1A: GENERAL NOTES REGARDING IMPORT POLICY

1a. Imports of hazardous waste into India shall be subject to the provisions of Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Amendment Rules, 2003.

Notwithstanding anything contained in ITC (HS) Classifications of Export and Import Items, 2002-07, import of hazardous waste or substances containing or contaminated with such hazardous wastes as specified in Schedule 8 of Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Amendment Rules, 2003 shall be prohibited.

1b.Import of hazardous chemicals permitted without a licence in accordance with the provisions of the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules 1986 (made under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986). Besides other conditions mentioned in the Rules, the importer shall, before 30 days but not later than the date of import, furnish the details specified in Rule 18 to the authority specified in Schedule 5 of the said Rules.

(Above Condition 1 has been amended vide NTF. NO. 35/2003, Dt. 16/02/2004)

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1. Hazardous Waste is permitted for import against a licence for the purpose of processing and reuse. Appendix I gives a list of the items covered under the category. ]

2. Subject to compliance with the provisions of any other law for the time being in force, imports may also be made without a licence by the categories of importers specified below, provided the imports do not involve foreign exchange remittances:

(i) Import of goods by officials of the United Nations Organisation and its specialised agencies who are exempt from payment of customs duty under the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947;

(ii) Import under Baggage Rules of used professional equipment, instruments or apparatus by professionals and doctors returning to India for permanent settlement;

(iii) Goods imported as baggage by the members of foreign mountaineering expedition teams, subject to the condition of export of such items except items consumed;

(iv) Paintings and other display articles required for competitions or exhibitions, subject to the condition of export of such items except consumables;

(v) Food-stuff, medicines, clothing and blankets received by any charitable organisation registered with Ministry of Welfare and Ministry of Home Affairs under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act as a gift from any philanthropic organisation or person abroad, for free distribution either by itself or other charitable organisations to the poor and needy without any distinction of caste, creed or colour;

(vi) Import of food parcels (except alcohol and tobacco) by foreign citizens, ordinarily residing in India, subject to a limit of Rs. 1,00,000 per year for their own use;


(vii) (a) Goods received as free gifts by the Indian Red Cross Society from abroad provided such goods are exempt from customs duty;

(b) Relief supplies and packages received as gifts through a Government agency or any other approved agency covered by an agreement entered into by the Government of India with a foreign Government provided they are exempt from customs duty;

(c) Articles donated to the National Defence Fund or to the Government of India for use of the Defence personnel and wool/woollen fabrics and woolen apparels donated to the Indian Red Cross Society provided the same are exempt from Customs duty;


(viii) Equipment and raw films imported by foreign TV companies coming to India on visits sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs/Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or Department of Tourism on re-export basis.

3. Import of Beef in any form and import of products containing beef in any form is probibited.

4. All consignments of edible oils and processed food products, imported in bulk, shall carry a declaration from the concerned exporter on the shipping documents that the consignment does not contain beef in any form. All consigments of edible products, imported in consumer packs, shall carry a declaration on the lable of the package that the product does not contain beef in any form.

5. All such packaged products, which are subject to provisions of the Standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 1977 when produced/ packed/ sold in domestic market, shall be subject to compliance of all the provisions of the said rules, when imported into India. The compliance of these shall be ensured before the import consignment of such commodities is cleared by Customs for home consumption. All prepackaged commodities, imported into India, shall in particular carry the following declarations:

(a) Name and address of the importer;
(b) Generic or common name of the commodity packed;
(c) Net quantity in terms of standard unit of weights and measures. If the net quantity in the imported package is given in any other unit, its equivalent in terms of standard units shall be declared by the importer;

(d) Month and year of packing in which the commodity is manufactured or packed or imported;
(e) Maximum retail sale price at which the commodity in packaged form may be sold to the ultimate consumer. This price shall include all taxes local or otherwise, freight, transport charges, commission payable to dealers, and all charges towards advertising, delivery, packing, forwarding and the like, as the case may be.

6. Import of all the products as per Appendix III to Schedule I of the ITC (HS) Classifications of Export and Import Items, 1997-2002, shall be subject to compliance of the mandatory Indian Quality Standards as mentioned in column 2 of the said Annexure, which are also applicable to domestic goods. For compliance of this requirement, all manufactures/ exporters of these products to India, shall be required to register themselves with Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS).

Alternatively certification of the products under mandatory quality Indian standards will be permitted under the BIS Product Certification Scheme for Indian importers provided all the following conditions are met:

a) Items are required for captive consumption, and

b) Items are required on continuous basis, and

c) Items are procured from pre-identified sources.

