Customs while flying in : Please advise
- Thread starter Speedz
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Carry what back next month? Hes carrying the tablet for me (which I bought from Amazon) and the laptop is his own.
So should I ask him to throw away the packaging of my new tablet, ask him to declare the tablet as his personal item and bring it that way? What about declaring it as a gift as #6pack suggested?
So should I ask him to throw away the packaging of my new tablet, ask him to declare the tablet as his personal item and bring it that way? What about declaring it as a gift as #6pack suggested?
speaking from my experience: customs might question him about his belongings but they'll ultimately let him go as:
1) they are not going to make much money out of him. they usually run after stuff costing lacs of rupees.
2) haggling with american for chai-paani is not worth their time.
3) he'd be traveling light; so lesser eyebrows raised.
1) they are not going to make much money out of him. they usually run after stuff costing lacs of rupees.
2) haggling with american for chai-paani is not worth their time.
3) he'd be traveling light; so lesser eyebrows raised.
thanks @raksrules
of course it always depends on the customs officer.. if he is expecting something then they will tell something or other.. this happened when i came back to India. my fellow passenger having two laptops. he told one is company and other is personal and he carried the company one from india. The CO is telling u can carry only one and told to pay duty for the other one.. I felt he needs money that is..
At the same time in my case i have seen disappointment in the face of CO as I don't have any electronic items just a laptop and P&S camera which is very old and he asked to scan my luggage twice to see I hide my stuff somewhere. I enjoyed seeing his face which was complete disappointment
after he could not find any.. because I don't have any such items..
of course it always depends on the customs officer.. if he is expecting something then they will tell something or other.. this happened when i came back to India. my fellow passenger having two laptops. he told one is company and other is personal and he carried the company one from india. The CO is telling u can carry only one and told to pay duty for the other one.. I felt he needs money that is..
At the same time in my case i have seen disappointment in the face of CO as I don't have any electronic items just a laptop and P&S camera which is very old and he asked to scan my luggage twice to see I hide my stuff somewhere. I enjoyed seeing his face which was complete disappointment
after he could not find any.. because I don't have any such items..
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red-devil
Forerunner
Sorry to bump this old thread guys but I figured since my question is on this very topic, continuing an existing thread will help others trying to find answers to their queries in future (and I'm sure people will have a lot of questions on this topic all the time)
So here goes my story :
I've been in the US for just over a year right now and I'm planning to go back to India sometime this year end/early next year (dec/jan). When I left India, I had no gadgets except a phone (HTC wildfire, and I still have it)
Now in the US, i've accumulated a few things - laptop, Nexus 4, Nikkon d3100 and I intend to buy a tablet (nexus 7 possibly) and another laptop (the current one's a year old now
) and a Wii/some gaming console.
Before I travel, I need to figure out if I can carry all these things with me or if I've to chuck some of the stuff here/not buy new stuff. So basically (ideally) I would love to carry (all unsealed, used stuff):
2 laptops
1 tablet
1 Nexus (and the old pohone)
1 camera
1 gaming console.
Is carrying all of this even possible without having to face the customs folk? If so, how? If not, what should I avoid?
I'll be heading to Bangalore so if anyone of you has any experience with the customs folks over there, please do share..
So here goes my story :
I've been in the US for just over a year right now and I'm planning to go back to India sometime this year end/early next year (dec/jan). When I left India, I had no gadgets except a phone (HTC wildfire, and I still have it)
Now in the US, i've accumulated a few things - laptop, Nexus 4, Nikkon d3100 and I intend to buy a tablet (nexus 7 possibly) and another laptop (the current one's a year old now
) and a Wii/some gaming console.Before I travel, I need to figure out if I can carry all these things with me or if I've to chuck some of the stuff here/not buy new stuff. So basically (ideally) I would love to carry (all unsealed, used stuff):
2 laptops
1 tablet
1 Nexus (and the old pohone)
1 camera
1 gaming console.
Is carrying all of this even possible without having to face the customs folk? If so, how? If not, what should I avoid?
I'll be heading to Bangalore so if anyone of you has any experience with the customs folks over there, please do share..
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red-devil
Forerunner
so you're saying I can carry 2 laptops and won't have a problem..but what about the 35k limit or something like that?
Also, what's the red/green channel thing all about?
Sorry this is the first time I'm flying back so I'm a bit anxious/curious...
