Is a Kaftan a dress? Für die meisten Märkte ist die Antwort kaum von Bedeutung, denn beide zahlen den gleichen Zoll. In the Vereinigte Staaten it can change the duty on a silk or linen kaftan from 16.9% Zu 11.2%, once the extra duty on Indian goods is included. This guide explains how customs tells the two apart, where the rates differ, and why the cut of the garment, not the invoice wording, decides. Rates were checked against the official tariffs on 7 Oktober 2026.
Two ways customs sees a kaftan
- As a dress. A pull-over kaftan worn in public as a dress is classified with women’s Kleider. US Customs has ruled this way on caftans.
- As an „other garment“. A loose, open or cover-up style kaftan, such as a beach cover-up or a robe-style piece worn over other clothing, is often entered in the „other garments“ heading, alongside garments like kimonos and kurtas.
Classification follows what the garment is: its cut, how it is worn and how it is described and marketed. Renaming the same garment on the invoice does not change it, and a wrong entry can be corrected by customs with duty and penalties owed.
Where it changes the duty
| Woven kaftan, Hergestellt in Indien | UNS: dress cut | UNS: robe or cover-up cut | Vereinigtes Königreich, EU, Australien |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baumwolle | 8.4% + 10% = 18.4% | 8.1% + 10% = 18.1% | Same rate for both cuts |
| Viscose or polyester | 16% + 10% = 26% | 16% + 10% = 26% | |
| Silk or linen | 6.9% + 10% = 16.9% | 1.2% + 10% = 11.2% |
Das „+ 10%“ is the Section 301 Zoll auf Produkte aus Indien, collected since 24 Juli 2026. In the UK (12%, 0% under CETA), the EU (12%, 9.6% under GSP) und Australien (5%, 0% under ECTA), the dress and robe cuts carry the same rate.
Worked example: a silk kaftan into the US
Seide Kaftane in USD in Rechnung gestellt 10,000, auf dem Seeweg verschifft. US duty is charged on the invoice value.
| Classified as dresses | Classified as other garments | |
|---|---|---|
| Normaler Dienst | 6.9% = USD 690.00 | 1.2% = USD 120.00 |
| Abschnitt 301 duty, 10% | USD 1,000.00 | USD 1,000.00 |
| Bearbeitungsgebühr für Waren + Hafenwartungsgebühr | USD 47.14 | USD 47.14 |
| Gesamtsumme bei der Einreise | USD 1,737.14 | USD 1,167.14 |
The difference, USD 570 on this shipment, comes only from the classification. That is why a design that is genuinely a cover-up should be described and photographed as one, and why a design that is worn as a dress should be entered as a dress.
How to get certainty
- Describe the garment fully on the invoice: zugeschnitten, opening, length and fibre content by weight.
- For a new style or a large programme, ask US Customs for a binding ruling before shipping. Rulings are free and public, and they bind every port.
- Keep fibre-content records. The predominant fibre by weight decides the rate line.
Check your own garment
- Import duty on kaftans from India to the US, both cuts with a calculator
- Vereinigtes Königreich · Deutschland · Australien · Chile
We manufacture kaftans, dresses and cover-ups in India. Sprechen Sie mit uns about styles for the US market.
Quellen
- US-amerikanische Kommission für internationalen Handel: Harmonisierter Tarifplan der Vereinigten Staaten (Damenkleider; other garments; Chapter 99, Abschnitt 301 Produkte aus Indien)
- US-Zoll- und Grenzschutz: CROSS rulings database (search „caftan“)
- Bundesregister: USTR Section 301 notice (28 Juli 2026); Regierungsinfo: Merchandise Processing Fee FY2027
- HMRC: UK Trade Tariff; European Commission: Access2Markets; Australian Border Force: Working Tariff Schedule 3
Indicative information from official tariffs, geschrieben 7 Oktober 2026. Preise überprüft am gegen die offiziellen Tarife. It is not a classification ruling; for certainty, ask US Customs for a binding ruling.
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