Customs officials at Mumbai’s Foreign Post Office facility—which has jurisdiction over Goa—appear to be taking away law-abiding citizens of their hard-earned money. Nearly every parcel sent by friends or family abroad via India Post now seems to attract customs duty, regardless of its contents.
My daughter, who lives in Australia, recently sent me a parcel containing a small purse, two items of clothing, and a photo album of my granddaughter’s pictures. These were clearly personal gifts with no commercial value, correctly declared as such on the customs form. Yet, I received a call from the post office asking me to pay Rs 1,500 in customs duty. When I questioned it, the staff said everyone pays without protest, claiming it was a "new rule" and that the money had to be sent to Mumbai.
According to customs regulations, gifts of personal effects valued at Rs 5,000 or less are exempt from duty. Still, this rule is routinely ignored. In another instance this February, a friend was charged over Rs 4,000 in duty for a parcel containing just a few books and postcards—again, a personal gift.
By indiscriminately slapping customs duty on gift parcels—which are already expensive to send from overseas—and exploiting the public’s lack of awareness, the authorities are effectively fleecing citizens. I chose to return my parcel for reassessment and received it three weeks later with zero customs duty payable.
For others receiving parcels from loved ones abroad:
Do not open the parcel.
Return it to your post office and request reassessment.
Write a letter listing the contents, clarifying that it is a personal gift and falls within the duty-exempt limit.
Know your rights, and don’t let the system take advantage of you.