New Baggage Rules Allow Laptop, Jewellery and Pet Imports Duty-Free
New Delhi: The Central Government has announced the New Baggage Rules, 2026, along with fresh regulations for the declaration and inspection of luggage at customs. These rules clarify what international passengers can bring into India and how their baggage will be processed at airports and other entry points.
The Finance Ministry said the changes have been made because international travel has increased and the older rules had become complicated. The new framework is meant to make baggage rules clearer and more uniform across the country and to allow electronic and advanced declaration of goods.
Under the new rules, Indian residents, people of Indian origin and foreigners with valid non-tourist visas can bring goods worth up to Rs 75,000 without paying customs duty. Foreign tourists can bring goods worth up to Rs 25,000 duty-free. Crew members are allowed duty-free goods up to Rs 2,500. However, passengers entering India through land borders will not get any general duty-free allowance.
For people returning to India after living abroad, the rules now clearly fix how much they can bring without paying duty. Those who stayed abroad for up to one year can bring household items worth up to Rs 1.5 lakh duty-free. Those who stayed abroad between one and two years can bring goods worth up to Rs 3 lakh. People returning after more than two years can bring items worth up to Rs 7.5 lakh without paying duty. Instead of long and confusing lists of allowed items, there is now one simple list with a total value limit.
The jewellery rules have also been simplified. Earlier, limits were based on the value of jewellery. Now they are based only on weight. Women who stayed abroad for more than one year can bring up to 40 grams of jewellery duty-free. Other passengers can bring up to 20 grams duty-free.
A common relief for travellers is that one laptop is now allowed duty-free for every passenger above 18 years of age. The rules also clearly allow people to bring pets into India duty-free under set conditions.
New arrangements have been made for people who bring items only for a short time, such as professional equipment or personal goods. They can get a temporary import or export certificate so that such items are not unnecessarily stopped or taxed when they enter or leave the country.
The government has also combined and updated many old instructions into one set of rules and a master circular so that customs officers across India follow the same procedures.
According to the Finance Ministry, the new baggage rules aim to make the system clearer and more transparent for passengers and to use digital declarations so that the process is more organised and predictable.
For ordinary travellers, the new rules mainly mean clearer limits on what can be brought duty-free, simple rules for jewellery and laptops, fixed benefits for people returning after long stays abroad, and more structured customs procedures at airports.
-global bihari bureau
