jameschan2811

Thanks for the info. Hope it stays that way.

oliver2002

The xth pay commission has done its job that they get a decent pay... plus you were not hiding anything so you were on an equal footing. If they (or pretty much any customs officer anywhere in the world) catch you cheating then they call the shots and have a different POV

rathin100

+1 A lot of work has gone in to civilising customs Bombay was the last holdout (underworld problem) . I think its ok now from all I read including here

Everyone on this thread... In all cases of dispute please ask, nay insist, on seeing the duty Assistant Collector of Customs at the airport. That will go a long way in getting a legal resolution.There is one on duty 24 hours a day. Officers have clear instructions from ther Ministry of Finance, to honour the spirit, not just the letter, of the law. So anything excessive should be declared for re export but reasonable tourist or buisiness equipment is exempt And just like anywhere else, aggression, DYKWIA behaviour etc with government staff performing their duty is punishable... (unless you really are someone important in the Indian case, of course, in which case your entry should have been prearranged anyway)

GUWonder

Customs has been cleaned up substantially when it comes to what goes on at airports. When it comes to customs at surface ports of entry, it's nowhere near as clean. And their getting caught is not the same at airports as at surface crossings.

"A culture of shame (rather than guilt) ensures that for many .... the crime of corruption is only the crime of getting caught." That covers customs officials still, even as S. Dhume was directing it elsewhere.

hserus

you know sadanand dhume, guwonder?

GUWonder

While Delhi, NYC and DC aren't exactly the biggest of worlds when it comes to casually running into people in some circles with some shared interests, can't say I know him as much as I can I say I know about him by what he says or writes.

Mr. Bean

By surface ports, do you include the port of Mumbai or only land crossings? We were playing around with the idea of shipping a vehicle to India (yeah...) and wondering what type of hassles we could get from customs.

Keyser

no hassle at all if all your paperwork is in order & you are ready to pay the correct duty....

GUWonder

Shipping a vehicle to India for personal use involves facing the prospect of corruption but it is now substantially less of a problem than used to be the case two or more decades ago. [I'd include sea ports as well as land crossings, but the land crossings are by far much worse.

If the documents and related formalities (any tariff due included) are performed by or with the assistance of a freight forwarder and/or customs handling agent, there shouldn't be any hassle worse than a limited delay in terms of customs. I wouldn't hesitate to ship a personal vehicle for use on India's roads -- not a collector's item -- but I'd make sure to be insured properly for loss or damage of the vehicle, its parts and contents in or on the vehicle.

rathin100

+1. Mr Bean, please acquaint yourself with the extremely high import tariffs involved, including on used vehicles. There was talk of disallowing imports of left hand drive vehicles... Unsure what happened but do check on this, too, if relevant.

Keyser

its been disallowed....

Mr. Bean

yes, i realized the high tariffs, but did not know about the ban on LHD vehicles. Thanks!

rathin100

I am sure you know this but it's possible to import an RHd version of almost any make into India, using company reps, if you are not daunted by the tariff. I'm happy to point you in the right direction with more specifics, PM if you wish.

GUWonder

Transfer of residence used to sometimes help with tariff expense management. Something to look into perhaps.

Disallowed as in restricted in large part; yet not disallowed completely.

vikaga

Went through Mumbai custom a few days ago and there were no hassles or problems.