In book form
Printed atlases, wall maps and topographical plans in book form
HSN 4905 20 00 (printed maps and atlases in book form) is governed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the ITC (HS) import policy, with import free subject to the absolute prohibition on obscene printed matter under Customs Notification No. 01/1964-CUS dated 18 January 1964. No sectoral Partner Government Agency licence or registration is required at the bill-of-entry stage beyond customs clearance.
- Import declaration from CBIC
- Commercial invoice from exporter
- 1Verify that no item in the consignment constitutes an obscene book, pamphlet, paper, drawing, painting, representation, figure, or article before filing the bill of entry. Importation of any such material is absolutely prohibited and the consignment is liable to confiscation under Customs Notification No. 01/1964-CUS.Customs Notification No. 01/1964-CUS dated 18-01-1964
- 2File the bill of entry under the standard ITC (HS) free-import regime for Chapter 49. No PGA NOC or e-Sanchit PGA document upload is required; the customs officer will verify compliance with the obscenity prohibition at out-of-charge.ITC (HS) import policy, Chapter 49
The sole operative restriction on this tariff line is the absolute prohibition on obscene printed material under Notification No. 01/1964-CUS — a 60-year-old but fully live Customs notification. Importers sourcing atlases or wall maps containing cartographic content that depicts politically sensitive boundaries may face detention and referral to the Ministry of External Affairs; India does not recognise maps showing incorrect depictions of national boundaries, and such consignments have been confiscated independently of the obscenity prohibition.