Need to know the customs limits
 

Hi all,
I am new to flyertalk and so am i a new flyer. I am travelling from London to Mumbai and then taking a connecting flight from Mumbai to Chennai. I believe i would have to go through customs in Mumbai. May i know what is the limited amount to bring electronic goods as i am bringing a Music system and even the limit to the amount of jewellery a women can take. Kindly help as I dont want to have any problems with the customs and prefer to be within the required limits. And are the customs officials strict??

Thanks.

Make sure to do the homework and check exactly what is the limit. I got stuck in customs for 3 days for bringing some demo stuff that I then took back again... so yes, they can be very strict...

Thank you guys...but I got a doubt....I had brought some jewels from India which i am taking back...is that counted for the duty free allowance limit??...As thats not something which I bought in UK. Kindly help me.

The customs form itself says that a reasonable amount of jewels/jewelry for personal use will be allowed duty-free. If you're in that business, however, that's a different story altogether, though the overall limit of Rs 25k for stays abroad exceeding 3 days, can still be used for the excess (presuming there are no other dutiable imports).

Thanks Anirudh :)

I got one more doubt,I am taking an amplifier which I have used in UK for 6 months and i dont have the bill....is it alright?....what should i do if it is going to be a problem?....Kindly help.

If it "looks" used, you should normally not have any concerns. The problem is, the customs chaps at BOM are quite fickle. Last November, I brought in a few extra bottles of booze above the permitted limit of 2 litres, and they said nothing. In December, the guy checking my bags insisted that I prove to him that I had brought only one bottle of perfume (as I claimed) and not several (as he claimed to have "seen" on the x-ray machine). YMMV.

To summarize , for most cases (excluding travel from neighboring countries, minors, very short stays, etc.) the limits are Rs. 8000 for most foreigners, and Rs. 25,000 for Indians and foreigners of Indian origin.

Note that this is for GIFTS---things you'll leave in India, but not commercial imports.

If you have something that you'll bring in and take back out, this is usually allowed and does not count as part of the gift limit, but some paperwork is needed. Some years ago you used to have to do this for laptops, for example. But they've given up on that.

Customs is very relaxed nowadays. I remember when even US Customs would open every bag (this must mean I'm really old), and certainly Indian Customs did that for many years after other countries implemented green lines. Nowadays foreigners are rarely stopped in the green line unless you have cardboard boxes or unusually shaped items. In recent years my suitcase hasn't been x-rayed upon exiting Customs, either in DEL or in CCU---they just take my form, smile and wave me on. For people with Indian passports it is potentially different.

Those customs regulations are really dated...monochrome TVs? No one brings in TVs of any kind; they are freely available in India. There are also many more choices now regarding cigarettes, perfume, alcohol, etc. As there are fewer things worth smuggling, Customs hassles have decreased.

And my last doubt would be,do the customs officials stop everyone and check their bags or is it just those whom they feel like stopping and interrogating?..And may i know what is green line??

Why dont you fly into bombay and find out all for yourself?

(i) Green Channel for passengers not having any dutiable goods.

(ii) Red Channel for passengers having dutiable goods.

I am hoping to help here. Since it is not clear whether you are an Indian citizen, and/or if you are returning to India after a long stay abroad, or whether you are visiting India on business or pleasure, it is difficult to answer your query fully. But I will try to the best of my ability:

Visitor:
As a visitor, you are allowed to bring in, duty-free, one laptop, 200 cigarettes, 2L of Liquor, and reasonable personal effects. You may also bring in whatever else you want AS LONG AS IT IS BEING RE-EXPORTED. This would require you declare it at customs, they will enter it in your passport, and you can then declare upon exit and leave with the goods (modified or otherwise). Else you would pay customs duty on whatever exceeds your customs allowance.

Returning Non-resident Indian (NRI):
If you are a retunring NRI (for good), you may be able to invoke the Transfer of Residence (TR) rules, which have (considerably) higher allowances for goods you bring in.

Please clarify what your status is, and it will help in providing advice.

~YRS

See this:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/5382916.cms

It is Green CHANNEL where you walk out claiming that you have no dutiable goods.
If you walk out through the GREEN CHANNEL and have a foreign passport you are almost never stopped. On an average in Chennai about one out of every 10 is stopped if they are flying in from SIN or DXB and other middle eastern countries.
I have flown through Chennai over 100 times in the last 20 years, have always walked through the green channel and have never been stopped or searched.
I have been stopped in searched once every 4 times in all US airports. I have a British passport and a green card. I have been stopped and searched twice when entering UK in the last 20 years.
India is one of the easiest green channels to pass through unless you are foolish enough to bring gold and other banned items.