Moving to India - What you can/not take back
Indian citizens and foreign
nationals who are re-locating to India either on employment or
otherwise, can transfer their personal effects and household
goods free of any duty payment subject to the following
specifications:
- The owner of the goods should have
lived overseas for at least 2 years and must be shifting
his/her residence to India. If Indian nationals, they should
not have visited India for more than 180 days in the preceding
two years.
- Foreign nationals must have a
resident/business/work/entry visa.
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- Goods will have to
be shipped out within 30 days of the owner arriving in India -
in the event of a delay, goods can be cleared only if the
customs clear the delay. Such being the situation, every case
is decided on individual merits.
- The owner has to be
present during customs clearance and therefore, the owner
should have reached India before the shipment arrives or else
end up paying heavy demurrage/container detention
charges.
- There used to be a compulsory
one-year-stay-in-India condition for claiming of Transfer of
Residence duty benefits but that has now been done away with.
Importers can now leave the country anytime after claiming TR
concessions.
WHEN IT COMES TO MOVING YOUR HOUSEHOLD
GOODS:
- You are allowed duty-free imports of old
and used personal effects and house-hold things such as
clothes, books, kitchenware, small electrical devices like
cooker/mixie/iron and furniture. The duty-free tag stays in
place if these are things which have been used by the shipper.
New articles are charged duty at the rate of 61.2%. This is
the rule for minor appliances.
- 14 major appliances
(listed below) of which you are allowed to bring in one unit
each are charged duty @35.2% of the value subject to a value
limit of Rs. 150,000 (approximately USD3350) regardless of how
much they have been used. The items listed under this heading
are: 1) TV 2) VCR/VCP/VTR 3)Washing Machine 4)Dishwasher
5)Music System 6)Personal Computer 7) Microwave Oven 8) Air
Conditioner 9) Refrigerator 10) Deep Freezer 11) Video Camera
12) Cooking Range 13) Word Processor 14) Fax Machine.
-
The above duty rate of 35.2% is concessional and only for the
first unit. If the shipper wishes to bring in more than one
unit of any one or more of the above appliances or if the
combined value of the appliances exceeds Rs. 150,000 (about
USD3350) the duty is charged @61.2% on the additional
units/value.
- For ensuring smooth clearance at the
customs it is recommended that all appliances be loaded onto
one lift van and the make/model # /serial # / quantity be
provided to the movers along with the inventory of
items.
- Import duties on alcohol, wines, spirits, etc.
are very high in India (approx.260%) and it is better to
contact the professional movers for specialized assistance if
you wish to bring in any of the above.
- To avoid
pilferage and theft it is recommended that the shipment be put
into lift vans and then shipped.
- Besides the above
rules regarding the bringing in of household goods, Indian
nationals are allowed to bring in any other personal effects
or household goods to India on the payment of customs duty
@61.2%.
WHEN IT COMES TO MOVING YOUR
VEHICLE:
Indian nationals who come into
India on transfer of residence are allowed to bring in one
vehicle - a motor car or in lieu of a car, a motor cycle.
Autos of the capacity of more than 1600cc should have been
owned and used by the shipper overseas for atleast one year.
Cars which are less than 1600cc can be bought (new or
second-hand) prior to arrival.
Foreign nationals coming to India on employment can bring one car regardless of cc specifics. Used cars can be imported only if the owner has used and possessed it overseas before import. Customs duty payable on cars is approximately 111% of the value assessed. Depreciation for used cars is calculated as follows:
1st year - 16%
2nd year - 12%
3rd year - 10%
4th year - 8%
5th year - 8%
6th year - 8%
7th year - 8%
which makes it a maximum of 70%.
Customs duty in both cases will have to be paid out of convertible foreign exchange.
FOODSTUFFS
IMPORT: Foreign nationals can import foodstuff alongside their
main housing shipment duty free up to a limit of Rs. 50,000
(about USD1100). Foreign nationals residing in India are
allowed to import foodstuff worth Rs.100,000 p.a (about
USD2220). This facility does not include
wines/spirits/alchoholic beverages. Payment is expected to be
made out of the funds available to the foreign national
outside India.
RESTRICTIONS:Some items such as
pornographic material, obscene literature, narcotics,
firearms, ammunition and other weapons are prohibited on the
import list. A reputed packer/mover will be able to assist
further on specific doubts.
IMPORT OF PETS:One
animal (cat, dog or parrot) is allowed to be imported into
India subject to the production of veterinary certificates and
other health documents.
Conclusion: Several
reputed relocation services are available - their area of
expertise covers packing and transportation of household
goods, home rentals and purchase assistance, orientation
programs, car hire and purchase, education of children, pet
moving, spouse employment, spouse training and higher
education, cultural training, destination services and other
administrative services. For a price (of course!) the upheaval
and trauma of relocating to places as diverse in their culture
as they are in their location is minimized. Very
substantially.
Good Luck with the move !!
Questions, comments or
suggestions, please : contact us
here
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Relocating to India
