Importing From India to Cambodia

In March 2026 a 70-member Indian delegation from 56 pharmaceutical companies sat down with Cambodian buyers in Phnom Penh. The most useful talk of the day came from the other side of the table. Cambodia's Ministry of Health sent a deputy director general, who walked the room through drug registration, licence renewal and investment rules (AKP, Cambodia's state news agency, 6 March 2026 (opens in a new tab)).

That meeting tells you where Cambodia's India trade really sits. It's growing fast and it leans on medicines, and the paperwork that decides whether a product can be sold at all matters far more than the tariff. Here we cover what's specific to Cambodia. The agreement itself is on the bloc page, and the few things we couldn't verify are listed at the end.

Last researched 28 September 2026 · Next review 24 November 2026 · Written by SourcingFrom

The decision in brief is in the playbook: Exporting and trade → /india/#trade. The shared agreement rules are on the ASEAN bloc page.

What India Actually Sells You

India's exports to Cambodia reached USD 280.27 million in 2025-26, up 39.36% on the year before (Embassy of India, Phnom Penh (opens in a new tab)). The top lines were aluminium, pharmaceutical products (USD 65.85 million), vehicles and parts, and machinery. By the embassy's own count, India is still only Cambodia's 11th largest import source.

So what does that mean for you? If you buy medicines, metals or motorcycle parts then India is a normal, well-worn source and you won't be the first. If you buy almost anything else you're early, and early buyers end up doing more of the checking themselves.

Cambodia Cut Its Tariffs Later

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam got a slower schedule under AITIGA than the rest of ASEAN. The Lao government's guide to the agreement sets out the tracks for this group - normal-track lines eliminated by 2018 or 2021, sensitive-track lines brought to no more than 5% by 2021, and some sensitive lines only by the end of 2024 (Lao Trade Portal, ASEAN-India guide (opens in a new tab)). The guide is written for Lao exporters, but the schedule groups all four countries together.

The upshot is plain enough. Figures you read for Thailand or Singapore don't carry over to Cambodia, and a rate you saw a few years ago may well have dropped since. Ask your broker for the current AITIGA rate on your exact line.

Medicines Need Registration Before You Order

That Phnom Penh session was about drug registration for a reason. An Indian generic can't be sold in Cambodia until it's registered with the Ministry of Health, and the preference on the certificate of origin does nothing to change that. We haven't read the registration rules ourselves, so we won't pretend to summarise them.

What you can do is ask the supplier three things - which of its products are already registered in Cambodia, in whose name, and when each registration expires. If the registration sits with another importer then you may not be able to bring that product in under your own licence, and it's far better to find that out before the order than after.

India Is a Small Fabric Source for Garment Makers

Cambodia's garment sector imports most of its fabric, and China supplied 87.8% of it in 2025 (Fibre2Fashion, 2026 (opens in a new tab), Reported). India is a minor source there.

If you're testing Indian yarn or fabric, there's a catch worth knowing. The origin of your finished garment is decided by the rules of whichever market you export to, not by AITIGA, so check with the buyer's customs before you switch mills.

Check It Can Be Sold, Then Price It

The Indian firms flew in to sell, and the ministry used the day to explain registration. Honestly, that's the right order for you too. Sort out whether the product can be sold in Cambodia, then the certificate, then the price.

Next Step

Every Indian agreement is on India's trade agreements.