Import: What are the items prohibited for import in India? By Athulya - December 6, 2019 Last Updated at: Jun 18, 2021 5522 On 11th August, 2020, the DGFT tightened the import norms for certain chemicals and plastics mandating their importers to submit the bill of entry to the ministry of environment. These chemicals are said to contain HCFC, an ozone-depleting chemical and are used in cleaning agents, fire extinguishers and refrigerants. Several products from different countries around the world make their way into India every year. As a country, we import billions of products via various methods such as air, rail and waterways. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade is the governing body for all the import-export that India does. When it comes to both importing and exporting, Importer Exporter Code (IEC) as laid down by the DGFT is used to legally sanction the purchase or selling. Here’s a look at all the items the DGFT has prohibited for import in India. The DGFT maintains records of all the articles that may be imported to India. On this list, is a category of items which under no circumstances may be imported to our country. Failure to comply with the norms stated in this list can lead to severe repercussions. Every seller or manufacturer who imports or exports goods to and from India must be aware of the items on these lists. Items prohibited for import into India The items mentioned below have been sourced from a prohibited articles list as seen on Schedule 1 of the ITC(HS) Classifications of Items. However, sellers and manufacturers are cautioned to cross-check the list before finalising the import of any article to ensure that it is not present on the list. Restricted domestic animals: 0101 10 10- Horses 0101 10 20- Asses 0101 90 10- Polo Horses 0101 90 20- Mules and hinnies livestock 0102 10 10- Adult Bulls 0102 10 20- Adult Cows 0102 10 30- Adult Buffaloes and calves 0103 10 00- Purebred breeding animals 0104 10 10- Sheep or lamb for breeding 0104 20 00- Goats 0105 11 00- Any member of the species Gallus domesticus except grandparent poultry 0105 12 00 -Turkeys except for Grandparent stock Restricted wild animals: 0106 11 00- Primates As per Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 0106 12 00- Whales, dolphins, manatees and dugongs as per Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 0106 20 00- Reptiles as per Import Licensing Note No. 6 in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 0106 31 00- Birds of prey 0106 32 00- Psittaciformes as per Import Licensing Note No. 6 in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 0106 90 10- Bees and other insects 0201 10 00/0202 10 00- Chilled or frozen Carcasses and half-carcasses 0201 20 00/0202 20 00- Chilled or frozen bone 0201 30 00/0202 30 00- Chilled or Frozen Boneless 0206 21 00- Tongues 0206 22 00- Livers 0206 30 00- Edible affal 0210 20 00- Meat of bovine animals 0301 10 00- Ornamental Fish 0301 91 00- Trout 0301 92 00- Eels 0301 93 00-Carp 0301 94 00- Bluefin tunas 0301 95 00- Southern bluefin tunas 0407 00 10- Eggs of gallus domesticus 0410 00 20- Turtle eggs and salanganes’ nests 0511 10 00- Bovine semen Restricted plants: 0601 20 90- Chicory plants and roots as per Plants, Quarantine (Regulation of Imports into India) Order, 2003. 0602 20 20- Cactus as per Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora 0701 10 00-Potatoes Restricted seeds: 0909 10 11- Anise As per Licensing note (2) in Policy on Seed Development, 1988 and as per Plants, Fruits and Seeds (Regulation of import into India) Order, 1989. 