The Indian Importers would have to apply to BIS for seeking a licence for each of the notified product he intends to import. BIS would record the application after satisfying itself that all the above conditions are met and that the applicant importer has installed the test facilities. Based on the recording of application, the Customs can clear the consignment, which will be tested by the BIS and a licence issued if the product conforms to the relevant Indian standard. The importer would use the material only after grant of licence for the first lot so imported and for the subsequent imports, after testing the product for conformance to Indian Standard.

The conditions of Paragraph 6 above shall not be applicable on imports of gifts where the recipient of a gift is a charitable, religious or an educational institution registered under a law relating to the registration of societies or trusts or otherwise approved by the Central or a State Government and the gift sought to be imported has been exempted from payment of customs duty by the Ministry of Finance.

Not withstanding anything contained in the Appendix III to the Schedule 1 of ITC (HS) Classifications of Export and Import Items, 2002-2007, import of cylinders and import of valves/valve fittings will be exempted from the conditions at paragraph 6 above. However, this exemption shall be applicable only on such cylinders, import of which has been approved by Chief Controller of Explosives, Nagpur.

(Above Condition 6 has been amended vide NTF NO. 29/2003, DT. 28/01/2004)

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6. Import of all the products as per Appendix III to Schedule I of the ITC (HS) Classifications of Export and Import Items, 1997-2002, shall be subject to compliance of the mandatory Indian Quality Standards as mentioned in column 2 of the said Annexure, which are also applicable to domestic goods. For compliance of this requirement, all manufactures/ exporters of these products to India , shall be required to register themselves with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The conditions of Paragraph 6 above shall bot be applicable on imports of gifts where the recipient of a gift is a charitable, religious or an educational institution registered under a law relating to the registration of societies or trusts or otherwise approved by the Central or a State Gocernment and the gift sought to be imported has been exempted from payment of customs duty by the Ministry of Finance.

Not withstanding anything contained in the Appendix III to the schedule 1 of ITC (HS) Classifications of Export and Import Items, 2002-2007, import of cylindres and import of valves/valve fittings will be exempted from the conditions at paragraph 6 above. However, this exemption shall be applicable only on such cylinders, import of which has been approved by Chief Controller of Explosives, Nagpur. ]

7. Import of meat and poultry products will be subject to the compliance of conditions regarding manufacture, slaughter, packing, labeling and quality conditions as laid down in Meat Food Products Order, 1973. All manufacturers of meat/poultry products exporting their goods to India shall be required to meet the sanitary and hygienic requirements as stipulated under Schedule-II of the aforementioned Order. The imported product shall also comply with the specified packaging, labeling and quality standards as laid down in Schedule-IV of the Order. Compliance of these conditions is to be ensured before allowing customs clearance of the consignment.

8. Import of all such edible/food products, domestic sale and manufacture of which are governed by Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, shall be subject to all the conditions laid down in the aforesaid Act. Import of all these products will have to comply with the quality and packaging requirements as laid down in the Act. Compliance of these conditions is to be ensured before allowing customs clearance of the consignment.

(Please refer CIR. NO. 25/2003, DT. 28/01/2004 for transaction cost involved in 100% sampling of edible / food products under the PFA Act in terms of above Condition 8)

9. Import of all primary agricultural products will be subject to a Bio Security & Sanitary-Phyto Sanitary import permit, to be issued by Department of Agriculture and Co-operation, as per conditions of Plants, Fruits and Seeds (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 1989. The permit will be based on Import Risk Analysis of the product, to be conducted on scientific principles, in accordance with the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary measures. The Import Risk Analysis will be conducted based on various scientific principles, including inter alia,

(a) the type of pests etc. known to be associated with the particular product in the exporting country;
(b) the organisms already established in India; and
(c) the potential impact of such organisms on India’s international trade.

10. Irrespective of the Policy indicated against the exim code nos. 090220 40 and 090240 60 in column 3 of ITC(HS) Classifications of Export and Import Items, 1997-2002, the import of these items will be subject to the conditions of the provisions of the Tea Waste (Control) Order, 1959 as amended from time to time. Import of tea waste is to be allowed only to the licence holders under the afore mentioned Order issued by Tea Board.

11. Import of textile and textile articles is permitted subject to the condition that they shall not contain any of the hazardous dyes whose handling, production, carriage or use is prohibited by the Government of India under the provisions of clause (d) of subsection (2) of section 6 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986) read with the relevant rule(s) framed thereunder. For this purpose, the import consignments shall accompany a preshipment certificate from the notified agencies. In cases where such certificates are not available, the consignment will be cleared after testing of the same from the notified agencies based on the following parameters:

a) At least 25% of samples are drawn for testing instead of 100%.

b) While drawing the samples, it will be ensured by Customs that majority samples are drawn from consignments originating from countries where there is no legal prohibition on the use of harmful hazardous Dyes.

c) The test report will be valid for a period of six months in cases where the textile/textile articles of the same specification/quality are imported and the importer, supplier and the country of origin are the same.

