Currency note paper

Currency note paper, watermark bank note paper

DGFT CLEARANCE

HSN 4802 57 60 (Currency note paper) is subject to the ITC (HS) Restricted-import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 48. Import without a licence is permitted exclusively to the designated Government of India note-printing presses — Currency Note Press Nasik, Bank Note Press Dewas (both SPMCIL units), and Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd units in Mysore, Salboni and Bangalore — subject to an actual-user condition and submission of a certificate of import from the head of the importing unit.

What this is

HSN code

4802 57 60

Chapter

48 · Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp

Primary regulator

DGFT · ITC (HS) Restricted import policy, Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 48

Customs documentation

Certificate of import from unit head
Actual-user condition declaration to CBIC
Import Licence from DGFT

Compliance steps

1
Confirm the importing entity is one of the five authorised note-printing press units — Currency Note Press Nasik, Bank Note Press Dewas (SPMCIL), or BRBNMPL units in Mysore, Salboni or Bangalore. Any other importer must obtain a formal Import Licence from DGFT before filing the bill of entry, as the tariff line is Restricted under the ITC (HS) import policy.
DGFT Notification 13/2015-20 dated 12-07-2021 · Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 48
2
Where the import is by an authorised note-printing press, obtain a certificate of import signed by the head of the importing unit and file it with the bill of entry. The actual-user condition must be declared at the bill-of-entry stage; diversion of watermark bank note paper outside the designated press attracts Restricted-import enforcement.
DGFT Notification 13/2015-20 dated 12-07-2021 · Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 48

A word of counsel

The licence-free window applies strictly to the five named press units importing watermark bank note paper for their own use — it does not extend to any trading entity, procurement intermediary, or subsidiary acting on behalf of those presses. A consignment billed to or routed through any entity other than the designated unit itself falls outside the actual-user carve-out and renders the import unlicensed under the Restricted policy, exposing the cargo to detention and confiscation at the bill-of-entry stage.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 4802 57 60 require BIS certification?

No, currency note paper is not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. Import is governed exclusively by the ITC (HS) Restricted-import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade under Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 48, with a licence-free pathway available only to the five named Government of India note-printing presses.

Can a private paper importer or trading house import under the licence-free window?

No. The licence-free pathway is confined to Currency Note Press Nasik, Bank Note Press Dewas, and the three BRBNMPL units; all other importers must obtain a formal DGFT Import Licence for watermark bank note paper before the consignment is shipped.

What happens if watermark bank note paper imported under the actual-user condition is diverted from the press?

Diversion from the authorised note-printing press converts the import into an unlicensed Restricted-import and exposes the consignment to seizure and monetary penalty under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: DGFT / Indian Customs CUSDATA.