Quality Inspection in India for Irish Importers

Key takeaways

India shipped about US$107 million of the goods we inspect directly to Ireland in 2025, up 7%, and almost two-thirds of it was apparel (UN Comtrade).
Ireland requires GPSR instructions and safety information in English, so one English insert can serve Ireland, but GB-style labels with only a UK address do not meet the EU traceability rules.
Ireland revoked its domestic furniture fire safety order in July 2026; upholstery is now assessed under the EU GPSR, while Great Britain keeps its fire labels.
Indian-made goods sent on from a GB warehouse cannot use the EU–UK zero rate, which covers UK-origin goods only (Revenue).

What Ireland buys from India

In calendar year 2025 India reported US$107 million of exports to Ireland across the product groups we inspect, 7% more than in 2024. Apparel was US$69 million of that, and home goods US$23 million (UN Comtrade). Knitwear leads by a wide margin.

Source: UN Comtrade, India as reporter, calendar year 2025, FOB, rounded.
Category (HS)	India's exports to Ireland, 2025
Knitted apparel (61)	US$49.9m, incl. T-shirts (6109) 10.8, men's knit shirts (6105) 6.9, babies' garments (6111) 5.8
Woven apparel (62)	US$19.2m, incl. women's suits, dresses and skirts (6204) 9.0
Worked building stone (6802)	US$7.3m
Leather goods and bags (42)	US$6.0m
Rugs and carpets (57)	US$4.0m
Bed linen and furnishings (6302, 6304)	US$3.9m
Footwear (64)	US$2.5m

These figures count only goods India declared as bound for Ireland. Orders that land at a distribution centre in Great Britain first are recorded as exports to the UK, so Irish shelves carry more Indian-made goods than the table shows.

Where Irish orders are made

Knitwear and babywear: Tirupur, a Town of Export Excellence for hosiery. See T-shirts and knit tops and children's clothing, where small parts and cords matter.
Womenswear: Faridabad, added for apparel under Foreign Trade Policy 2023, in Delhi NCR where we have inspectors. See dresses and resortwear.
Paving and stone: Dholpur district in Rajasthan for red sandstone paving, checked for thickness, calibration and edge chips before crating.
Leather goods and rugs: Agra, Kanpur and Ambur (Towns of Export Excellence for leather products) for leather goods; Bhadohi (listed for carpets) for rugs.

Checks an Irish order adds at the factory

English safety text. The EU product safety regulation lets each member state set the language of instructions and safety information (GPSR Art. 9(7)). Ireland's implementing regulations say this information "shall be in English" (S.I. No. 726 of 2024, reg. 5). We check inserts, swing tags and warnings against your approved artwork.

EU traceability marks. The manufacturer's name and address, a type or batch number and the details of your EU-established responsible operator must be on the product or its packaging. A label that names only a UK company does not meet this for Ireland.

Fibre labels. Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 asks for the official language or languages of the member state; Ireland's are Irish and English. We check composition and care labels against your bill of materials.

Upholstery. Ireland's domestic furniture fire safety order (S.I. No. 316 of 1995), with its Irish display labels and I.S. 419 tests, was revoked by S.I. No. 357 of 2026, made on 22 July 2026, to align with the GPSR. Fire risk is now assessed as part of general product safety, so keep your test reports. The UK fire labels still apply to the GB share of a split order.

Orders split with Great Britain

Many Irish buyers order alongside a GB business, or receive stock through a GB warehouse. Two points follow from that, and both start at the factory. First, a split order needs two label sets: UK address and UKCA where relevant for GB cartons; EU operator and CE where relevant for Irish cartons. We count each set against the packing list and check that the right cartons carry the right labels. Second, origin. Revenue states that a preferential claim under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement can be made only for goods of UK origin, so Indian-made goods sent on from Great Britain are imported into Ireland as Indian goods. The UK–India CETA rate does not follow them across. Keep "Made in India" marks and documents consistent for both markets. Our UK importers page covers the GB side.

Packaging data for Repak

Repak is Ireland's packaging compliance scheme. It says businesses that place packaging on the Irish market are required under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, applicable since 12 August 2026, to register with it, and that existing systems stay in place for current members in the short term. Repak fees are worked out from the weight of each packaging material you place on the market. On request, our inspector weighs the packaging of sampled units by material (carton, polybag, tissue, hangers, foam) against your packaging specification and records it in the report. A knit top in a polybag with a swing tag already has three items to report. Repak also ends its Green Dot licence at the end of 2026, so check carton artwork when you reorder.

Rules that apply and the trade agreement

The EU-wide rules for customs, safety, chemicals and timber are on the EU import compliance checklist. For detail, see EU GPSR, EU textile labelling and country of origin labelling. The EU and India concluded a free trade agreement on 27 January 2026. As of 14 October 2026 it was not signed or in force, so normal EU duty rates apply. We do not advise on duty; ask your customs broker.

Working hours, reports and price

India Standard Time is UTC+5:30 with no daylight saving. Ireland's summer time is legally called Irish Standard Time, so "IST" in an email can mean either; we write times with the city. Our office hours, Monday to Saturday 9:30 am to 6:30 pm in India, run from 4:00 am to 1:00 pm in Dublin in winter and 5:00 am to 2:00 pm in summer, so the whole Irish morning overlaps the inspection day. The report follows within 24 hours of the inspection, after supervisor review, with a verdict of Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared.

A man-day is US$249 for one inspector at one factory for eight hours, report included. Travel is free in Jodhpur, US$99 per man-day in Jaipur, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Delhi NCR and Kolkata, and at actual cost elsewhere, quoted first: Tirupur and Dholpur are in that band. See pricing or book an inspection, and send both label sets if the order is split with GB.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Must product safety information for Ireland be in Irish as well as English?

For the GPSR, Ireland's implementing regulations (S.I. No. 726 of 2024) require the information to be in English. Fibre labels follow Regulation (EU) 1007/2011, which refers to the official languages of the member state; ask your adviser if you are unsure about a specific product.

Do sofas sold in Ireland still need Irish fire labels?

The Irish order that required them, S.I. No. 316 of 1995, was revoked by S.I. No. 357 of 2026 to align with the EU GPSR. You still have to place safe furniture on the market, so keep fire test evidence. Sofas for Great Britain still need UK fire labels.

Can one production run serve both Ireland and Great Britain?

Yes, if the labels and cartons differ where the rules differ. We check that the GB and Irish label sets are both present in the right quantities and on the right cartons, and photograph each.

Can you weigh our packaging for Repak reporting?

Yes, on request. The inspector weighs packaging by material on sampled units and records it in the report. Membership and reporting stay with you.

Does the EU–India trade agreement apply to Irish imports yet?

No. It was concluded on 27 January 2026 but, as of 14 October 2026, it had not been signed or entered into force. Normal EU duty rates apply. Ask your customs broker for the rate that applies today.

Know before it ships

Tell us the product, the factory's city and your ready date. We confirm the inspector, the notice time and the price before you book.

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Quality inspection in India for importers in Ireland