This Sunday, the centre has raised the limit for passengers bringing duty-free imported goods into India from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000.
On February 1, 2026, the government notified that a resident or a tourist of Indian origin arriving in India other than by land, shall be allowed clearance free of duty articles, up to Rs 75,000, if such articles are carried on the person or in the bona fide accompanied baggage of the passenger, under the Baggage Rules, 2026.
New Baggage Rules 2026 & Its Impact
These latest baggage rules, 2026 have already come into effect from midnight on February 2 and replace a decade-old baggage rule.
Now, a tourist of foreign origin, not being an infant, arriving in India, shall be allowed duty-free clearance of articles up to the value of ₹25,000 which was ₹15,000 in the Baggage Rule, 2016.
Consider a case of a resident or tourist of Indian origin, who is residing abroad for more than 1 year, on return to India, shall be allowed duty-free clearance of jewellery up to a weight of 40 grams, only if brought by a female passenger.
This limit is set to 20 grams if brought by anyone other than a female passenger in bona fide baggage.
Here mentioned term – Jewellery means articles of adornment ordinarily worn by a person, made of gold, silver, platinum or such other precious metals, whether studded or not for the purpose of this Rule.
The implementation of these rules make it easier for travellers to bring electronic devices into the country’s borders which they usually do.
With these new rules, they are aiming to streamline airport operations, reduce paperwork, and expedite the security process.
For doing so, the passengers can now declare their baggage electronically and ahead of time.
Besides this, the government has revised the rules for temporary imports and pets to keep up with the growing number of travellers and their expectations.
An Effort To Accommodate Changing Economic Conditions
With these upgrades, the government is intended to accommodate changing economic conditions and increased travel volume, thereby meeting the growing demands of international travellers.
Under the latest rules, the upper limit for personal items that can be brought into the country without paying tax, including smartphones, has significantly increased a lot, from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 which is applicable to people who live in India, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), and foreigners with valid visas, but not those who are in India on a tourist visa.
In case of foreign tourists, they can now bring home up to Rs 25,000 worth of goods without paying taxes.
If you are thinking about purchasing an iPhone, it depends on where you buy it and the current currency exchange rates as premium smartphones like the iPhone 17, especially the Pro or Max models, may still cost more than Rs 75,000.
During such circumstances, duty will only apply to the amount that goes above the limit.
These new rules for tech enthusiasts, which goes into force in 2026, outlines the rules for laptops saying that people can bring one laptop or notebook into the nation without paying any duties.
They have considered laptops in a different category and do not count toward the total Rs 75,000 general allowance for imports.
It simply means that the travellers can get a bigger benefit as the people must be at least 18 years old and have the laptop as part of their “bona fide” baggage, which means they have to carry it themselves, in order to qualify for this exemption.
The Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on personal imports has been cut from 20% to 10%, which means that the total effective charge on the extra amount is about 11%, which makes it cheaper than it was before, as per the 2026 Budget.
Similarly, in case of iPhone 17, If you go over your limit for bringing in an iPhone 17, you will simply have to pay taxes on the extra amount.
This simply means that the whole allowance can be used for the iPhone 17 because the laptop is not included.
Consider a scenario where you’re coming back to India from the US with an iPhone 17 Pro that costs about $999 (Rs 84,000), after stripping off the duty-free allowance, there is still Rs 9,000 that is taxable.
So, the customs duty would be Rs 990 at an effective rate of 11% which is again a modest amount to pay for the newest technology.
