Duty Free Gifting on 20North

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

This means:

• Any individual living in India can receive gifts.  It is not required for the person sending the gift to be a relative of the person receiving the gift. There is no limit on the number of gifts that can be sent/received by an individual

• Gifts must be sent from abroad (sender must provide a non-India address) and paid for in USD using an international credit card, by using Paypal or Google Checkout.  Bank transfers from Indian banks and Mobile Payments cannot be used for sending Duty-free gifts

• 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

Continue to shop as usual. Look out for the Duty-free icon that appears on eligible items, simply add the item to your cart and select “Send as Duty free Gift".

Important Notes:

• Sometimes, completely at their discretion customs authorities in India may deem an incoming gift as dutiable even though it meets the specified guidelines for a Duty-free gift. In such cases the courier delivering the product will collect applicable duty from the gift recipient before delivering the goods.
  

• We have observed that items falling under Consumer Electronics of value more than Rs. 2000 seem to attract duty even if sent as a Duty-free gift.

Our Duty-free Gifting FAQ below should answer all your questions. If you require further assistance please do not hesitate to get in touch with customersupport@20North.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can send gifts?

Is there any restriction on the number of Duty-free gifts a person in India can receive?

How do I pay for Duty-free gifts?

Can a Duty-free Gift eligible product be purchased as a duty-paid purchase?

Under what rule is the sending of Duty-free gifts allowed?

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 send products as Duty-free gifts?

What if I want to send gifts to multiple people?

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

What products cannot be sent as Duty-free gifts?

Who can send gifts?

Anyone (person or corporate) paying in USD can send a gift from abroad 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.

Is there any restriction on the number of Duty-free gifts a person in India can receive?

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

How do I pay for Duty-free gifts?

Duty-free gifts must be purchased in USD and can be paid for using any International credit card, bank transfers from US banks, by using Paypal or Google Checkout.Bank transfers from Indian banks, cheques, DDs and Mobile Payments cannot be used for purchasing Duty-free gifts.

Can a Duty-free Gift eligible product be purchased as a duty-paid purchase?

Of course, any product on 20North can be part of the normal duty-paid purchase. Your decision to ‘Send as Duty-free Gift’ or ‘Buy as Duty-paid’ can be made in the cart during checkout.

Under what rule is this sending of Duty-free gifts allowed??

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 customs authorities in India may deem an incoming gift as dutiable even though it meets the specified guidelines for a Duty-free gift. This is completely at the discretion of the customs authorities and no clear reason may be 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 occuring is small but we would like you to be aware that it can happen and in the worst case the recipient may need to pay the applicable duty.

We have observed that items falling under Consumer Electronics of value over Rs. 2000 attract duty even if sent as a Duty-free gift.

Is there anything special that I need to do to send products as Duty-free gifts?

No, you shop as usual and simply add products to your shopping cart. As part of the checkout process you will be guided through making the purchase as a Duty-free gift.

What if I want to send gifts to multiple people?

 You can send multiple items to a recipient with a single checkout but each new gift recipient will require a separate checkout.

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. The order will need to be broken up into multiple gift packages, ensuring that each package costs Rs 10,000 or less.

What products cannot be sent as Duty-free gifts?

Any product that does not show the ‘Duty-free Gift eligible’ icon cannot be sent as a Duty-free gift.