Stamper for CD audio, CD video and CD-ROM

Stamper for CD audio, CD video and CD-ROM production

DGFT CLEARANCE

HSN 8523 49 30 (Stamper for CD audio, CD video and CD-ROM) is subject to the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which prohibits the import of unauthorised or pirated content-bearing media and conditions any import of cinematographic or video content on compliance with the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Importers must ensure the stamper does not carry unauthorised film content, and foreign reprints of Indian films require prior written permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

What this is

HSN code

8523 49 30

Chapter

85 · Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof

Primary regulator

DGFT · ITC (HS) policy condition 1 to Chapters 85 and 37

Customs documentation

Policy compliance declaration from DGFT
Exhibition certificate from Ministry of I&B
Prior permission from Ministry of I&B

Compliance steps

1
Confirm the stamper does not carry unauthorised or pirated film content. Where the stamper encodes a cinematographic or video film for distribution in India, obtain a certificate of public exhibition under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, before filing the bill of entry.
Policy condition 1 to Chapters 85 and 37 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy
2
Where the stamper encodes a foreign reprint of an Indian film, obtain prior written permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting before shipment. Import without such permission is prohibited under the same policy condition and renders the consignment liable to confiscation.
Policy condition 1 to Chapters 85 and 37 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is treating a blank or content-production stamper as unconditionally free of content-law obligations. Customs officers may scrutinise the encoded content on the stamper matrix; if the stamper carries film content identifiable as an Indian production and the prior Ministry of Information and Broadcasting permission is absent, the consignment is liable to seizure and the importer faces prosecution under applicable Indian laws governing film distribution — regardless of whether the importer intended domestic exhibition.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 8523 49 30 require BIS certification?

No, stampers for CD audio, CD video and CD-ROM are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the ITC (HS) policy condition 1 to Chapters 85 and 37, administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, with content-law compliance required under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.

Do blank production stampers — carrying no recorded content — attract the Cinematograph Act condition?

The policy condition applies to films and video content encoded on the medium; a genuinely blank stamper used solely for disc pressing does not attract the exhibition-certificate requirement, but the importer bears the burden of demonstrating the stamper carries no film content at the bill-of-entry stage.

What happens if a foreign reprint of an Indian film is imported on a stamper without Ministry of Information and Broadcasting permission?

The import is prohibited under policy condition 1 to Chapters 85 and 37, and the consignment is liable to confiscation; the importer may also face prosecution under applicable Indian laws governing film distribution and exhibition.

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