Laptop, Personal Computer Import Ban: India To Provide ‘Transition Period’ For Companies To Obtain Licences, Minister Says

There will be a “transition period” before the Indian government implements the new policy that curbs the import of laptops and personal computers, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Friday. The announcement comes a day after India’s Ministry of Commerce said there would be import restrictions on laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, ultra-small form factor computers and servers with immediate effect.

“There will be a transition period for this to be put into effect which will be notified soon,” Chandrasekhar said in a tweet.

The companies will get at least one month to obtain licenses, according to a government official.

Move to push Make In India

On Thursday, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) stated in a notification that the exemption from import licensing is provided for up to 20 items per consignment for R&D, testing, benchmarking and evaluation, repair and return, product development purposes. The sudden move is expected to cut imports from countries like China and offer a push to Make In India.

According to a report, companies like Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., and HP Inc. have stopped the import of laptops and tablets to India following the sudden ban on inbound shipments unless a license is obtained. The tech firms are in discussions with the government to expedite the process of acquiring licenses ahead of the Diwali season.