When you grab cheap flight tickets from USA to India, you should know that each traveller entering India must go through customs rules. The passenger has to disclose the goods of his luggage using the authorised Indian Customs Declaration Form. At airports, passengers have the choice of obtaining clearance through the Green Channel or the Red Channel, depending on the nature of the goods transported.
Tripbeam is here with a brief overview of the rules and guidelines governing Indian customs for visitors from the USA to India, to help make the procedure simple and seamless.
What Should be Declared at Customs in India?
Getting cheapest business class flights to India from USA allows customers to go through customs upon arrival in India. The first step is to complete the customs declaration form provided by the airline before disembarking. Make sure to complete and sign the declaration before presenting it to the immigration official at the Indian airport.
There are two customs clearance channels: red and green. Here’s how they differ.
Red Channel
The red channel is for passengers carrying forbidden items or amounts that exceed the free allowance in their luggage.
The list of restricted or dutiable items includes:
- Weapons
- Over 50 rifle cartridges.
- Carrying over 100 cigarettes
- Carry more than 25 cigars
- Tobacco containing more than 125 grams
- More than two litres of alcohol or wine
- Any type of gold or silver, other than jewellery or decoration
- Flat-screen TVs have liquid crystal displays, light-emitting diodes, or plasma TVs.
- Narcotics or psychoactive substances.
- Anything over the free permitted amount.
Green Channel
The green channel is for travellers who do not have any things that require duty payment or are not allowed in their luggage.
If you take forbidden materials across the Green Channel, you could face prosecution and penalties, and your belongings may be confiscated.
What can I Carry to India?
Here’s a quick list of permitted things that can be brought into India:
- Personal items
- Tourist gifts.
- Alcohol, wine, or beer up to 2 litres,
- Silver weighing less than 10 kg.
- Up to two pets, such as dogs and cats, with all necessary examinations and vaccines.
- Personal things worth up to ₹15,000-50,000, depending on provenance.
- Indian residents returning from a year abroad can bring up to ₹1,000,000 worth of jewellery for ladies and ₹50,000 for males.
- Plants and seeds that have been approved
- A laptop or PC that falls within the free allowance amount
- There may be more products that are permitted but not included in this section. Additionally, keep up with the news to understand changes in the rules.
What is the Currency limit at Indian Customs?
Here’s a brief table for common passengers visiting India and how much they can bring:
| Type of passenger | The amount that can be brought in |
| All passengers including NRIs | Foreign currency up to $5,000 US dollars must be declared, or traveller’s checks and the like up to $10,000 US dollars. |
| Indian residents returning from travel using Indian rupees | ₹25,000 |
You must declare foreign currencies exceeding $5,000 in notes or $10,000 in value, including traveler’s checks, although there is no currency restriction for foreign currencies.
How are Customs Duties Determined in India?
When importing things into India, you can pay two types of customs duty. The first applies to customs duty on each item you bring, and the second applies if you bring goods in to trade. Individuals who bring in things that exceed the free allowance must pay customs taxes. This is how it is determined depending 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 challenging for businesses. We calculate the import tax based on the item you are bringing in and the materials used. We compute the sum according to:
- Basic Customs Duty (BCD)
- Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST)
- Social Welfare Surcharge (SWS)
- Authorities may impose additional taxes, such as countervailing duties (CVD) and anti-dumping duties.
Additionally, If you are travelling from the USA to India, we can guide you to find last minute international flight deals. We have worked constantly to satisfy our clients and assist them to save the most money possible on their travels.
Also Read: 2023 Guide To Indian Customs’ Rules For Electronic Items