0909 10 21- Badian 0909 20 10- Coriander 0909 30 11- Black Cumin 0909 30 21- Other Cumin 0909 40 10- Caraway 0909 50 11- Fennel 0909 50 21- Juniper Berries 1001 90 31-Meslin 1002 00 10- Rye 1003 00 10- Barley 1004 00 10- Oats 1005 10 00- Maize 1006 10 10- Rice 1007 00 10- Sorghum 1008 10 10- Buckwheat 1008 20 11- Jawar 1008 20 21- Bajra 1008 20 31- Ragi 1008 30 10- Canary 1201 00 10- Soyabeans 1202 10 91- Groundnut 1204 00 10- Linseed 1207 20 10- Cotton 1207 40 10- Sesamum 1207 50 10- Mustard 1209 10 00- Sugar beet 1209 91 40- Seeds of fruits except for Pomegranate Others: Ginger Poppy Durum Wheat Flour Roots and tubers of dried leguminous vegetables Coca leaf Poppy Jojoba Serpentina Roots Agarwood Opium Restricted Restricted materials: 2514 00 00- Slate as per Policy Circular No.12,13,20,25,28,65 and 67 2515 11 00- Marble and travertine Blocks, slabs or otherwise 2515 20 90- Ecaussine and other calcareous stone 2516 20 00- Sandstone 2516 90 10- Pakur stone Restricted hazardous substances: 2524 90 14- Amosite as per Convention on the PIC procedure for hazardous chemicals and pesticides. 2612 10 00-Uranium ores and concentrates as per Atomic Energy Act, 1962 2612 20 00- Thorium ores and concentrates 2615 90 20- Niobium tantalum ores and concentrates 2844 30 21- Thorium oxide 2844 30 22- Thorium hydroxide 2844 30 23- Thorium nitrate 2844 50 00- Spent fuel elements and cartridges for nuclear reactors 2845 10 00- Heavy water (deuterium oxide) Restricted pollutants: 2903 14 00- Carbon tetrachloride as per “Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete Ozone Layer”. 2903 19 20- Trichloroethane 2903 41 00- Trichlorofluoro methane 2903 42 00- Dichlorodifluoro methane 2903 43 00- Trichlorotrifluoroethanes 2903 44 10- 1,2 Dichlorotetra-fluoroethane 2903 44 20- Chloropenta fluoroethane, Chlorotrifluoro-methane, Pentachloro fluoroethane and the rest Tetrachlorodi-fluoroethane Heptachlorodi-fluoropropane, Hexachlorodi-fluoropropane, Pentachlorotri-fluoropropane, Tetrachlorotetra-fluoropropane, Trichloropenta-fluoropropane, Dichlorohexa-fluoropropane, Chlorohepta-fluoropropane, Heptachlorodi-fluoropropane, Hexachlorodi-fluoropropane, Pentachlorotri-fluoropropane,Tetrachlorotetra-fluoropropane, Trichloropenta-fluoropropane, Dichlorohexa-fluoropropane, Chlorohepta-fluoropropane, Bromochlorodifluoro-Methane, Bromotrifluoro-methane, Dibromotetra-fluoroethanes, perhalogenated derivatives, Halogenated derivatives of methane, ethane or propane Restricted chemicals: DDT-Technical 75 Wdp, Ethchlorvynol (INN, Acetic anhydride, Amfetamine (INN),benzfetamine- Dexamfetamine , Dextropropoxyphene(INN) and its salts , Fenproporex (INN) and its salts , Levorphanol (INN) and its salts, Allobarbital (INN), amobarbital (INN), barbital (INN), butalbital (INN), butobarbital (INN), cyclobarbital (INN), methylphenobarbital (INN), pentobarbital (INN), secbutabarbital (INN), secobarbital (INN), and vinylbital (INN), Ephedrine alkaloids, Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls, Gun powder Industrial explosives, Detonating fuses , Fireworks, Restricted miscellaneous: 4403 99 22- SandalWood as per Policy Circular No. 1 (RE-06) / 2004-09 dated 7.4.2006 4801 00 10- Newsprint, in rolls or sheets 4802 55 50- Bank, bond and cheque paper, paper for security printing, currency paper, stamp paper 4802 55 60- Currency note paper 4907 00 20- Banknotes 6309 00 00- Worn clothing and rags Restricted waste and scrap: 7503 00 90 Nickel 7802 00 90 Lead 7902 00 90 Zinc 8002 00 90 Tin 8101 97 00 Tungsten 8102 97 00 Molybdenum 8103 30 00 Tantalum 8104 20 90 Magnesium 8105 30 00 Cobalt 8106 00 20 Bismuth and bismuth alloys 8107 30 00 Cadmium 8108 30 00 Titanium 8109 30 00 Zirconium 8110 20 00 Antimony 8112 13 00 Beryllium 8112 22 00 Chromium 8112 52 00 Thallium 8401 40 00 Parts of Nuclear reactors 8525 50 40 Communication jamming equipment 8526 10 00 Radar apparatus 8801 00 20 Balloons Restricted goods Helicopters, Aeroplanes, Spacecraft (including satellites), Warships, Self-propelled Artillery weapons, Rocket launchers; flame throwers; grenade launchers; torpedo tubes, revolvers or pistols and cartridges. Restricted luxury items: Worked tortoise-shell, mother of pearl, bone (excluding whalebone), horn, coral and other animal carving materials, Stuffed animals and birds (taxidermy), ivory, unrendered fats, sperm oil, exotic oils. Note: All the items covered in this article are subject to conditions laid upon by the government. The list gives you an overall idea of the restricted items and may change as per the government notifications and amendments. Get in touch with our experts to know more and to set up your import-export business.