IATA DGR Compliance: What Every Indian Shipper Must Know

A lot of Indian companies discover they have a DG compliance problem only when a shipment gets rejected at the airport. By then, the customer is waiting, the export deadline has passed, and everyone is scrambling. There's a better way to handle this.

Here's a clear-eyed look at what IATA DGR compliance actually requires from an Indian shipper — no jargon, just the practical reality.

Start With a DG Assessment

Before anything else, you need to know whether your products are dangerous goods. This sounds obvious but it's genuinely where many companies fall short. The classification isn't based on how dangerous the product seems to you — it's based on specific physical and chemical properties tested against UN criteria.

Batteries, paints, adhesives, fragrances, aerosols, cleaning chemicals, medical samples, printed circuit boards containing lithium batteries — all are DG. We've seen companies shipping these for years through air freight not knowing they were non-compliant, because nothing had been rejected yet. "Nothing went wrong" is not the same as "we were compliant."

Your Obligations as a Shipper

Under IATA DGR Section 1.3, the shipper is responsible for classifying the goods correctly, selecting the right packing instruction, using UN-certified packaging, preparing the Shipper's Declaration, and ensuring all staff involved in the process are trained.

You cannot delegate your shipper's responsibility to a freight forwarder. You can get help — and you should — but the legal responsibility under Aircraft Act 1934 and DGCA CAR Section 8 sits with the person whose name is on the Shipper's Declaration.

Documentation That Must Be Right

Three documents matter most: the Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods (SHDG), the Air Waybill (which must reference the DG), and the packing list. The SHDG must be completed in English, in the exact format specified in IATA DGR, with no abbreviations not defined in the regulations, and signed by a currently certified DG professional.

The DGR edition year matters. If you're using a template from 2022 and the format changed in 2024, it can be rejected. This happens more than you'd think.

Training Is Not Negotiable

Every person who prepares or approves a Shipper's Declaration must hold a valid IATA DG Category 6 training certificate or equivalent. Valid means completed within the last 24 months. The training provider must be IATA-approved.

In India, approved training centres operate in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. The Dangerous Goods Advisory Council (DGAC) India also offers certified courses. Cost ranges from Rs 8,000 to Rs 25,000 for a standard Category 6 initial course.

What Airlines Check Beyond the Declaration

Airlines don't just check your paperwork. The acceptance agent physically inspects the package. They check that hazard labels are correctly oriented (they shouldn't be upside down — yes, this gets flagged). They check that the handling label matches the class. They check net quantities against PI limits. They check that the outer packaging shows no leakage, damage, or contamination.

On certain routes and carriers, acceptance can take 45-60 minutes per consignment. Factor that into your cut-off time calculations.

When You Have Multiple DG in One Shipment

Dangerous goods of different classes can't always be packed together. The IATA DGR Segregation Table (Table 9.3.A) specifies which classes are compatible and which must be separated. Class 1 and Class 3 together, for instance, is forbidden. Getting segregation wrong means the entire consignment gets rejected.