Bringing electronic equipment into India

angela o'brien

Hi,

I wonder can anyone answer this. I want to bring 30 electronic diaries into India for a conference. Its just for training and i'll be brining them back to the UK after 3 days.
Anyone know can i carry them in my luggage?

Thanks

Aob

Nick-H

Hmmm...

Your baggage will be x-rayed and a heap of electronics is likely to attract the attention of the Indian customs.

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angela o'brien

do you know if there is any documentation i could get for this or would it be better to ship it

PeakXV

I wouldn't ship 30 pieces of electronic anything to India unless you have a broker who can advise you on the declaration wording and ready/waiting to do some leg for you - if it get's held up in customs it might take some high level persuasion or baksheesh to get it released quickly - especially if time is of the essence.

Better to take them with you and handle any customs questions/issues 'if & 'when' it occurs.

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Nick-H

But...

By the time it occurs, you could be said to be already trying to smuggle the stuff.

I just wouldn't try it, to be honest. Once you get involved with Indian Customs you are in for, at the least, an expensive experience.

Nobody will find a problem with stuff for personal use. They'll take a lot of persuading that thirty items are for personal use.

And once they get started... you're coming for a conference? What visa do you have? blah, blah, uncomfortable blah.

But, if you are going to, and you know all your paperwork is correct (you wouldn't be doing anything that could be interpreted as working, studying, or research, on a tourist visa, would you?) then you should certainly carry invoices for the items, and perhaps some confirmation of their need by your invitors.

camelgirl

I can't figure this out but maybe you can

http://india.visahq.com/customs
http://www.thokalath.com/baggage/ind...tom_tariff.php

Since you're taking it all back out of India again in a few days maybe there is a form (forms in India? ) you can get when you arrive that you will then show when you leave,to show you are not bringing to sell).

I don't know what an electronic diary is. If it's very small maybe a few here and there in your luggage.

In the old days, if you wanted to guarantee no problem, you put all the stuff they were afraid you'd sell (like a camera, even one) on a form at your home airport and then you could show them you were bringing it back home. Or something like that. Gosh, I barely remember but I know I did it with my camera in 1980.

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capt_mahajan

For non resident Indian citizens, what camelgirl is talking about used to be called 'putting it on your passport'.. which meant you declared the stuff, they entered it in your passport and you showed the stuff when leaving the country. (when the passport entry was cancelled)

Something similar may well be possible.

trvl_in

"...[ B]ring[ing] 30 electronic diaries into India for...three days...for training...[at]...a conference" sounds like a business, professional or institutional (government, academic, NGO, religious, or charitable) undertaking. Presumably you have a visa corresponding to your enterprise.

You would be well advised to make a written or prompt verbal declaration of these items upon arrival at customs. I would also suggest communicating to any involved colleagues or superiors (if you have any of either) that the gizmos may conceivably be delayed or withheld at customs or require some kind of deposit or surety.

I would suggest that you plan and prepare to proceed with your training session without the gizmos, just in case you are deprived of them, and that you prepare and make allowances in your budget for customs requirements or to write them off.

Also, if there is an Indian High Commission, Embassy, or Consulate near where you live, you might want to consider taking a sample of your gizmos there along with your passport and any other relevant paperwork and ask for advice and guidance.

camelgirl

Finally some useful advice

PeakXV

I didn't mean to blow by customs @ 90mph with your hair on fire.

I'm assuming that the OP or the OP's company has some experience transporting this type of 'equipment'. I've done many equipment runs to India and the main customs concern is always 'will these pieces be leaving with you as well?". If the answer is yes then Serial Numbers, Departure Dates etc are submitted & if not duty is payed based on the current percentages.

As Nick states, it would extremely useful to have letters prepared from the host organization & OP's Company stating that this equipment(description) will be used on such & such a date, such & such a place, will be leaving with you on X date, and even a seperate appendix for serial numbers of each electronic item that can be used for cross-check purposes upon departure.

Typically for electronic/communications shows etc. in India - equipment is shipped up to 6 months in advance in order to clear customs & other associated paperwork.

Nick-H

True!

PeakXV

Indian customs officials are not the most scrupulous lot to deal with & can sometimes let their curiosities/personal agenda takeover from their actual professional conduct. So certainly be prepared but offer information only when asked and what you feel is absolutely appropriate.

shere

They no longer endorse your passport. They can endorse your airline ticket but if it is an eticket it is easy to print another one.

30 = commercial quanitity so you may have problems.

If they are cheap then carry the receipts with you.