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Europe

Export to Netherlands

Europe's main gateway: Rotterdam handles goods for the whole EU. EU food-safety and residue rules apply.

Capital
Amsterdam
Currency
EUR
Trade agreement with India
India–EU Free Trade Agreement (concluded, not yet in force)
Not in force yetNot yet in force (talks concluded 27 Jan 2026)
Main ports
Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Much of what India sells to Europe enters through Rotterdam and is then trucked to Germany, Belgium and beyond. Dutch importers and distributors buy fresh grapes, spices, marine products, organic food and engineering goods for the whole EU. All EU rules apply here: pesticide residue limits, food-safety checks, and new rules on deforestation and carbon.

India–EU Free Trade Agreement (concluded, not yet in force)

India and the EU concluded the FTA on 27 January 2026. The Commerce Ministry says 90.7% of India's exports to the EU (by value) will become duty-free when it enters into force. In June 2026 the Commerce Minister said it would be signed by December 2026 and take effect around February–March 2027. Until then, normal EU duties (and GSP where it applies) continue. Confirm current status on commerce.gov.in.

What it buys from India

  • Petroleum products and chemicals
  • Electronics, machinery and engineering goods
  • Fresh grapes, spices, marine products and organic food
  • Garments, footwear and medicines

Import rules on their side

  • Pesticide residues must stay within EU maximum residue levels (MRLs), which are often far stricter than Indian limits. Grapes for the EU go through APEDA's residue monitoring plan.
  • Some Indian foods are on the EU list for extra border checks, and every consignment of those products needs official test results. Check whether your product is listed before you ship.
  • From 30 December 2026, large and medium EU importers must prove that coffee, rubber, wood, leather (cattle) and other covered goods are deforestation-free (EUDR); small firms follow from 30 June 2027. Be ready to give farm or forest location data.
  • Iron, steel and aluminium goods fall under CBAM, whose definitive phase began on 1 January 2026 — your buyer will ask for embedded-emissions data. Chemicals in products must meet REACH, and many goods need CE marking.

Practical tips

  • Dutch importers re-sell across Europe, so one good distributor can open several EU countries for you.
  • Business is in English and very direct. Buyers expect quick replies, clear specifications and prices in euros.
  • Payment is usually on open account or documents against payment once trust is built; credit insurance from ECGC helps.
Sources (11)
  1. Department of Commerce — India-EU Free Trade Agreement concluded (27 Jan 2026)
  2. All India Radio News — India-EU likely to sign FTA by December: Piyush Goyal (21 Jun 2026)
  3. European Commission — Access2Markets (EU tariffs and import rules by product)
  4. European Commission — EU pesticides database (maximum residue levels)
  5. European Commission — Food safety
  6. European Commission — Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR)
  7. European Commission Access2Markets — EUDR application delayed to December 2026
  8. European Commission — Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
  9. European Chemicals Agency — Understanding REACH
  10. Netherlands Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst)
  11. Department of Commerce — TradeStat export-import data bank

Trade data

India’s exports to Netherlands in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat (Indian financial years, April–March), the country’s imports from the world from UN Comtrade, and its basics from the World Bank.

India’s exports here, 2025-26
US$ 17.5 bn
No. 4 of our 30 countries
Change from 2024-25
↓ -23.1%
US$ 22.8 bn → US$ 17.5 bn
Share of all Indian exports
3.96%
Its imports from the world
US$ 621.1 bn
2024 · India’s share 1.26%
2020-21: US$ 6.47 bn6.5k2020-212021-22: US$ 12.5 bn13k2021-222022-23: US$ 21.6 bn22k2022-23n/a2023-242024-25: US$ 22.8 bn23k2024-252025-26: US$ 17.5 bn18k2025-26
India’s exports to Netherlands, year by year · US$ million · TradeStat’s 2023-24 country table is double-counted, so it is not shown

What India sells here most

By HS chapter, 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1Fuels and petroleum productsHS 27US$ 8.44 bn-36.2%
2Electrical and electronicsHS 85US$ 1.55 bn-45.8%
3Organic chemicalsHS 29US$ 1.04 bn+7.8%
4MachineryHS 84US$ 565 mn+32.4%
5Medicines and pharmaHS 30US$ 518 mn+22.3%
6Knitted garmentsHS 61US$ 410 mn-0.6%
7Iron and steelHS 72US$ 375 mn+15.3%
8Woven garmentsHS 62US$ 374 mn-4.4%
9Iron and steel articlesHS 73US$ 274 mn+2.8%
10Vehicles and partsHS 87US$ 266 mn+39.2%
11Fruit and nutsHS 08US$ 249 mn+20.4%
12Other chemical productsHS 38US$ 219 mn+93.5%

What is rising and what is falling

Chapters where India sells at least US$ 5 million. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

  1. Other chemical productsUS$ 113 mn → US$ 219 mn+93.5%
  2. Gems, jewellery, precious metalsUS$ 56.1 mn → US$ 96.8 mn+72.5%
  3. Vehicles and partsUS$ 191 mn → US$ 266 mn+39.2%
  4. Fish and seafoodUS$ 70.2 mn → US$ 93.9 mn+33.7%
  5. MachineryUS$ 426 mn → US$ 565 mn+32.4%
  6. Cereals (rice, wheat, maize)US$ 104 mn → US$ 131 mn+26%
  7. FootwearUS$ 136 mn → US$ 167 mn+22.5%
  8. Medicines and pharmaUS$ 423 mn → US$ 518 mn+22.3%

Low demand

  1. Electrical and electronicsUS$ 2.86 bn → US$ 1.55 bn-45.8%
  2. Fuels and petroleum productsUS$ 13.2 bn → US$ 8.44 bn-36.2%
  3. AluminiumUS$ 200 mn → US$ 166 mn-16.9%
  4. Dyes, paints, inksUS$ 118 mn → US$ 102 mn-13.4%
  5. Furniture, lightingUS$ 137 mn → US$ 121 mn-11.8%

Opportunity: what this country buys from the world, and from India

The country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, 2024. Chapters with the biggest gap between what it buys from the world and what it buys from India.

