Is a vtip a dress? For most markets the answer barely matters, because both pay the same duty. In the Spojené štáty americké it can change the duty on a silk or linen kaftan from 16.9% do 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 októbra 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 šaty. 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, vyrobené v Indii | USA: dress cut | USA: robe or cover-up cut | UK, EÚ, Austrália |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bavlna | 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% |
The “+ 10%” is the Section 301 clo na výrobky z Indie, collected since 24 júla 2026. In the UK (12%, 0% podľa CETA), the EU (12%, 9.6% under GSP) a Austrálii (5%, 0% under ECTA), the dress and robe cuts carry the same rate.
Worked example: a silk kaftan into the US
Hodváb kaftany fakturované v USD 10,000, prepravované po mori. US duty is charged on the invoice value.
| Classified as dresses | Classified as other garments | |
|---|---|---|
| Normálna povinnosť | 6.9% = USD 690.00 | 1.2% = USD 120.00 |
| oddiel 301 duty, 10% | USD 1,000.00 | USD 1,000.00 |
| Poplatok za spracovanie tovaru + Poplatok za údržbu prístavu | USD 47.14 | USD 47.14 |
| Celkom pri vstupe | 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: cut, 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.
Skontrolujte si vlastný odev
- Import duty on kaftans from India to the US, both cuts with a calculator
- UK · Nemecko · Austrália · Chile
We manufacture kaftans, dresses and cover-ups in India. Porozprávajte sa s nami about styles for the US market.
Zdroje
- Americká komisia pre medzinárodný obchod: Harmonizovaný colný sadzobník Spojených štátov amerických (women’s dresses; other garments; kapitola 99, oddiel 301 výrobky z Indie)
- Colná a hraničná ochrana USA: CROSS rulings database (search “caftan”)
- Federálny register: USTR Section 301 notice (28 júla 2026); GovInfo: Merchandise Processing Fee FY2027
- HMRC: Obchodný sadzobník Spojeného kráľovstva; European Commission: Access2Markets; Australian Border Force: Working Tariff Schedule 3
Indicative information from official tariffs, napísané 7 októbra 2026. Ceny overené dňa proti oficiálnym tarifám. It is not a classification ruling; for certainty, ask US Customs for a binding ruling.
Plánovanie kaftanového sortimentu? Pozrite sa, ako fungujeme výrobcov kaftanu v Indii.
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