Duty Free Gifting on 20North

As per Government of India guidelines, bonafide gifts up to the value of Rs.10,000 addressed to any person residing in India are 100% exempt from customs duty.

• Any individual living in India can receive gifts. No restriction on who can send/receive gifts. No limit on the number of gifts that can be sent/received by an individual
• Orders totaling more than Rs.10,000 can be sent as duty-free gifts long as no individual item in the order cost more than Rs.10,000
• Shop as usual. Look out for the new Duty-Free icon that appears on eligible items, simply add the item to your cart and pick the "Checkout Duty-Free Gift" option in the checkout page. You will be guided through a simple process of paying in USD or INR
• All Duty Free purchases are delivered within 14-20 days using Express Shipping.

Important Note: Sometimes, (very, very rarely) customs authorities in India may deem an incoming gift as dutiable even though it is meets the specified guidelines for a duty free gift. This is completely at the customs authorities' discretion and typically no clear reason is provided. In such cases the courier delivering the product will collect applicable duty from the gift recipient before delivering the goods. The chances of this happening are extremely small but we want to make you aware that it can happen and in this worst case the recipient will need to pay the applicable duty.

Our Duty Free Gifting FAQ below should answer all your questions. If you require further assistance don't hesitate to get in touch with customersupport@20North.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can send gifts?

Who can receive duty free gifts?

Is there any restriction on the number of duty free gifts a person in India can recieve?

Why am I charged extra for gift shipments

Can I buy a product marked with a gift icon as a normal purchase?

How can I be sure that duty-free gifts are allowed and the recipient will not be liable for duty in India?

What happens if a Duty-free gift is deemed dutiable by the customs department and charged duty?

Is there anything special I need to do to buy products as duty-free gifts?

What if I want to send gifts to multiple people?

How do I pay for duty free gifts?

I checked out one gift order but I got multiple order confirmation emails. Why?

What products cannot be purchased as duty free gifts?

Why do some products that cost less than Rs, 10,000 not show a Gift Icon & Gift Price and why are such products  not available for purchase as duty-free gifts?

Can I buy products worth more than Rs. 10,000 as duty free gifts?

Is there any restriction on the number of duty free gifts a person in India can recieve?

Who can send gifts?

Anyone (person or corporate) can send a gift to a person in India - it is not required for the person sending the gift to be a relative of the person receiving the gift. Also the sender does not necessarily have to reside in the country from where the goods have been dispatched.

Who can receive duty free gifts?

Any person living in India can receive duty free gifts from abroad. According to the Government of India bonafide gifts up to the value of Rs10,000 are exempt from customs duty.

Is there any restriction on the number of duty free gifts a person in India can recieve?

No, a person in India can receive any number of gifts (from the same person or from different people).

Why am I charged extra for gift shipments?

To qualify for the duty exemption, gifts must be shipped using an express international courier and incurs special handling costs. To cover these extra costs 20North charges a handling surcharge that is applied on each order. This surcharge varies for different products on 20North.

Can I buy a product marked with a gift icon as a normal purchase?
Of course, any product on 20North can be part of a normal purchase. If you are not sure about whether or not to purchase as a duty-free gift we will help you make the decision as part of the checkout process.

 How can I be sure that duty-free gifts are allowed and the recipient will not be liable for duty in India?

Below is an extract from the relevant Government of India notification. The entire document can be found at http://www.cbec.gov.in/customs/cst-0809/cs-gen-idx.htm.
....the Central Government being satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, hereby exempts bonafide gifts as are exempted from any prohibition in respect of the import thereof under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 (22 of 1992) and either imported by a courier as defined in the Courier Imports (Clearance) Regulations, 1995, or falling under heading 98.04 of the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 (51 of 1975) from the whole of the duty of customs leviable thereon under the said First Schedule and the whole of the additional duty leviable thereon under section 3 of the said Customs Tariff Act : Provided that the value of such bonafide gifts imported by post or as air freight does not exceed rupees ten thousand.

What happens if a Duty-free gift is deemed dutiable by the customs department and charged duty?

Sometimes, (very, very rarely) customs authorities in India may deem an incoming gift as dutiable even though it is meets the specified guidelines for a duty free gift. This is completely at the customs authorities' discretion and typically no clear reason is provided. In such cases the courier delivering the product will collect applicable duty from the gift recipient before delivering the goods. The chances of this happening are extremely small but we want to make you aware that it can happen and in this worst case the recipient will need to pay the applicable duty.

 Is there anything special I need to do to buy products as duty-free gifts?

No, you shop as usual and simply add products to your shopping cart. Our system will automatically create gift packages for all products in your cart that are eligible and as part of the checkout process we will guide you through the appropriate steps of making the purchase.

What if I want to send gifts to multiple people?

You will need to go through the checkout process once per gift recipient. You can send multiple items to a recipient with a single checkout but each new gift recipient will require a separate checkout.

How do I pay for duty free gifts?

Duty-free gifts must be purchased in USD and can be paid for with any Indian credit card that supports USD transactions, or any foreign credit card or by using Paypal or Google Checkout. Bank transfers and Mobile Payments cannot be used for purchase of Duty-free gifts.

 I checked out one gift order but I got multiple order confirmation emails. Why?

The value of duty free gifts in your cart exceeded Rs. 10,000 so it has been broken down into multiple packages, each of which will be tracked as a separate order.

 What products cannot be purchased as duty free gifts?

 Any product that does not show the Gift icon and the Gift price cannot be purchased as a duty-free gift. Typically, individual products that costs more than Rs. 10,000 and products sourced from those of our US vendors that cannot guarantee an expedited delivery are ineligible for purchase as duty free gifts.

Why do some products that cost less than Rs, 10,000 not show a Gift Icon & Gift Price and why are such products  not available for purchase as duty-free gifts?

We recognize that most gift purchases are occasion-specific and a timely delivery is very important. Only products sourced from those of our US vendors that can guarantee an expedited delivery service are made available for purchase as duty free gifts.

 Can I buy products worth more than Rs. 10,000 as duty free gifts?

Yes, as long as no single product costs more than Rs 10,000, our system will automatically create multiple gift packages for you, ensuring that each of the packages costs Rs 10,000 or less.

Is there any restriction on the number of duty free gifts a person in India can recieve?

No, a person in India can receive any number of gifts (from the same person or from different people).