Fuels and petroleum productsUS$ 111.4 bnIndia 2.3% · gap US$ 108.8 bn
MachineryUS$ 74.3 bnIndia 0.4% · gap US$ 74.1 bn
Electrical and electronicsUS$ 70.7 bnIndia 1.4% · gap US$ 69.7 bn
Instruments, medical devicesUS$ 37.7 bnIndia 0.4% · gap US$ 37.6 bn
Vehicles and partsUS$ 34 bnIndia 0.2% · gap US$ 33.9 bn
Medicines and pharmaUS$ 22.1 bnIndia 1.6% · gap US$ 21.7 bn
PlasticsUS$ 17.7 bnIndia 0.6% · gap US$ 17.6 bn
Organic chemicalsUS$ 16 bnIndia 2.4% · gap US$ 15.7 bn
Other chemical productsUS$ 13.2 bnIndia 0.5% · gap US$ 13.1 bn
Iron and steelUS$ 9.17 bnIndia 1.8% · gap US$ 9.01 bn

Our product guides that sell here

India’s exports of each product to this country, 2025-26.

Name2025-26Change
1Readymade garmentsUS$ 785 mn-2.5%
2Generic medicines (formulations)US$ 434 mn+17.3%
3Fresh grapesUS$ 178 mn+18.3%
4Processed foodUS$ 141 mn+11.9%
5FootwearUS$ 131 mn+12.1%
6Auto parts and componentsUS$ 119 mn+0.9%
7Basmati riceUS$ 113 mn+44.1%
8Leather goods (bags, wallets, belts)US$ 106 mn+5.4%
9Frozen shrimpUS$ 88.1 mn+33.4%
10Carpets and rugsUS$ 54.2 mn-7.8%
11SpicesUS$ 50.5 mn+3%
12Cashew kernelsUS$ 41 mn+15.7%

The 20 biggest export lines

4-digit HS lines, 2025-26, with their Harmonized System descriptions.

Name2025-26Change
1Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crudeHS 2710US$ 8.43 bn-36.2%
2Telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones for cellular/wireless networksHS 8517US$ 1.07 bn-55.5%
3MedicamentsHS 3004US$ 434 mn+17.3%
4Heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen hetero-atom onlyHS 2933US$ 186 mn-5.8%
5GrapesHS 0806US$ 178 mn+18.3%
6Ferro-alloysHS 7202US$ 178 mn+25.4%
7Electric transformers, static converters and inductorsHS 8504US$ 152 mn-17.9%
8Fixed vegetable or microbial fats and oils in chapter 15 and their fractions, whether or not refined, but…HS 1515US$ 133 mn+13.8%
9FootwearHS 6403US$ 131 mn+12.1%
10RiceHS 1006US$ 128 mn+24.8%
11AluminiumHS 7601US$ 127 mn-18.1%
12T-shirts, singlets and other vestsHS 6109US$ 125 mn-3.1%
13Motor vehiclesHS 8708US$ 119 mn+0.9%
14Stainless steel bars and rods, angles, shapes and sectionsHS 7222US$ 114 mn+25.1%
15Suits, ensembles, jackets, dresses, skirts, divided skirts, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and…HS 6204US$ 106 mn-10.5%
16TrunksHS 4202US$ 106 mn+5.4%
17Sacks and bags, of a kind used for the packing of goodsHS 6305US$ 104 mn+38%
18Biodiesel and mixtures thereofHS 3826US$ 102 mn—
19Synthetic organic colouring matter and preparations based thereonHS 3204US$ 96.5 mn-13.7%
20New pneumatic tyres, of rubberHS 4011US$ 90.4 mn+16.1%

What India buys from Netherlands

India’s imports from this country in 2025-26 by HS chapter, from TradeStat — this country can be your supplier too.

India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 5.76 bn
US$ 4.99 bn → US$ 5.76 bn
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 17.5 bn
Trade balance
+US$ 11.7 bn
exports minus imports
Change in imports
+15.3%
Name2025-26Change
1MachineryHS 84—+40.3%
2Instruments, medical devicesHS 90—+23.2%
3Electrical and electronicsHS 85—+21.4%
4Medicines and pharmaHS 30—+12%
5Other chemical productsHS 38—+15.9%
6PlasticsHS 39—+17.8%
7Organic chemicalsHS 29—-18.6%
8AluminiumHS 76—+0.2%
9Fats and oilsHS 15—-24%
10Iron and steelHS 72—+31.1%

The country at a glance

Population
18.1 mn
2025
GDP
US$ 1,332.8 bn
2025
GDP per person
US$ 73,684
2025
Imports (goods and services)
US$ 925.6 bn
2025

Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · World Bank — World Development Indicators · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

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