Paper for security printing, currency paper, stamp paper

Security printing paper, currency paper, stamp paper

DGFT CLEARANCE

HSN 4802 57 70 (Paper for security printing, currency paper, stamp paper) is classified as Restricted under the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), with import governed by Policy Conditions 1 and 3 of Chapter 48. Licence-free import of watermark bank note paper is permissible exclusively to notified Government of India note-printing presses — Currency Note Press Nasik, Bank Note Press Dewas (both SPMCIL units), and the BRBNMPL units at Mysore, Salboni and Bangalore — subject to an actual-user condition and a certificate from the head of the unit.

What this is

HSN code

4802 57 70

Chapter

48 · Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp

Primary regulator

DGFT · ITC (HS) Restricted import policy, Chapter 48 Policy Conditions 1 and 3

Customs documentation

Import Licence from DGFT
Unit-head certificate from SPMCIL or BRBNMPL
Actual-user condition declaration to CBIC

Compliance steps

1
Obtain a DGFT Import Licence before filing the bill of entry unless the importer is one of the five notified GOI note-printing presses eligible for the licence-free channel under Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 48. All other importers require a valid Import Licence; shipment without one triggers Restricted-import enforcement.
ITC (HS) Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 48 · DGFT Notification 13/2015-20 dated 12-07-2021
2
Notified SPMCIL and BRBNMPL units importing watermark bank note paper on the licence-free channel must submit a certificate of import signed by the head of the relevant unit at the bill of entry and comply with the actual-user condition — the paper may not be diverted from its designated press.
DGFT Notification 13/2015-20 dated 12-07-2021 · ITC (HS) Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 48
3
Confirm compliance with ITC (HS) Policy Condition 3 of Chapter 48, which governs the import of security printing paper more broadly. Upload all required documents in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge at the customs station.
ITC (HS) Policy Condition 3 of Chapter 48

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is assuming the licence-free channel is available to any government-affiliated entity. The exemption is narrowly confined to five named press units — Currency Note Press Nasik, Bank Note Press Dewas, and the BRBNMPL units at Mysore, Salboni and Bangalore — and the head-of-unit certificate is a mandatory customs document, not a post-clearance formality. Any diversion of the imported paper from its actual-user destination is treated as a breach of the import condition and attracts confiscation under the Customs Act, 1962.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 4802 57 70 require BIS certification?

No, no BIS Quality Control Order covers security printing paper, currency paper, or stamp paper. Import is governed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade under the ITC (HS) Restricted-import policy, specifically Policy Conditions 1 and 3 of Chapter 48, as notified by DGFT Notification 13/2015-20 dated 12-07-2021.

Which entities may import watermark bank note paper without an Import Licence?

Only the five notified GOI note-printing presses — Currency Note Press Nasik, Bank Note Press Dewas (both SPMCIL units), and BRBNMPL units at Mysore, Salboni and Bangalore — may import without a licence, subject to the head-of-unit certificate and actual-user condition under Policy Condition 1 of Chapter 48.

What governs the import of security printing paper other than watermark bank note paper?

ITC (HS) Policy Condition 3 of Chapter 48 applies to security printing paper broadly; importers outside the notified press units must hold a valid DGFT Import Licence, and no licence-free channel is available to them.

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