Customs - Delhi IGI - Few questions

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sibot

sibot

Forerunner
Hi,
I'm going to be visiting USA for a month, I plan to get back a couple of items with me including an iPad. I came to know that a laptop can be brought back duty-free by an individual over the age of 18.

I'm curious whether a used iPad would qualify for the said duty free exemption for laptops? I tried searching online a bit but did not get any results.

I also plan to bring back 2 used iPhones gifted to me by my brother and a refurbished dSLR with me, they would all be for personal use. What duty would I incurr on them? I am aware that I am allowed to bring in goods worth 25k without paying any duty on them.

Cheers,
Sibot
 
sibot

First things first, you can get goods worth 35k (not 25k) from overseas duty free. This was changed in this year's budget. Laptop is exempt from this.

I am not sure whether they consider an iPad as a laptop and i too would love to listen to what people have to say as i too will have a personal laptop and an iPad.

In addition the DSLR you bring will attract attention and possibly duty too

Everyone else,
If one can bring (while checking out of the airport) the iPhone(s) / iPod in their pocket then it can escape the duty right ?
Customs at Mumbai airport force you to pass on every luggage item (even carry-ons and small purses) through the Xray machine while leaving the airport (green channel).
 
I have previously traveled twice with an iPad + a laptop without any issues. (In the 25k limit era).

They are considered items for 'personal usage' and do not apply towards your customs exemption limit.
 
stalker said:
I have previously traveled twice with an iPad + a laptop without any issues. (In the 25k limit era).

They are considered items for 'personal usage' and do not apply towards your customs exemption limit.
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You sure iPad is exempt because i don't think so that would happen. Also which airport ?
Mumbai customs are evil in this regard. Also whatever airport it was for you, did you have to pass on the bags under security again at the time of leaving the aiport.
 
I don't know if the iPad is considered as a laptop/exempt.
I do know that on my first trip, a jr constable types wanted to charge me duties, but his supervisor who walked by, told him to let me pass and that everyone had a laptop AND an iPad these days.

Both instances were at Madras airport and yes I did have to pass all my baggage/carry-ons through scanners.
 
This is quite interesting. I wonder if there is any legal backing to a Tablet computer being considered as a laptop under the exemption rule or is it upto the officer in charge to make the decision. If there is a legal backing or an office order, it would really help me and others argue our case if stopped by the customs officials.

My dSLR is well within the limit of Rs.35,000/-, so I needn't worry about that. As for the iPhones, my friend who is working as a flight attendant said that I could carry the phones in my pocket to avoid any hassles, as they very rarely frisk passengers for items unless they are very supicious. I would be leaving the boxes behind for obvious reasons.

From all the reading that I have done online, I have heard many cases of harrasment at the Bombay airport. It'd be great if we could hear from our fellow members about their experiences in dealing with various Customs airport authorities.
 
sibot said:
This is quite interesting. I wonder if there is any legal backing to a Tablet computer being considered as a laptop under the exemption rule or is it upto the officer in charge to make the decision. If there is a legal backing or an office order, it would really help me and others argue our case if stopped by the customs officials.

My dSLR is well within the limit of Rs.35,000/-, so I needn't worry about that. As for the iPhones, my friend who is working as a flight attendant said that I could carry the phones in my pocket to avoid any hassles, as they very rarely frisk passengers for items unless they are very supicious. I would be leaving the boxes behind for obvious reasons.

From all the reading that I have done online, I have heard many cases of harrasment at the Bombay airport. It'd be great if we could hear from our fellow members about their experiences in dealing with various Customs airport authorities.
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Yes Mumbai airport is always a concern. If people who have recently travelled international and landed at Mumbai airport can share their experiences (may be in a different thread) it would be great.
I intend to carry smaller electronics like phone ipod touch in pocket only to avoid the being included in the limit. But i have couple of bigger items that i know fall well withing the limit (with their US price considered) but still don't trust those Mumbai customs.
 
Just dont carry any of the boxes of the products and as for customs are concerned , put phones in pocket ( try taking some dummy Indian sims , if customs catch you tell its Indian phones by showing sims in them).

Again no boxes what so ever.

Above has worked with Bangalore customs atleast.
 
Metalspree said:
Just dont carry any of the boxes of the products and as for customs are concerned , put phones in pocket ( try taking some dummy Indian sims , if customs catch you tell its Indian phones by showing sims in them).

Again no boxes what so ever.

Above has worked with Bangalore customs atleast.
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Can't i keep the boxes in main checkin baggage ? I was planning to bring the boxes of iPad and iPhone (fill something like chocolates in it).
 
I would say NO. What if they catch the items and later ask you to open the checkin luggage and see the boxes , you will be doomed.
 
Metalspree said:
I would say NO. What if they catch the items and later ask you to open the checkin luggage and see the boxes , you will be doomed.
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Yeah. I guess i will dump the boxes. I was thinking about what if i want to sell the stuff in future and with box it is better but it makes sense to not take the boxes for this reason. I will mostly dump the boxes of my iPad/iPhone/iPod here only.
May be i will cut out that part which has the details like IMEI/Serial# written on them.
 
Nice Idea raks, However I do doubt the same. Can you giftwrap them and keep. My unc did the same when he landed @ Mumbai and surprisingly he was let off. They did check his suitcase and he said that he wrapped some chocolates for his grandaughter.
 
?dOuBtFiRe? said:
Nice Idea raks, However I do doubt the same. Can you giftwrap them and keep. My unc did the same when he landed @ Mumbai and surprisingly he was let off. They did check his suitcase and he said that he wrapped some chocolates for his grandaughter.
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It also depends on who the person is. If someone is like bit elder or a family with kids, customs might not bother much but say it is only me and my wife, they might check things. They do see such things i feel. Gift wrapping might be more risky as it might raise more suspiction.
I just dont trust Mumbai customs.
@sibot
You thread has been hijacked i guess. May be we should make a dedicated thread for such customs related queries. We all want to get stuff from overseas and want to avoid customs not because we want to cheat the system but more because of the ridiculous assessed values by Indian customs. Just my opinion.
 
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Just walk through. Once you pick you bag from the belt at IGI, you walk past the cop at the door. And hand him your immigration slip. The channel will be on your left, it is your choice to go it. But if they see passengers with a lot of bags they ask you to come over. Just walk past.
 
Delhi's customs is a joke. Or that's what I recently felt. The customs officer was missing in action - or rather he was seated elsewhere peacefully - while passengers walked out handing over the immigration slip to a hawaldar on duty at the exit gate. All I was asked was 'laptop hai?', I lied 'haan ek' (I had two, apart from more than 40K worth of stuff), and proceeded to open the bag, but he was disappointed and just asked me to walk out without having to show anything.

The Red channel was empty, ZERO people. Hard to believe that a flight full of passengers from Dubai and US had no one bringing anything at all.
 
@agantuk Well its a matter of chance really. Only last week they had hauled up a guy returning from the US for carrying way too much stuff through the green channel. Apparently the "way too much stuff" were about 2 - 3 iphones, 2 i-pads, a home theater system and bunch of other mundane stuff one would be carrying back from a shopping spree in the US. Apparently it was such a big haul that it made the daily newspaper which is where I got to know about it.

Also an iPad is considered a laptop in customs parlance as there is no HS-Code separately for tablets as of yet and in theory, you could be charged duty for it but most of the custom officers are pretty well-educated about this and do not bother as long as it seems to be in personal use so a big no to carrying any of the retail packaging. You can easily procure original packaging afterwards from your local raddi wallah for a price if you so desire.
 
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