Can't find your answer? Reach out and our team will help.
Ask Your QuestionYes. Every case study on this page is a real engagement BVC has handled for jewellers, brands, refineries, collectors and exhibitors. Sensitive client details are shared only with permission; where a client preferred to stay unnamed, we describe the work without identifying them.
If your movement involves high value, tight timelines, multiple cities, customs, fragile pieces or a first-time programme, it is exactly the kind of work these case studies describe. Share your brief through our contact form and a specialist will map the route end to end.
Every consignment moves under full chain-of-custody protocols — secure pickup, tamper-evident packaging, armed handling where required, and consignment-level documentation. The status is updated at every touchpoint so you always know where your shipment stands.
You can opt for comprehensive All Risk cover with BVC — protecting your goods for their full declared value from pickup to delivery — or ship under your own policy. We recommend All Risk cover for every high-value movement and our team will help you choose the right option at booking.
Yes. BVC operates across 12,000+ Indian pincodes and 130+ countries — including export documentation, customs clearance and FTWZ programmes — so a single partner can manage both your domestic and international legs.
Reach out through our contact form or call our 24/7 line on 1800-123-2711. Tell us the brief — what is moving, from where to where, and by when — and a BVC specialist will design the secure logistics plan around it.
Planning an India tour for your maison? We'll run the full FTWZ programme for you.
Tell us where the collection is flying in from, which Indian cities you want to display in, and which clients you want to serve. We'll plan FTWZ entry, SEZ customs, vault storage, viewings, DTA events, single-piece sale clearance, pan-India delivery, CITES NOC for watches, and duty-free re-export of whatever doesn't sell.