New Authorisation Required For Laptop, Tablet Imports In 2025; Applications Open On This Date

Imports of IT hardware products, including laptops and tablets, amounted to $8.4 billion in 2023-24, against an authorised value of approximately $9.5 billion

Importers of specific IT hardware products, including laptops and tablets, will need to apply for new authorisations for the upcoming year. The application window will open on December 13. According to a public notice from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), any authorisation granted for importing these restricted items under the Import Management System (IMS) will remain valid until December 31, 2025, and importers are allowed to submit multiple applications.

The DGFT has announced the IMS "for the import of restricted IT hardware for the 2025 calendar year."

In September, the government extended the existing approval system for importing certain IT hardware products, including laptops and tablets, by three months, now valid until December 31.

Imports of IT hardware products, including laptops and tablets, amounted to $8.4 billion in 2023-24, against an authorised value of approximately $9.5 billion. The majority of these imports came from China.

On August 3, 2023, the government imposed import restrictions on laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, ultra-small form factor computers, and servers. Following industry concerns over the restrictions, the government introduced an import management and authorisation system in October to regulate imports of these products.

The system is designed to monitor the inflow of these items without disrupting market supply. On November 1, 2023, the government approved over 100 applications, including those from Apple, Dell, and Lenovo, to import IT hardware products worth nearly $10 billion, marking the first day of the new system’s implementation.

This new licensing regime applies to laptops, personal computers (including tablets), microcomputers, mainframe computers, and specific data processing machines, all intended to ensure a reliable supply chain for India.

In 2022-23, India imported personal computers, including laptops, worth $5.33 billion, a decrease from $7.37 billion in 2021-22. Think tank GTRI has pointed out that India's repeated delays in implementing laptop import restrictions, potentially influenced by US concerns, need to be addressed.