(Above Condition 11 has been amended vide NTF NO. 29/2003, DT. 28/01/2004)

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11. Import of textile and textile articles is permitted subject to the condition that they shall not contain any of the hazardous dyes whose handling, production, carriage or use is prohibited by the Government of India under the provisions of clause (d) of subsection (2) of section 6 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986) read with the relevant rule(s) framed thereunder. For this purpose, the import consignments shall accompany a preshipment certificate from the notified agencies. In cases where such certificates are not available, the consignment will be cleared after testing of the same from the notified agencies. ]

(Pl. see Policy Cir. No. 05/2003, Dt. 29/05/2003 for Condition on import of textile and textile articles related to above para)

(Pl. see Policy Cir. No. 01/2003, Dt. 17/04/2003 for Condition on import of textile and textile articles related to above para)

(Pl. see Policy Cir. No. 01(RE-02), Dt. 31/03/2002 for Condition on import of textile and textile articles related to above para)

12. Import of alcoholic beverages as classified under Chapter 22 of ITC(HS) Classifications of Export and Import Items, 1997-2002, shall be subject to compliance of various mandatory requirements as stipulated by various State Governments.

13. Import of all such edible /food products , domestic sale and manufacture of which are governed by Prevention of Food Adulteration Act , 1954 shall also be subject to the condition that, at the time of importation, the products are having a valid shelf life of not less than 60% of its original shelf life. Shelf life of the product is to be calculated, based on the declaration given on the label of the product, regarding its date of manufacture and the due date for expiry.

14. Import of Meat and Meat Products of all kinds including fresh, chilled and frozen meat, tissue or organs of poultry, pig, sheep, goat; egg and egg powder; milk and milk products; bovine, ovine and caprine embryos, ova or semen; and pet food products of animal origin shall be subject to a sanitary import permit to be issued by Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, as per Section 3A of Live-stock Importation Act, 1898,as incorporated by Live Stock Importation (Amendment) Ordinance,2001 dated 05.07.2001 and as notified on 07.07.2001.

15. Import of Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) and parts and products of this species shall be restricted.

16. (I) Import into India of the following livestock and livestock products, shall be prohibited from all countries:

(i) domestic and wild birds including the captive birds,

(ii) live pig and pig meat products (except processed pig products),

(iii) meat and meat products from avian species including wild birds (except processed poultry meat and poultry meat products),

(iv) semen of domestic and wild birds,

(v) products of animal origin (from birds) intended for use in animal feeding or for agricultural or industrial use;

(II) In addition to above, the Central Government also prohibits the import into India from the countries reporting the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Fowl Plague), the following livestock and livestock products, namely:

(i) day old chicks, ducks, turkey and other newly hatched avian species,

(ii) hatching eggs,

(iii) eggs and egg products

(iv) meat and meat products from avian species including wild birds,

(v) feathers,

(vi) pig meat products,

(vii) pathological material and biological products from birds.

(Condition 16 has been amended vide NTF. NO. 43/2003, DT. 06/08/2004)

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16. Import into India of the following livestock and livestock products, namely:

i. domestic and wild birds including captive birds,

ii. day old chicks, ducks, turkey and other newly hatched avian species,

iii. hatching eggs,

iv. eggs and egg products,

v. semen of domestic and wild birds,

vi. meat and meat products from avian species including wild birds,

vii. feathers,

viii. products of avian origin intended for use in animal feeding or for agricultural or industrial use,

ix. live pigs and pig meat products,

x. pathological material and biological products from birds

shall be prohibited from all countries in view of the reported outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Fowl Plague) for a period of six months from the date of this notification or till such time it is modified or withdrawn, whichever is earlier.

(Above Condition 16 has been amended vide NTF NO. 33/2003, DT. 06/02/2004)

16. Import into India of the following livestock and livestock products, namely:

i. domestic and wild birds,

ii. day old birds,

iii. turkey poultry and other newly hatched avian species,

iv. hatching eggs,

v. semen of domestic and wild birds,

vi. fresh meat of domestic and wild birds,

vii. products of animal origin (from birds) intended for use in animal feeding or for agricultural or industrial use,

viii. pathological material and biological products from birds which have not been processed to ensure the destruction of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus (Fowl Plague)

from Republic of Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan and Japan and such other countries reporting the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus (Fowl Plague) shall be prohibited for a period of six months from the date of this notification or till such time it is modified or withdrawn, whichever is earlier.

(Above Condition 16 has been added vide NTF NO. 31/2003, DT. 29/01/2004) ]