India to Foshan: 5–6 h nonstop from Delhi to Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), 48 minutes by road to Lecong, a visa is required in advance.
- Flight
- 5–6 h nonstop from Delhi
- Entry
- a visa is required in advance
- Transfer
- 48 min from CAN
- Visit
- Four days
- Guide day
- USD 150 / day
- Pickup
- USD 149
Sourcing trip · Asia
India to Foshan: nonstop from Delhi, and a multi-supplier container
Delhi flies nonstop to Guangzhou in five to six hours, and the trade is well established. Indian buyers usually need several suppliers per container, so coordination matters more than any single price.
- Flight
- 5–6 hNonstop
- Entry
- Visa requiredApply before booking flights
- Allow
- Four daysin Foshan
- Airport pickup
- $149Credited back within 6 months
India to Foshan: 5–6 h nonstop from Delhi to Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), 48 minutes by road to Lecong, a visa is required in advance.
- Flight
- 5–6 h nonstop from Delhi
- Entry
- a visa is required in advance
- Transfer
- 48 min
- Visit
- Four days
- Guide day
- USD 150 / day
- Pickup
- USD 149
Getting here
Schedules change with the season — confirm the operating carrier before booking. The airport code is the part that stays put.
Entry rules for Indian travellers
Visa required before travel. Apply for an M (business) or L (tourist) visa at a Chinese visa application centre before booking. Allow about four working days plus appointment time.
Indian passports need a visa before travel.
- Without a visa
- None — apply in advance
- On what basis
- Visa required before travel
- Visa on arrival
- No — port visas only for urgent business, with an invitation
- Airside transit
- Under 24 h, no visa if you stay airside
CarryReturn ticket · Hotel booking · Approved invitation · Appointment confirmation
Waivers were extended repeatedly through 2025–2026 and several expire on 31 December 2026. Confirm the current term with the Chinese embassy before paying for flights.
Airport pickup, $149 — refunded when you order
- Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Zhongshan
- Drop at your hotel — or straight to a showroom if you land early, with parking and tolls settled
On a 07:25 landing the transfer reaches Lecong about an hour later — enough daylight for one showroom.
Example vehicles; the exact car is confirmed the day before. Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Dinkun Chen CC BY-SA 4.0, CC0 — not our vehicles.
A paid service, not a free transfer: one arrival, one vehicle, one drop-off. Parking included; tolls at cost. The credit is valid for six months from your arrival date.
Landing, then the transfer
Every route ends the same way: an hour on the ground between the arrivals hall and Lecong.
Do not plan on the Hong Kong ferry. That route closed in July 2026 with no published reopening. Road or high-speed rail is the way in.
The days on the ground
Four days is the working minimum for anything beyond a single category. Appointments are booked before you land, and each evening you get a written recap of what you saw and what is still open.
- Day 1
Land and calibrate
Arrival day. Transfer in, check in, and walk one mall so the prices stop being abstract
- Day 2
Lecong showrooms
Showroom day in Lecong — two or three options a line, every one photographed and priced
- Day 3
Factories behind the malls
Behind the showrooms today: Longjiang for upholstery, Nanzhuang if tiles are on the list
- Day 4
Samples and sign-off
Samples and the custom list, then sign-off before the airport run
Field noteLecong sits about 10 km from the Nanzhuang tile centre and 10 km from Longjiang, so no single base serves everything.可乐家（装修记录）, Xiaohongshu
Field noteMall prices do not include freight or installation. Ask for a freight quote per shop, then consolidate with the cheapest forwarder.琳琳聊家具, Xiaohongshu
Where the days are actually spent
Upholstery is where showroom prices and factory prices diverge most, so both ends are worth seeing.
Lecong 乐从
Trading malls and room-set showrooms. A hundred sofas in a morning, priced retail-facing. The shortlist starts here.
Longjiang 龙江
Factory town for upholstery. The material markets behind it are where a showroom price stops being a mystery.
Where to stay
Pick the base first; the room is the easy part.
Sofitel Foshan 佛山罗浮宫索菲特酒店
Inside the Louvre furniture complex. You can walk from the lobby to the malls, which removes the daily commute that eats a sourcing trip.
Marco Polo Lingnan Tiandi 佛山岭南天地马哥孛罗酒店
evening walks · guests
ZMAX Foshan Lecong ZMAX满兮酒店(佛山乐从家具城店)
buyers' crowd · 2 km from the malls
Straight-line distance from the Lecong furniture anchor. Ratings: Google Places and Amap, 31 Oct 2026.
Where to eat
After 18:30 the malls go quiet. These three are where the evening actually happens.
Ratings and average spend from Amap, retrieved 2026-10-31. Hours and closures change — confirm before booking a table for guests.
What Indian buyers get caught on
- 01India applies 18% GST on import plus duty by commodity code. Both are calculated on the assessable value, so the landed cost is materially higher than the ex-works quote.
- 02BIS certification applies to a range of products, and the scope changes by category. Confirm before production; testing cannot be arranged after the goods land.
- 03230 V, Type C and D. Type D is common in older installations, so specify both.
- 04Nhava Sheva (JNPT) serves Mumbai and Chennai serves the south. The inland leg is long, so consolidation and packing density matter.
- 05Multi-supplier containers are normal. The packing list has to separate each supplier's goods so the customs entry can be checked line by line.
Practical specification checks, not certification advice. Confirm current requirements with your importer or testing body.
Importing into India
Everything here happens after the container leaves Foshan — the part the showroom does not quote.
- Import VAT
- 18% standard rate on import
- Plug / voltage
- Type C / D · 230 V
- Main port
- Nhava Sheva · Chennai
- Ocean transit
- 16–24 days
- Currency
- INR
- Working language
- English, Hindi
Check the current rate with your broker before you price the order — these figures drift.
Trip cost, before any furniture
| Line | Planning figure |
|---|---|
| Flights | INR 45,000–75,000 return on the Delhi nonstop |
| Hotel | Lecong or Chancheng, 4-star, INR 5,000–9,000 per night |
| Airport pickup | USD 149 from Guangzhou or Shenzhen, credited against your fee if you order within six months |
| Duty and VAT | Duty by commodity code plus 18% GST, payable on import |
Planning figures, not a quotation.
Questions Indian buyers ask
How long is the flight from India to Foshan?
About five to six hours nonstop from Delhi to Guangzhou, then roughly an hour by road to Lecong.
Do Indian passports need a visa for China?
Yes. Apply for an M or L visa before booking.
Is BIS certification required?
For a range of products, yes, and the scope changes by category. Confirm before production.
Which port?
Nhava Sheva for Mumbai, Chennai for the south.
How many days do I need?
Four, because most orders span two or three suppliers.
How should a three-supplier container be organised?
With one consolidated packing list that separates each supplier's goods, and one forwarder. Three separate shipments cost more and triple the chance of damage.
Elsewhere in Asia
Buyers who come to Foshan rarely come alone: a household or a hotel brief often spans two markets.
Keep planning
Send your list before you book the flight
Share quantities, rooms, budget and your travel month. We come back with a route, a supplier shortlist and an honest answer on whether the trip is worth making.
Trade rules, duty rates and certification scope change without notice. Confirm the current requirements for your product and entry date with a licensed customs broker before committing to a deposit.