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Suppose a passenger has taken last-minute flight deals to India from USA. He reached India, and one of the first stops at the airport was Indian customs. Customs help to monitor items brought into the country. Here is a quick guide to the laws and guidelines governing Indian customs for foreign visitors, to help make the process simple and easy. All passengers entering India must pass through customs. The first step is to complete the customs declaration form. This is provided by the airline before boarding. Make sure to complete and sign the declaration. This form will be presented to the immigration officer at the Indian airport. Customs clearance is divided into two channels:
Red channel
The red channel is for passengers who are carrying prohibited items or amounts exceeding the free allowance in their luggage. The list of prohibited items includes:
- Carrying over 100 cigarettes.
- Carrying over 25 cigars.
- Tobacco over 125 grams
- More than two liters of alcohol or wine
- Weapons like firearms
- Over 50 cartridges for firearms
- Any type of gold or silver, excluding jewelry or ornaments
Green channel
You can use the green channel if you don’t have any forbidden items in your luggage. Somehow you use the Green Channel with prohibited items. Then you could face legal action and fines. Further, your belongings might be taken. So, It becomes important to take major precautions and use sensible options like tripbeam.us where you get proper guidelines and affordable cheap flight deals to India.
Permitted Items for Travel to India
Here’s a quick list of approved items that can be brought into India:
- Approved plants and seeds
- Laptops or computers within the free allowance amount
- Personal items
- Tourist souvenirs.
- Liquor, wine, or beer up to two liters
- Silver with a weight of less than 10 kg
- Up to two pets, such as dogs and cats. They should have all necessary tests and vaccinations.
Therefore, it has become important to understand the Airline Guidelines regarding permitted items while traveling to India.
Understanding Customs Duty Calculation
You can pay one of two kinds of customs duty when bringing goods into India. The first is individual customs duty on the items you bring, while the second is when you bring in items for trade. Individuals who bring in items that exceed the free allowance must pay customs duties. This is how it is calculated based on the items’ values:
| Charge | Amount |
| Customs duty charge | 35% |
| Social Welfare charge | 3.5% |
| Total charged | 38.5% |
Importing into India is a little more complicated for businesses. The import duty is calculated based on the item you are bringing in and the materials used. The amount is calculated according to:
- Basic Customs Duty (BCD)
- Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST)
- Social Welfare Surcharge (SWS)
Additional taxes, such as countervailing duties (CVD) and anti-dumping duties, may be imposed.
Indian customs currency limit
Here’s a quick table for common passengers to India and how much they can bring:
| Type of passenger | Maximum amount |
| All passengers including NRIs | Foreign currency up to $5,000 US dollars must be declared, or traveler’s checks and the like up to $10,000 US dollars. |
| Indian residents returning from travel with Indian rupees. | ₹25,000 |
There is no currency limit for foreign currencies. However, they must be declared if the value exceeds $5,000 in notes or $10,000 in total, including traveler cheques. If you ever need to send money to India to book hotels, and tours, or just to treat your family and friends, you can do so easily. You can send money to local bank accounts in India within minutes using popular routes. Also, when looking for inexpensive flight options, you should keep an eye out for Affordable Flights From US To Chennai that will give you the best deals.
