Here is an indication of prohibited items for mailing to India. For further information, or further clarification please refer to the India Post website

Please refer also to the Universal Postal Union - full prohibitions and restrictions list

You must not send any item addressed to a country in which the item is unlawful or prohibited. When an item is restricted you must comply with the restriction. Prohibitions and restrictions vary from country to country, and can sometimes apply to items which you may think are ordinary.

The information below is provided in good faith, but Royal Mail is not responsible for it, and it should be viewed as a guide only. Specific restrictions and changes may be enforced at short notice, so for clarification please contact the destination country's trade, postal, and customs authorities as appropriate. Business customers are strongly recommended to do this.

Please remember that Royal Mail also prohibits and restricts certain categories of items. For more information visit royalmail.com/prohibitedgoods

Prohibited items

Prohibited products are not permitted in the mail under any circumstances.

Restricted items

Live animals

Animals, birds and reptiles (including their parts and products).

Import permitted against a licence to zoos and zoological parks, recognized scientific/research institutions, circus companies, private individuals, on the recommendation of the Chief Wild Life Warden of a State Government subject to the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Stallions and broodmares.

Import permitted against a licence on the recommendation of the Director, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services of a State Government.

Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included

Livestock (excluding equine, pureline stocks), birds, eggs frozen semen/embryo, parent stock (poultry) and commercial.

Import permitted against a licence on the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India.

Coffee, tea, maté and spices

Saffron.

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Cloves, cinnamon and cassia.

Import will be allowed against a licence subject to export obligation of twice the value of imports. The goods qualifying for export obligation shall be as specified.

Cereals

Feed grade maize (i.e. maize unfit for human consumption but fit for use as poultry, animal feed).

Import will be permitted without actual user condition by any person subject to registration of the import contract/letter of credit with NAFED.

Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; industrial or medicinal plants; straw and fodder

Plants, fruits and seeds.

Import of seeds of wheat, paddy, coarse cereals, pulses, oilseeds and fodder for sowing is permitted without a licence subject to fulfilment of the provisions of the New Policy on Seed Development, 1988 and in accordance with a permit for import granted under the Plants, Fruits and Seeds (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 1989.

Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes

Crude palm stearin.

Permitted to be imported against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Beverages, spirits and vinegar

Concentrates of alcoholic beverages, wine (tonic or medicated).

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Residues and waste from the food industries; prepared animal fodder

Flavouring essences – all types (including those for liquor).

Items relating to the small scale sector

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials; lime and cement

Granite, prophyry, basalt, sand stone and other monument or building stone, whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs. Marble, travertine, escaussine and other calcaeous monument or building stone of an apparent specific gravity of 2.5 or more, whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut, by sawing or otherwise, into blocks or slabs.

Precious, semi-precious and other stones

Import permitted for export against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Rutile sand.

Permitted to be imported on the recommendation of the Department of Atomic Energy.

Neptha.

Import permitted without a licence subject to the condition that the importer shall sell the return stream of naphtha to crude oil refineries only. The sale will be on commercial terms as may be settled between the importer and the refinery. However, the importer may use the return stream as an industrial feedstock for his own captive consumption, but the balance left, if any, shall be sold to crude oil refineries only.

Organic chemicals

Chlorofluoro hydrocarbons (Freon gases). See * below

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

CFC/3 (CFC-11) – Trichlorofluoromethane. See * below

CF2 CL2 (CFC-12) Dichlorodifluoromethane. See * below

C2 F3 xxxx (CFC-113) – 1,2,2 trichlorotrifluoro methanes. See * below

02 F4 C12 (CFC-114) – 1,2 Dichlorotetrafluoro ethanes. See * below

C2 F5 C1 (CFC-115) – Chloropentafluoroethane. See * below

CF2 Br C1 (Halon-1211) Bromochlorodifluoro methane. See * below

CF3 Br (Halon-1301) – Bromotrifluoromethane. See * below

C2 F4 Br2 (Halon-2402) – Dibromotetra fluoroethanes. See * below

* Safety, security and related items

Import is permitted without a licence provided the import is made from a country which is party to the "Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer". List of the countries which are parties to the Montreal Protocol will be notified by the Director-General of Foreign Trade from time to time. However, import from countries which are not parties to the Montreal Protocol is prohibited.

DDT Technical 75 Wdp.

Insecticides and pesticides

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Acetic anhydride.

Safety, security and related items

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

All types of penicillin 6-APA.

Tetracycline/Oxy-tetracycline and their salts. See * Drugs and pharmaceuticals entry below

entry below Streptomycin. See * Drugs and pharmaceuticals entry below

entry below Rifamycin. See * Drugs and pharmaceuticals entry below

entry below Intermediates of Rifamycin, namely 3 Formyl Rifa SV, Rifa S/Rifa S sodium and I-Aminor-4-

Methylpiperazine. See * Drugs and pharmaceuticals entry below

* Drugs and pharmaceuticals

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Pharmaceutical products

Medicines.

Chemicals and allied items

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations

Perfumery compound/synthetic essential oils.

Items relating to the small scale sectorImport permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Explosives; pyrotechnic products; matches; pyrophoric alloys; certain combustible preparations

Explosives.

