India on Friday backtracked on its sudden plan to curb laptop and tablet imports without a license, giving companies three months to secure the permits.
The move came after tech giants Apple Inc, Samsung Electronics Co and HP Inc froze new device imports to the South Asian country following an abrupt order on Thursday.
India’s trade regulator surprised the world’s biggest PC makers when it made licenses mandatory for imports of electronics from small tablets to all-in-one PCs.
Photo: Bloomberg
The sudden licensing imposition caught the industry off-guard, forcing it to begin emergency engagements with New Delhi about how to quickly obtain licenses at a period of heightened consumer interest with India’s Diwali shopping season and back-to-school period approaching.
However, on Friday, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a new order saying companies can import electronic goods such as laptops, tablets and other PCs without a license until Oct. 31.
The new curbs, which require a license to import these devices, will take effect on Nov. 1, the DGFT said in a notification.
New Delhi is simplifying the process of applying for licenses, which can be approved in as little as a day, a senior government official told reporters earlier on Friday.
Officials are also helping companies for the clearance of shipments already in transit to the South Asian nation as the halt threatens to disrupt a multibillion-dollar trade in foreign PCs at a crucial time.
The requirement creates additional compliance headaches for manufacturers in a market that is still largely reliant on overseas shipments.
It is also part of a wider state push to boost local production and create a world-class tech manufacturing industry in India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is seeking applications for a 170 billion-rupee (US$2.1 billion) financial incentive plan to draw makers of laptops, tablets and other hardware to the world’s most populous nation as companies look to diversify supply chains beyond China.
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