Two separate sets of rules apply to your parcel: what may leave India, and what may enter your country. A parcel that fails either is stopped, usually after you have paid for it.
Never accepted, anywhere
- Loose lithium batteries, power banks, and most vape devices
- Perfume, aftershave, and alcohol-based fragrances — flammable, and the most common refusal by a wide margin
- Aerosols, pressurised cans, nail polish and remover, lighter fluid
- Cash, gold, bullion, loose gemstones, and currency
- Firearms, ammunition, and anything resembling a weapon
- Narcotics and controlled substances
- Live plants, seeds, soil, and live animals
Allowed, with conditions
- Medicines. Prescription medicine in personal quantities with the prescription in the box. Controlled medicines usually need destination approval. See our medicine guide.
- Food. Sealed, commercially packaged, non-perishable food is usually fine. Homemade, fresh, and meat or dairy products usually are not, and Australia and New Zealand are strict.
- Electronics with batteries installed. Generally acceptable when the battery is inside the device; loose spares are not.
- Ayurvedic and herbal products. Widely accepted, but some ingredients are restricted in specific countries.
- Branded goods. Genuine articles are fine. Counterfeits are seized and can create a legal problem for the recipient.
The ones that surprise people
Perfume, because it is a common gift. Coconut oil, which some destinations treat as a restricted agricultural product. Sandalwood and certain woods, which are protected. Anything with a small lithium cell, including some greeting cards.
Check before you buy
Our prohibited and restricted items pages cover the rules country by country. If something is not listed and you are unsure, ask us before you order — a question costs nothing and a seized parcel costs everything in the box.