On 1 November 2023, the Indian government imposed strict restrictions on the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs and other computers falling under HSN code 8471. This is stated in the two Notifications No. 23/2023 and No. 26/2023 dated 3 and 5 August, 2023, issued by the Indian Directorate General of Foreign Trade(DGFT). For laptops and similar products, an import licence from the DGFT is now required in India in addition to the BIS-CRS registration.
However, there are exceptions to these new rules. Individual units of laptops, tablets and all-in-one PCs can be imported without these licence conditions, although this exception does not apply to servers. Similarly, products imported for specific purposes such as research and development, testing, benchmarking and evaluation, as well as products re-imported after repairs abroad or products that are an integral part of other capital goods are exempt from these conditions.
If you have any questions on these or other points or would like a copy of a standard, please contact us at any time. Our long-standing contacts with all relevant Indian authorities allow us to respond quickly and we are happy to support you in any certification project.
Our contact information can be found here.