Clearance of your baggage with ease
NRI Baggage Clearance
Baggage refers to personal belongings, travel articles, and other goods carried by passengers while entering or leaving India. Baggage includes unaccompanied baggage and excludes motor vehicles. Passengers arriving in India are allowed to bring bonafide (used personal effects) and specified goods; free of customs duty within prescribed limits.
How PORTMATRIX helps
PORTMATRIX advises the NRI Clients in proper declaration of their baggage clearance in India; without payment of duty as per The Baggage Rules, 2026.
Headline allowance figures
General free allowance
- Resident Indian
- INR 75,000/-
- Tourist of foreign origin
- INR 25,000/-
- Crew Members
- INR 2,500/-
Passengers, excluding an infant. Mode of Travel (applies to all five classes): Arriving through any mode other than land. All five classes are in the General Free Allowance table below.
Special allowance for jewellery
- Gold jewellery
- Female 40 gms · Male 20 gms
A resident or tourist of Indian origin who has been residing abroad for more than one year.
The general free allowance on this page is set by class of passenger. The five classes are:
- Resident Indian
- Tourist of Indian origin
- Foreigner with a valid Indian visa, other than a tourist visa
- Tourist of foreign origin
- Crew Members
Customs channels: Green and Red
Airport customs channels — Source PDF p.58; airport and photographer not identified.
Every passenger entering India has to pass through a Customs check after first being cleared by an immigration Officer and taking delivery of his / her baggage, if any, from the conveyor belts. The passenger has the option of seeking Customs clearance through either of the two channels:
- Green Channel
- When the passenger chooses Green Channel, it is deemed to be declared that there is nothing dutiable or restricted or prohibited goods in his baggage.
- Red Channel
- In the Red Channel, the goods are made available for inspection by the Customs Authorities.
Allowances
Duty-free imports of personal effects
A passenger arriving in India is allowed to bring used personal effects required for daily necessities of life and travel, free of customs duty, provided the items are carried on the person or in bona fide (used articles) baggage and are not meant for commercial purposes.
| Item | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Cigarette | Up to 100 sticks |
| Cigar | Up to 25 sticks |
| Tobacco | Up to 125 gms |
| Liquor or Wine | Up to 2 litres |
Re-import and temporary import
The Baggage Rules, 2026 provide special facilities for passengers regarding the re-import and temporary import of personal effects in order to facilitate international travel and reduce customs formalities. A resident, tourist of Indian origin, or a foreigner holding a valid non-tourist visa may bring back into India personal articles that were previously taken abroad from India without payment of customs duty at the time of return.
General free allowance
The passengers, excluding an infant are allowed duty free clearance of articles up to the value prescribed as of below:
Mode of Travel (applies to all five classes): Arriving through any mode other than land.
| S. No. | Class of Passenger | Duty-Free Allowance (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resident Indian | 75,000/- |
| 2 | Tourist of Indian origin | 75,000/- |
| 3 | Foreigner with a valid Indian visa, other than a tourist visa | 75,000/- |
| 4 | Tourist of foreign origin | 25,000/- |
| 5 | Crew Members | 2,500/- |
- A passenger of 18 years of age or above, shall be allowed to bring one new Laptop including Notepad; free of duty.
- Pooling of Allowance: Free allowance cannot be pooled with another passenger's allowance.
Special allowance for jewellery
A resident or tourist of Indian origin who has been residing abroad for more than one year can carry jewelry duty free as follows:
| Gender | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Female | 40 gms |
| Male | 20 gms |
Transfer of Residence
NRI passengers shifting their residence to India
Transfer of residence allowances is available to eligible persons to carry their personal and household articles, according to the duration of their stay abroad and the period of stay in India. The allowances are applicable only to bona fide (used articles) household effects and personal articles, and are subject to specified conditions and exclusions.
