The Central government on Thursday restricted all imports of laptops, tablets, all-in-one and small-factor personal computers or PCs, requiring licences for these products to be brought into the country and sold to consumers. The move is expected to particularly impact short-term laptop availability from laptop brands that rely on assembly abroad, such as Dell, HP, Lenovo and Apple.
The notification may entail longer wait times for individual products to be cleared for import and sale in India. “The said Restriction shall not be applicable to imports under Baggage Rules,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in its notification announcing the curbs, indicating that travellers may be free to bring one of these products back with them from overseas without attracting penalties.