EDIT:
should I be declaring any/all of the above and if I'm carrying 2 laptops, then should I keep(hide) one of them in the checked in baggage or can I carry both in my backpack?
and what about the cam/tablet?
Also, what's the red/green channel thing all about?
Sorry this is the first time I'm flying back so I'm a bit anxious/curious...
EDIT:
should I be declaring any/all of the above and if I'm carrying 2 laptops, then should I keep(hide) one of them in the checked in baggage or can I carry both in my backpack?
and what about the cam/tablet?
I guess you should leave the tablet . Laptops are above the limit of 35k , rest should be fine . console will come under the 35K limit and i am not sure about the two laptop part . Though i read the same a while ago but still not sure . Rest everything depends on custom officer's mood .
Green channel is used if you have nothing to declare else red Channel .
@raksrules might be able to help you
Green channel is used if you have nothing to declare else red Channel .
@raksrules might be able to help you
No. For you its not 35k. Its 35k... or 25k.. Plus there is another 60k for working professionals... If you were working. If you were a student then no.
So tell that first.
1 laptops
1 tablet
1 Nexus (and the old pohone)
1 camera
The above will fall under personal items and wont be dutied. The extra laptop and the console will be considered for duty. So again if u were working u can carry 2 laptops. So again, only the console will come under the duty amount.
and there the limit is 35k..either way. so you will be good. Just be confident.
So tell that first.
1 laptops
1 tablet
1 Nexus (and the old pohone)
1 camera
The above will fall under personal items and wont be dutied. The extra laptop and the console will be considered for duty. So again if u were working u can carry 2 laptops. So again, only the console will come under the duty amount.
and there the limit is 35k..either way. so you will be good. Just be confident.
raksrules
Oracle
I personally think they do not care about on what Visa you were in US on, all they see is that if it looks above limit they may check your bag. Phones are not an issue (unsealed). Bring them in your pocket, wear a jacket (even if it is hot), throw all the boxes. I bought 2 iPhones in my pocket plus an older android.
Tablet is fine, i think the customs do realize that tablet is a commonly used item like mobile. I had iPad and they asked, i told it is 2 year old iPad 2 and is not available in India.
Dont listen to those clearing agents type people who come near the baggage belt saying they will clear your luggage for a fee. Ignore them.
Keep all bills ready for just in case to prove that the stuff is used and old.
2 laptops may or may not be an issue. In company laptops, usually they have a sticker and associated paper with model# and serial#. At least that is for me. But many a times they act like a$$ and will intimidate saying 2 laptops not allowed and blah blah.
I bought 2 digital photo frames (12") and they did not care about it.
In Mumbai airport, your bags (even carry ons) are x-rayed again after your pick it up.
It highly depends on case by case and person by person. I have had all sorts of different experiences while coming back to India. So there is nothing set in stone.
Tablet is fine, i think the customs do realize that tablet is a commonly used item like mobile. I had iPad and they asked, i told it is 2 year old iPad 2 and is not available in India.
Dont listen to those clearing agents type people who come near the baggage belt saying they will clear your luggage for a fee. Ignore them.
Keep all bills ready for just in case to prove that the stuff is used and old.
2 laptops may or may not be an issue. In company laptops, usually they have a sticker and associated paper with model# and serial#. At least that is for me. But many a times they act like a$$ and will intimidate saying 2 laptops not allowed and blah blah.
I bought 2 digital photo frames (12") and they did not care about it.
In Mumbai airport, your bags (even carry ons) are x-rayed again after your pick it up.
It highly depends on case by case and person by person. I have had all sorts of different experiences while coming back to India. So there is nothing set in stone.
this is about delhi airport: customs officials carry printout of the rules, with no-2-laptops rule being highlighted manually
they've got x-ray vision... so, if they single you out then it's difficult to slip in the second laptop even with your company's letter. private companies don't matter to them.
I've tried numerous things to beat customs but they seem to be one step ahead of me everytime
so, everything is possible, as stated by following quote:
By the way, I've been caught several times but never charged any duties/customs.
they've got x-ray vision... so, if they single you out then it's difficult to slip in the second laptop even with your company's letter. private companies don't matter to them.