The following allowances are available to eligible passengers under transfer of residence, according to the duration of their stay abroad.
| Duration of Stay Abroad | Allowance (INR) |
|---|---|
| 3–12 months | 1,50,000 |
| Minimum 1 year during preceding 2 years | 3,00,000 |
| More than 2 years | 7,50,000 |
| Duration of Stay in India | Allowance (INR) |
|---|---|
| 6–12 months | 1,50,000 |
| 1–2 years | 3,00,000 |
| More than 2 years | 7,50,000 |
Annexure-II items
Generally, specified personal/household articles may include not more than one unit each of items listed in Annexure-II, subject to the applicable conditions.
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Home appliances | Air-conditioner, microwave oven, washing machine, refrigerator |
| Kitchen | Gas cooking range, dishwasher, electric oven, air fryer, water dispenser, oil heater |
| Electronics | Home Theatre, Laptop, desktop PC, TV, tablet, printer, projector, Video Camera |
| Entertainment | PlayStation/gaming console, small Bluetooth speakers, amplifier |
| Household | Refrigerator, Deep freezer, Vacuum cleaner, robotic vacuum, air purifier, dehumidifier, air cooler |
| Other | Musical instruments, massage chair, water dispenser, oil heater |
Currency
- A passenger can carry USD 5,000 or equivalent in cash; and a total aggregate of foreign exchange in the form of currency notes, bank notes, or travellers cheques allowed is USD 10,000 or equivalent. When this limit is being exceeded, then a formal declaration is made to the Customs Authorities.
- Any person resident in India may take outside India Indian currency notes not exceeding INR. 25,000.
Other baggage rules
- Re-import of Personal Effects
- Certain personal effects taken out of India earlier may be re-imported duty-free subject to declaration and Customs satisfaction.
- Temporary Import by Tourist
- Personal effects required during stay may be temporarily imported duty-free, subject to declaration and re-export.
- Unaccompanied Baggage
- Generally allowed; normally dispatched within 1 month after arrival.
- Customs may permit earlier arrival, including up to 2 months before arrival, subject to specified conditions.
Pets
Resident, tourist of Indian origin, foreigner with a valid visa, other than tourist visa are allowed to import two pets (cat and Dog) under Transfer of residence in the case of two years stay abroad or more; subject to declaration an advance No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Animal Quarantine and Certification Services or a DGFT import authorization.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the general duty-free baggage allowance on arrival?
- Passengers, excluding an infant, are allowed duty free clearance of articles up to a prescribed value: INR 75,000 for a Resident Indian, a Tourist of Indian origin and a Foreigner with a valid Indian visa other than a tourist visa; INR 25,000 for a Tourist of foreign origin; and INR 2,500 for Crew Members. This applies to arrival through any mode other than land.
- What is the difference between the Green Channel and the Red Channel?
- When a passenger chooses the Green Channel, it is deemed to be declared that there is nothing dutiable, restricted or prohibited in the baggage. In the Red Channel, the goods are made available for inspection by the Customs Authorities.
- How much gold jewellery can be carried duty free?
- A resident or tourist of Indian origin who has been residing abroad for more than one year can carry jewellery duty free: 40 gms for a female and 20 gms for a male.
- How much foreign and Indian currency can a passenger carry?
- A passenger can carry USD 5,000 or equivalent in cash, and the total aggregate of foreign exchange in the form of currency notes, bank notes or travellers cheques allowed is USD 10,000 or equivalent. When this limit is exceeded, a formal declaration is made to the Customs Authorities. A person resident in India may take outside India Indian currency notes not exceeding INR 25,000.
- What are the transfer of residence allowances?
- For Indian residents and tourists of Indian origin, the allowance is INR 1,50,000 for 3 to 12 months abroad, INR 3,00,000 for a minimum of 1 year during the preceding 2 years, and INR 7,50,000 for more than 2 years. For a foreigner with a valid visa other than a tourist visa, it is INR 1,50,000 for 6 to 12 months in India, INR 3,00,000 for 1 to 2 years and INR 7,50,000 for more than 2 years. The allowances apply only to bona fide (used articles) household effects and personal articles, subject to specified conditions and exclusions.