With a new licensing bill, the Indian government limits imports of laptops, tablets, and PCs

According to some fresh pieces of information, the Indian government has imposed limitations on the import of products that fall under the HSN 8741 category. Notably, restrictions have been imposed on the imports of personal computers, tablets, and laptops. From this perspective, these devices will now be subject to a special licensing requirement.

It seems like the primary reason behind this move is to strengthen the local market. It looks like a part of the “Make In India” program. The exact details of the new regulation have not yet been made apparent, but it will likely result in price increases for imported laptops and tablets.

All HSN 8741-compliant laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs, and ultra-small form factor computers and servers are subject to import restrictions, and their import is only permitted with a current license for restricted imports. Imports covered by the baggage regulations, as updated from time to time, shall not be subject to the aforementioned restriction.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the above-mentioned licensing requirement won’t be necessary if one laptop, tablet, ultra-small factor computer, or personal computer is imported. It also includes the products purchased via e-commerce portals through post or courier.

Well, it is now confirmed that passengers can easily carry such devices in their baggage. When it comes to the local Indian market of laptops, Dell, Lenovo, and HP have their manufacturing hubs in India. They assemble laptops locally. We can expect that the new licensing requirement will proliferate in other markets as well.

Presently, an 18% GST is imposed by the Indian government on smartphone imports. Due to this, Samsung established its own manufacturing plant in India. On the other hand, brands like Apple and Xiaomi utilize the services of contract manufacturers for assembling their smartphones locally in order to gain tax benefits.