I will be visiting India in March. I am taking a laptop for my brother. I would like to know if it is advisable to check in the laptop in the baggage or should I carry it with me. If I carry the laptop with me, then what kind of screenings can I expect. The laptop manual says that the laptop should not be screened through the metal detector and that I should not check it in the baggage.

In the Indian customs form, am I required to declare that I am bring a laptop?

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Orginally posted by Seema
I will be visiting India in March. I am taking a laptop for my brother. I would like to know if it is advisable to check in the laptop in the baggage or should I carry it with me.

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If I carry the laptop with me, then what kind of screenings can I expect. The laptop manual says that the laptop should not be screened through the metal detector and that I should not check it in the baggage.

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In the Indian customs form, am I required to declare that I am bring a laptop?

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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."

-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"

There is no duty for bringing in a laptop. Don't let the customs try to fool you into thinking otherwise.

This is very clearly stated.

Hi,
I was in india a month back and i saw the rules. 1 Laptop can be brought per person and you can bring rs. 12,000 worth of goods duty free.
Now the point that i am trying to make is that :
I am not sure if the Laptop can be brought for personal use or if it can be brought not for personal use. I did not see that clause properly.
If it can be brought for non personal use, you are free.
if it can be brought only for personal use, then the customs agent can harass you. What you have to do is to tell him to enter the laptop in your passport (meaning that you will bring it when you leave india). Normally the customs agent will not like that b'cos it involves 10 mins. of paper work and all that he wants is money from you. so he may just ask you for a small bribe. you may pay it or haggle further to let you free. It also depends if you are a canadian citizen. if you are a Canadian citizen, then he will not boter you.
May be alexm can enlighten us further.
TK
side note : What really got me crazy with the customs was that the paper said that Laptops can be brought in without duty but when the yscanned my bag, they found an outdated 6 year old video cam worth $200 at the most. Immediately an all out alert was sounded. All the agent's started speaking about my bag. My bag was ticked with an X in a chalk. My fcustoms declaration form was taken and a big x was put in it with a word video camera. I then proceeded to customs. I was prepared to make a big scene if conforonted. But once the officer saw that my daughter was a canadian citizen he let me go. So it also depends on the passport you carry. but $12,000 exemption still applies.

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

Forgive me if this sounds like a crazy and weird question - but I would still like to know what are the risks involved if I pack my laptop well in my suitcases and check it in the checkin luggage? I want to save myself from the trouble of carrying an extra luggage around the airport. I am flying by KLM, so I have to change the flight at Amterdem. We are travelling with my 3 year old son, therefore the lighter you travel easier it is, specially if you have to change planes.

Though you would like to save you the trouble by carrying less cabin luggage, I would strongly advise you to take the Laptop in its carry case with you as a cabin baggage as you run the risk of breaking or even losing it all together in your checked baggage if you happen to lose your suitcase which happens quite often when you have to change planes.

I was in India last month with my wife and teenage daughter and we carried 2 cabin baggages each and I had my Laptop and Video Camera. I had a very good experience at the IGI Airport, New Delhi as it took us 2 minutes to pass customes and they never bothered to even ask for the lap top and or video camera. And, if they do not ask you, then you do not have to worry and leave the laptop there as while coming back also, they would not ask you any thing about it. It is very commone now a days for travellers to take lap tops with them and the custom officers do not even bother to ask for it.

However, as Pratik mentioned, at Amesterdam they might ask you to open the carry case and show every thing as they did it with us at Paris (the worst Airport).

Best wishes for your safe and enjoyable trip.

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Orginally posted by Seema

Forgive me if this sounds like a crazy and weird question - but I would still like to know what are the risks involved if I pack my laptop well in my suitcases and check it in the checkin luggage? I want to save myself from the trouble of carrying an extra luggage around the airport. I am flying by KLM, so I have to change the flight at Amterdem. We are travelling with my 3 year old son, therefore the lighter you travel easier it is, specially if you have to change planes.[/quot]