India imposes import restriction on for laptops
New Delhi: India on Thursday announced an immediate import restriction for laptops and personal computers, noting that any entity or company planning to bring laptops and computers for sale in India will have to apply for and obtain a “Valid Licence for Restricted Imports”.
Most of the laptops and personal computers sold in India are manufactured or assembled in China, and with this new rule the government might be hoping to shift some of this manufacturing and assembling to India. This is similar to what the country has achieved with smartphone manufacturing. The directive on import restrictions for laptops was issued on Thursday morning by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
The notice said, “Import of Laptops, Tablets, All-in-one Personal Computers, and Ultra small form factor Computers and Servers falling under HSN 8741 shall be ‘Restricted’ and their import would be allowed against a valid Licence for Restricted Imports.”