Can Liquor be Carried on the flights to India from the USA?
Are you planning to travel from USA to India and like to carry some liquor with you? Learn the rules regarding carrying liquor to India on the flights.
The Indian government has clear and specific mandates for bringing products from foreign countries. There are jurisdictions under various acts which state the amount, quality and quantity of certain items an individual can carry to India from abroad. Hence there are specific rules for carrying alcohol to India. Hence it is required to know the rules and regulations before you enter the country with booze cartons.
The following are the most asked queries when people want to bring alcohol to India: Can Liquor be Carried on the flights to India from the USA?
Yes, you can carry up to a specified quantity of alcohol In the flights to India from the USA, allowed by the government of India under the Customs Act. How much alcohol can be carried by a person at a time?
A passenger can carry up to 2 liters of alcohol on a single journey to IndiaIs it okay to carry more alcohol if we are travelling as a group?
As per the rules of the Indian government, an individual is allowed to carry 2 litres of alcohol during his journey to India. That means, if you are a group of 4 people, you can carry 8 litres of alcohol. But please make sure not to pack 8 litres of alcohol bottles together in one bag to avoid further confusion at the airport for the immigration and customs officers. This will cause problems to the owner of that bag initially. If you are doing so, sometimes, you might end up wasting a lot of time explaining to the officers about your group and the reason why one individual ended up carrying all the bottles. Hence, avoid such silly mistakes which normally creates chaos at the airport during the immigration process when you are carrying alcohol to India. Can you buy wine beside liquor?
You can definitely include wine beside liquor. But, since both wine and liquor come under the category of alcohol, you must limit carrying them within the specified limit of 2 litres. That is, together you can only bring 2 litres of wine and alcohol to India. Where do you place the bottles while bringing alcohol to India on a flight?
You can place it in the check-in baggage as the permitted bottle sizes in the cabin baggage usually is 100 ml per container. Also, if you have transits at different airports, you will require to undergo security checks multiple times. Your cabin baggage will be examined multiple times as well. There are higher chances of getting your bottles confiscated.
But when you pack your alcohol bottles in check-in baggage, the risk for breakage is higher. In that instance, try to bubble wrap and keep the bottles safely when you carry alcohol to India. Is it illegal to bring more alcohol to India?
It is not illegal to carry more alcohol to India if you are paying additional taxes and follow through the norms and regulations. However, if you try to hide the quantity you are carrying or falsify the information, it is illegal under the law of India. What happens if you accidentally bring more than the specified quantity of alcohol to India?
If you carry more alcohol unknowingly, you have a few options. The first one is to dispose of them. It means that you can trash them at airport counters. The second option is to pay the duty for carrying alcohol to India. The third option is to state honestly on the immigration form that you are carrying more alcohol than the allowed limit. In that case, when the authorities stop you, you can be honest with them and say that you have unknowingly carried a larger amount but will not be able to pay duty. At that point, the officials will dispose of the bottles by themselves. You will not be under any troubles as you have provided correct information. What are the tax norms for carrying additional bottles of alcohol to India?
Beyond the allowed 2 litres, while bringing alcohol to India, you need to pay additional taxes.
For bringing whisky the following payment is to be made:
Whisky BCD @150% + ACD @ 4% + education cess NIL.
If you are bringing beer, the payment will be:
Beer BCD @100% + ACD NIL + 3% education cessCan you buy alcohol from the airports in India?
There is nothing stopping you from buying alcohol from Indian airports. After the official immigration declaration processes are concluded, if you can buy alcohol from the airport still, it is totally up to you to do so. Since it is done after the standard immigration procedures, you are not at risk.
What if you can pay for the excess litres of alcohol carrying to India?
The above-mentioned criteria for bringing alcohol is only applicable if you want to carry alcohol to India without paying duty. If you are willing to pay the duty as per regulations by declaring it clearly on the immigration form and undergo appropriate checking process, you can bring more than 2 litres of alcohol to India from the USA. Is there any penalty to bringing alcohol to India without paying tax?
According to the Indian customs Act 1962, while carrying alcohol to India if you fail to declare that you are carrying excess quantity or if you falsify the information or you conceal the bottles, it is an offence and you will have to face heavy penalties. It may include confiscation of the items you have brought, the imposition of heavy fines, prosecution if the offence is serious and other penalties. Also, the provisions of the law state that if you try to walk through the Green Channel with restricted and prohibited items, or without paying duties for the items you have brought and if you produce falsified information at the Red channel etc. you have broken the law and for these offences, you will be penalized.
By adhering to these rules, while bringing alcohol to India you can easily pass through the immigration process without any confusions at the airport. Have a nice flight and do enjoy India!
