List of Customs Duty percentage for importing goods to India, I want to share this basic information here; so that, one can now shop for exactly what he/she wants and know exactly how much duty he/she has to pay for it. The list below is the latest rate of duty published in June 2012.
TYPES OF COMMODITY - DUTY (%)(on the Customs Assessed Value*)
Digital / Video Cameras - 28.852%
Camera Lens - 28.852%
Gaming Consoles - 28.852%
Television - 28.852%
Battery (
Laptop) - 28.852%
Apparel - 28.852%
Shoes - 28.852%
Artificial Jewelry - 28.852%
Phone Accessories - 28.852%
Cables/Wires - 28.852%
Other than Computer Printers - 28.852%
Hand Watches - 28.852%
iPod - 28.852%
DVD Players - 28.852%
Cosmetics/ Stationery/Toys - 28.852 %
Web Cameras - 28.852 %
Sunglasses - 28.852 %
Electronics/ Car Parts - 28.852%
DVD/ CDs (movie) - 28.852%
Digital Still Image Camera - 16.854%
Laptop/Computers /
iPad - 16.854%
Hard Disk(Internal/External) - 16.854 %
Processor, Modem & other Computer Peripherals - 16.854%
Computer Printers - 16.854 %
Other than Movie CD/DVD - 16.854%
Sports Equipment - 16.854%
Entertainment Sports Equipment (like Video Games) - 16.854%
Mobiles - 2.06%
Books- FREE
*Customs Assessed Value = Invoice Value + Freight + Insurance (if any) + Other Landing Charges like C&F Fee etc.
Shipments without Invoices
As per Indian Customs, any shipment received without the Invoice or/and Customs Declaration in prescribed format (of originating country) will not be cleared by the Customs and will be held with Customs for further action.
Exemption
Bonafide Gifts and Samples from a person to Person may be considered duty free up to value (value means Customs Assessed Value) of INR 10,000/- only. A Dispatch Note cum/and Customs Declaration in prescribed format (of originating country) has to accompany the shipment clearly indicating the consignee, consignor, value, nature/content, insurance (if any) and detailed description of item.
Exception
No exemption is applicable if purchases are made in foreign countries which are imported into India and also not applicable if purchases are made through foreign currency transactions.
Any international purchases made at any online store/bay/forum/personal site/blog and get them declared as 'gift' or 'sample' and valued under INR 10,000/- does not simply satisfy the 'exemption' criterion as stated above. As because, this is actually a international purchase involving foreign currency transaction. It is quite likely that an absurd amount of duty may be levied irrespective of the rate chargeable as above. Therefore it's better to ask the seller to attach the invoice stating as much info as possible along with the shipment and provide true statement in the Dispatch Note cum/and Customs Declaration Form.
I'll update this as and when new information is available.