Government departments and public sector undertakings, on the recommendation of the Controller of Explosives, Government of India, may be permitted to import.

Radioactive material.

Permitted to be imported on the recommendation of the Department of Atomic Energy.

Photographic or cinematographic products

Cinematography feature films and video films.

Import will be permitted by:

– National Film Archives of India, Film and Television Institute of India and Children's Film Society of India.

– by others subject to such conditions as may be specified on this behalf.

Rubber and articles thereof

Natural rubber.

Permitted to be imported against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or of paperboard

Newsprint.

Permitted to be imported against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Paper for security printing, currency paper, stamp paper and other special types of paper.

Safety, security and related items

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Silk.

Raw silk. See # entry below

entry below Silk fabric. See # entry below

entry below Wool, fine or coarse animal hair; horsehair yarn and woven fabric

Wool fabric. See # entry below.

entry below. Cotton

Raw cotton and cotton. See # entry below.

entry below. Cotton man-made fibre.

Consumer goods

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Other vegetable textile fibres, paper yarn and woven fabrics of paper yarn

Coir (fibre/yarn/fabric).

# Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Man-made staple fibres

Polyester staple fibre.

Permitted to be imported on the recommendation of the Department of Atomic Energy.

Special woven fabrics; tufted textile fabrics; lace; tapestries; trimmings; embroidery

Cotton terry towel fabric.

Consumer goods

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad with precious metal and articles thereof; imitation jewellery; coin

Cubic zirconia, stones: (a) rough diamonds; (b) synthetic stones finished or unworked (other than synthetic ruby unworked); (c) emeralds/rubies and sapphires, semi-precious and precious stones and pearls (real or cultured).

Precious, semi-precious and other stones

Import permitted for export against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Gold in any form including liquid gold. See ** entry below.

entry below. Silver in any form.

** Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Spinnerettes made mainly of gold.

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Tools, implements, cutlery, spoons and forks, of base metal; parts thereof of base metal

Lead and rule cutters.

Items relating to the small scale sector

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Lead and rule cutters under "Mounting table".

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Miscellaneous articles of base metal

Paper cutting knives of all sizes.

Items relating to the small scale sector

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Paper cutting machines, excluding machines with devices such as automatic programmes cutting or three knife trimmers. Wire stitching machines single headed.

Items relating to the small scale sector

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof

Drawing and mathematical instruments.

Drugs and pharmaceuticals

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Domestic water meters. See *** entry below

entry below All types of dumpty levels/engineer's levels, builder's levels (not automatic) and quick set levels with or without horizontal circles.

*** Items relating to the small scale sector

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Diesel generating sets up to 1500 KVA (excluding DG Sets with no break system).

Permitted to be imported against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Electric portable generators up to 3.5 KVA.

Permitted to be imported against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers; television image and sound recorders and reproducers and parts and accessories of such articles

Consumer telecommunication equipment.

Consumer goods

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

a Communication jamming equipment, static/mobile/man portable.

b Electronic components as in (a) above, including antennae, RF power amplifiers, noise generators.

The Departments of the Central Government may be permitted to import against licence. However, import by any other category of importers is prohibited.

Cathode ray tubes, the following:

- 20" and 21" size colour TV picture tubes, sub-assembly thereof and assembly containing colour TV picture tube. Populated, loaded or stuffed printed circuit boards.

Audio magnetic tapes in all forms excluding 35 mm and 16 mm sprocketed tapes.

Video magnetic tapes in hubs and reels, rolls, pancakes, jumbo rolls in all forms.

Computer systems, including personal computers, up to a CIF value of Rs 1.50 lakhs or keyboards or monitors, each with a CIF value of below Rs 7500. For this propose a computer system will consist of a single CPU including one keyboard and monitor, and in-built peripherals but excluding any add-on peripherals.

Electronic items

Import permitted against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Vehicles, other than railway or tramway rolling-stock, and parts and accessories thereof

Commercial and passenger automobile vehicles, including two wheelers, three wheelers and personal type vehicles. See **** entry below

entry below Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof

Aircraft and helicopters. See **** entry below

entry below Ships, boats and floating structures

Ships, trawlers, boats and other water transport crafts.

**** Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof

Cameras.

Import will be allowed against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf. Photographic studies and accredited cameramen, accredited correspondents of foreign broadcasting or television organisations, foreign news agencies or foreign newspapers may be permitted to import in accordance with the specified conditions.

Clocks and watches and parts thereof

Watches in SKD/CKD or assembled condition as well as movement (mechanical); watch cases; watch dials.

Consumer goods

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf

Arms and ammunition; parts and accessories thereof

Empty/discharged cartridges of all bores/sizes.

Safety, security and related items

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on this behalf.

Fire arms.

Safety, security and related items

Not permitted to be imported except against a licence/by renowned shooters/rifle clubs for their own use on the recommendation of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

Ammunition.

Safety, security and related items

Import permitted against a licence by:

– renowned shooters/rifle clubs for their own use on the recommendation of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India;

– licenced arms dealers for the specified type of ammunition subject to such conditions as may be specified.

Toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereof

Sports goods/equipment.

Consumer goods

Import will be allowed against a licence or in accordance with a Public Notice issued on the behalf.

