According to a notification from the Ministry of Commerce on August 3, the Indian central government has implemented immediate restrictions on the import of laptops, tablets, and computers. The import of these devices will now be permitted only with a valid license for restricted imports.
According to the Official Notification which stated the following, (The restriction shall not be applicable to imports under baggage rules)
Import of Laptops, Tablets, All-in-one Personal Computers, and Ultra small form factor Computers and Servers falling under HSN 8741 shall be ‘Restricted’ and their import would be allowed against a valid License for Restricted Imports.
However, the exemption from import licensing requirements is provided for import of one laptop, tablet, all-in-one personal computer, or ultra small form factor computer, including those purchased from e-commerce portals, through post or courier, the government has said. The government notification, on the other hand, specifies that an exemption from the import license requirement is granted for up to 20 items per consignment. This exemption applies to items intended for research and development, testing, benchmarking and evaluation, repair and re-export, and product development purposes.
“Exemption from import licensing is allowed for one laptop, tablet, all-in-one Personal Computer or Ultra small form factor Computer, including those purchased from e-commerce portals, through post or courier, subject to applicable duty payment,” said the notification issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Commerce, Government of India.
The items that are being re-imported after being repaired abroad, license for Restricted Imports of such goods will not be needed, the government clarified .Moreover, the notice adds that, “Laptops, Tablets, All-in-one Personal Computers and Ultra small factor Computers and Servers which are an essential part of a Capital Good shall be exempted from the import licensing requirements.”
Most of the laptops and personal computers sold in India are manufactured or assembled in China, and with this new rule the government might be hoping to shift some of this manufacturing and assembling to India. This is similar to what the country has achieved with smartphone manufacturing. The directive on import restrictions for laptops was issued on Thursday morning by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