I've tried numerous things to beat customs but they seem to be one step ahead of me everytime
so, everything is possible, as stated by following quote:By the way, I've been caught several times but never charged any duties/customs.
red-devil
Forerunner
this is about delhi airport: customs officials carry printout of the rules, with no-2-laptops rule being highlighted manually
they've got x-ray vision... so, if they single you out then it's difficult to slip in the second laptop even with your company's letter. private companies don't matter to them.
I've tried numerous things to beat customs but they seem to be one step ahead of me everytime
By the way, I've been caught several times but never charged any duties/customs.
The highlighted part of it is something I want to know more about ;-)
If you feel that's not something you can disclose here, can you send me a PM?
(is it all about having the green singles? or is there something else?)
nothing to hide here...these are customs' rules. basically, you can't have 2 laptops on you. i can't say if customs changed the rule in last 10 months. even if you get your work laptop registered (don't know the exact term) with customs before leaving india, their rule of no-two-laptops while returning to india still holds true. they did this to me twice.
i had stamped my work laptop with customs on 1st occasion and while coming back i proudly said yes, "i am carrying 2 laptops", when they enquired me. after a little argument, they pulled out the printout and brought in higher ranking officials. i felt cheated because i took the pains to declare my work laptop beforehand. anyways, i asked them to keep my work laptop and let me go with the new one. but they wanted money. i don't think they were indicating bribes. after a lot of argument in polite english from both the sides, they let me go without any charges. they didn't touch any of my baggage, which was full of goodies.
15 days later, on my way out, i never bothered to do any formalities regarding my work laptop. after 3 months, i came back with 3 laptops (2 work + 1 for a friend). they asked me again and i said i wasn't carrying anything dutiable. basically, nothing belonged to me so i was ready to let them confiscate my stuff. i was allowed to go without any further checking.
they caught me once more on another occasion and because i was already pissed off due to several issues during the journey, i asked them to talk to my dad. i had already told them that i had 2 laptops but they let me go without any asking anything else.
on rest of the occasions, i had less electronics but loads of bodybuilding stuff. protein powders, light weight gym equipment etc. they scanned the stuff, made me eat the powders as well but couldn't figure out what to do next, so they let me go.
following things helped me:
1) talking to them respectfully. they are just doing their job.
2) late night flights. my flights used to land after midnight. this was to ensure next day off in india. i found customs officials sleepy and tired during this time. that helped a lot in my arguments with them.
3) to look like an idiot or student i was caught only those times when i was dressed/looked like a software professional.
this is an excerpt from www.cbec.gov.in/trvler-guide_ason22may2013.pdf, a printout of which was shown to me:
according to customs officials, this rule mentions one laptop, so it has to be one. of all the text printed on that paper, only this line was highlighted.
i had stamped my work laptop with customs on 1st occasion and while coming back i proudly said yes, "i am carrying 2 laptops", when they enquired me. after a little argument, they pulled out the printout and brought in higher ranking officials. i felt cheated because i took the pains to declare my work laptop beforehand. anyways, i asked them to keep my work laptop and let me go with the new one
. but they wanted money. i don't think they were indicating bribes. after a lot of argument in polite english from both the sides, they let me go without any charges. they didn't touch any of my baggage, which was full of goodies.15 days later, on my way out, i never bothered to do any formalities regarding my work laptop. after 3 months, i came back with 3 laptops (2 work + 1 for a friend). they asked me again and i said i wasn't carrying anything dutiable. basically, nothing belonged to me so i was ready to let them confiscate my stuff. i was allowed to go without any further checking.
they caught me once more on another occasion and because i was already pissed off due to several issues during the journey, i asked them to talk to my dad. i had already told them that i had 2 laptops but they let me go without any asking anything else.
on rest of the occasions, i had less electronics but loads of bodybuilding stuff. protein powders, light weight gym equipment etc. they scanned the stuff, made me eat the powders as well but couldn't figure out what to do next, so they let me go.
following things helped me:
1) talking to them respectfully. they are just doing their job.
2) late night flights. my flights used to land after midnight. this was to ensure next day off in india
. i found customs officials sleepy and tired during this time. that helped a lot in my arguments with them.3) to look like an idiot or student
i was caught only those times when i was dressed/looked like a software professional.this is an excerpt from www.cbec.gov.in/trvler-guide_ason22may2013.pdf, a printout of which was shown to me:
according to customs officials, this rule mentions one laptop, so it has to be one. of all the text printed on that paper, only this line was highlighted.
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