Customs For Cameras

[drprasannabhat]

Hi all,

I work in BKK since 3 years. Last year when I went on vacation to India (my country) I carried my sony alpha DSLR (worth 36k baht) with me. customs at the Indian airport stopped me and collected 2,500 INR as bribe and told if I pay with receipt it will be 6-7 k INR...! I was in a hurry and had no other choice.

Now, my question is, if I am a photographer and videographer by hobby and I travel to various countries, how should I manage carrying my camera and video camera + lenses etc. Do I need to pay customs+taxes at each airport/country I enter? Is there any procedure I should follow to avoid paying like that?

Please advise...your help is much appreciated.

Regards,

Prasanna

[lopburi3]

You are holding an Indian passport so naturally you would be subject to tax - just as anyone going to there home country would be for items obtained overseas.

Will move to travel forum as has nothing to do with visas for Thailand.

[Crossy]

India is the only country where I've had any problem entering with technology for personal use. Everywhere else has been completely uninterested in my digital SLR and two laptops.

When leaving India if you have something that you will be re-importing you can get a customs exemption at your departing airport which says that you've already paid the required duty on your equipment.

[fantuzi]

You are holding an Indian passport so naturally you would be subject to tax - just as anyone going to there home country would be for items obtained overseas.

Will move to travel forum as has nothing to do with visas for Thailand.

Lopburi3!You must be from very lousy country if they want duty from you for camera.

to OP drPrasannabhat:Indian Customs is bunch of chorahs,you know it very well.

In civilized countries any traveller can carry one camera,one laptop,one recording/playing instrument

without need to declare,exception is - Burma(but it is not civilized place).

I travel with three cameras and sometimes 2 laptops - never any problems.You may declare your equipment if

it is expensive-looking professional stuff,or to much of it.Then may be - you will have to go through customs clearance

to ensure your re-export.In India it was called TBRE.If you are Indian and you go to Pakistan,then you can expect all

sorts of harasment and better - do not go there at all,and if you do - do not carry expensive items.

Very important:relax and do not show your feeling of guilt,there is no reason to feel guilty if you are just average traveller!

[surangw]

since you had your camera there, I wonder what would have happened if you asked to take a picture of the custom agent?

and if so, later post his pic with the facts for all to see

[drprasannabhat]

You are holding an Indian passport so naturally you would be subject to tax - just as anyone going to there home country would be for items obtained overseas.

Will move to travel forum as has nothing to do with visas for Thailand.

Lopburi3!You must be from very lousy country if they want duty from you for camera.

to OP drPrasannabhat:Indian Customs is bunch of chorahs,you know it very well.

In civilized countries any traveller can carry one camera,one laptop,one recording/playing instrument

without need to declare,exception is - Burma(but it is not civilized place).

I travel with three cameras and sometimes 2 laptops - never any problems.You may declare your equipment if

it is expensive-looking professional stuff,or to much of it.Then may be - you will have to go through customs clearance

to ensure your re-export.In India it was called TBRE.If you are Indian and you go to Pakistan,then you can expect all

sorts of harasment and better - do not go there at all,and if you do - do not carry expensive items.

Very important:relax and do not show your feeling of guilt,there is no reason to feel guilty if you are just average traveller!

Thank you all for your concern and information.

While coming back I declared my DSLR and obtained export licence. But this time I have a video camera (Sony HD) with me, again for personal use. Don't know what they'll do. So trying to have all info and prepare myself. Should I contact my lawyer there? Will that help?

[Carmine6]

You are holding an Indian passport so naturally you would be subject to tax - just as anyone going to there home country would be for items obtained overseas.

Will move to travel forum as has nothing to do with visas for Thailand.

Lopburi3!You must be from very lousy country if they want duty from you for camera.

to OP drPrasannabhat:Indian Customs is bunch of chorahs,you know it very well.

In civilized countries any traveller can carry one camera,one laptop,one recording/playing instrument

without need to declare,exception is - Burma(but it is not civilized place).

I travel with three cameras and sometimes 2 laptops - never any problems.You may declare your equipment if

it is expensive-looking professional stuff,or to much of it.Then may be - you will have to go through customs clearance

to ensure your re-export.In India it was called TBRE.If you are Indian and you go to Pakistan,then you can expect all

sorts of harasment and better - do not go there at all,and if you do - do not carry expensive items.

Very important:relax and do not show your feeling of guilt,there is no reason to feel guilty if you are just average traveller!

Thank you all for your concern and information.

While coming back I declared my DSLR and obtained export licence. But this time I have a video camera (Sony HD) with me, again for personal use. Don't know what they'll do. So trying to have all info and prepare myself. Should I contact my lawyer there? Will that help?

Well it might not help when you're dealing with a corrupt official, but this website seems to say you should not be charged a duty. If you printed the website pages then at least you'd have some way of demonstrating you know the regulations. Two hurdles are proving you're taking the video camera back out and that you're a tourist. They're obviously going to lean towards claiming you're going to leave it there.

Main site, look for "travellers information" on the left side.

http://www.cbec.gov.in/cae1-english.htm

http://www.cbec.gov.in/travellers.htm

About 1/5 the way down is the tourist information:

A tourist arriving in India shall be allowed clearance free of duty articles in his bonafide baggage to the extent as mentioned below:-

Articles allowed free of duty

I Tourists of Indian origin other than those coming from Pakistan by land route (i)Used personal effects and travel souvenirs, if -

(a) These goods are for personal use of the tourist, and

b These goods, other than those consumed during the stay in India, are re-exported when the tourist leaves India for a foreign destination.

(ii) duty free allowances applicable to Indian Residents.

[Carib]

Is your home country India?

If yes, you pay import duties on a camera bought elsewhere.

I think HOME-country is the key word here.