Duty-Free Allowances and Customs in India
Every passenger should be familiar with the customs allowances for a specific country they want to visit. Countless international airports have duty-free shops that aim to serve the passengers who arrive or depart from international flights. The travelers get endless opportunities from these stores to buy an array of luxurious international brands without any local taxes.
You can buy a wide range of selected items with no duty tax while transporting them across international borders for consumption purposes. According to the customs regulations in India, travelers with an international boarding pass and valid passport can shop duty-free. Passing a customs check is highly imperative for all passengers entering India. Filling the customs declaration form provided by the airline before leaving is extremely important.
Depending on country to country, the duty-allowances differ. While buying something duty-free, it is vital to ensure that the specific country you are coming in allows these items at specific quantities duty-free.
Things to know about the Duty-free Allowance Limits in India –
The rules for duty-free baggage allowance vary based on several factors including the country of residence, duration of stay, etc. For passengers who have dutiable goods more of their duty-free allowance, filling the Indian customs declaration form is crucial and it is important for them to check the boxes and confirm that the goods are not dutiable. Numerous mobile apps are out there through which passengers can inform Indian customs of any dutiable item or cash prior to boarding their flight.
Custom Rules for Gold in India:
A passenger (only a male) who is living abroad for more than 1 year can bring jewelry of 20 grams with the highest value of INR 50,000. Contrary to this, female passengers can bring 40 grams of jewelry with the highest value of INR 100,000.
For Indian passport holders and people of Indian origin for more than 6 months of stay, the social welfare surcharge is 1.25% and 12.5% is the concessional rate of duty. For other cases, 38.5% is the rate of Customs Duty.
Alcohol Allowance
Only a few alcoholic drinks and tobacco products can be included for import and some of these are cigars, tobacco, cigarettes, wines, and beer. The maximum allowance for tobacco is 125 grams, cigars is 25, cigarettes is 100, and 2 litres on wine and beer. The majority of alcoholic beverages have 150% of BCD. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare keeps updating and introducing certain rules about alcoholic products packaging. Therefore, it is pivotal to know about them first.
For travelers coming from Myanmar, Bhutan, or Nepal, the overall value of duty-free purchases can’t be more than INR 15,000.
Regarding electronics, the duty-free allowances do not exceed INR 50,000 of the total value of duty-free items. The duty-free allowance doesn’t include LED/LCD/Plasma TVs.
Travelers of foreign origin can bring souvenirs and gifts not more than INR 15,000.
For those traveling with infants, the used personalized items will be duty-free.
The passengers can’t use drones if there is no security, research, or military purpose.
Those who are 18 years of age can import a computer or laptop above the free allowance.
Significant Things to Consider:
Fill in the customs declaration form and submit it to the officials
Declare the goods first as some of them might have restrictions
Ask as many questions as you want from traveling companions and flight attendants
You might be subjected to pay fines, so, check your bags for restricted items
Green channel passengers should deposit the portion of the disembarkation card at the gate
Declaration of foreign currency has to be done, depending on case to case
A diverse range of duty-free items available in India
Tea products
Food and confectioneries
Perfumes
Cosmetic products
Electronics
FAQs:
Q) How many rupees I can carry with me while coming back to India?
A) If you are an Indian resident and coming from some abroad location, INR 25,000 is the maximum amount that you can carry.
Q) Can you name the biggest and most popular duty-free store in India?
A) The biggest and most popular duty-free store is Delhi Duty-free. From souvenirs to perfume and tobacco to food, one can find a wide variety of products there. This store features above 45,000 products of more than 1200 brands.
Q) Can I get an idea about some goods that are restricted or prohibited?
A) Here are some of the common goods that are prohibited and restricted:
Wildlife related products
Narcotic drugs
Silver, gold, and other ornaments
Pornographic stuff
Firearms
Commercial goods
Q) How much is duty on computer?
A) A passenger can bring one computer without the worry of any payment of duty but he or she should be more than 18 years of age.
