Importing Medical Scrubs from Pakistan to the USA: The Complete Guide

Importing scrubs from Pakistan to the USA is a well-worn trade lane — Pakistani apparel enters the US every day — but a first-time importer has real questions about duties, paperwork and risk. This guide answers them plainly. The short version: with DDP terms, the factory handles all of it and none of this becomes your problem.

The two ways to buy: DDP vs FOB

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means GoMedWear delivers to your US address with freight, customs clearance and import duties already handled and included in the quoted price. You receive goods; there is no broker to hire and no surprise duty invoice. This is what most first-time and small-to-mid US buyers should choose.

FOB (Free On Board) means you take over at the Pakistani port — you arrange freight, hire a US customs broker, and pay duties on arrival. It can be cheaper per unit at container volume if you already have a freight forwarder and broker relationship. If you don’t, DDP is almost always the better first move.

Duties and HTS classification

Imported scrubs are classified under the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule — woven garments generally fall in chapter 62 and knits in chapter 61, with the exact code depending on fibre content, construction and gender. Duty rates vary by code and change over time, so this guide deliberately does not print a percentage: verify the current rate for your exact HTS code on the official USITC schedule, or ask us to confirm the classification for the specific styles you’re ordering. On DDP terms the rate is our problem, not yours — it’s already inside the quoted landed price.

Documentation that travels with your shipment

• Commercial invoice — value, fibre content, quantities, country of origin (Pakistan).
• Packing list — carton-level contents, sizes per carton.
• Bill of lading (sea) or air waybill (air) — the transport contract and tracking key.
• Certificate of origin — where required for your entry.

GoMedWear prepares all shipment documentation; on DDP entries our forwarding partner files the customs entry itself.

Timelines, honestly

Production is 15–25 days from approved samples. Air freight to the US typically lands in about a week and suits samples and restocks. Sea freight typically runs 4–6 weeks port-to-port depending on the coast and routing, plus inland transit — the economical choice for bulk. Plan a first bulk order roughly 8–10 weeks ahead of when you need stock on shelves, and reorders faster since sampling is already done.

Labelling for the US market

US apparel must carry fibre content, country of origin and care labelling. GoMedWear applies compliant woven labels — including your private-label branding — in-house before packing, so cartons arrive retail-ready.

The risk question every first-time importer asks

“What if the goods aren’t what I approved?” This is exactly what the sample-first process exists to remove: sealed size-set samples lock the fit, lab dips lock the colour, and AQL inspection audits the bulk against those references before anything ships. You approve the physical garment before production starts — you are never buying from a photo.