Memory Cards

Solid-state memory cards for data storage

DGFT CLEARANCE

HSN 8523 52 20 (Memory Cards) is subject to the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under policy condition no. 1 to Chapter 85. Import of memory cards containing cinematographic or other films is subject to compliance with all applicable Indian laws governing film distribution and exhibition, including certification requirements under the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Import of foreign reprints of Indian films requires prior written permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

What this is

HSN code

8523 52 20

Chapter

85 · Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof

Primary regulator

DGFT · ITC (HS) import policy condition no. 1, Chapter 85

Customs documentation

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

Compliance steps

1
Verify that no memory card in the consignment contains unauthorised or pirated film content. Any memory card carrying cinematographic or other film content must comply with all applicable Indian laws governing film distribution and exhibition, including a valid certificate of public exhibition under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
Policy condition no. 1 to Chapter 85 and Chapter 37 of ITC (HS) Import Policy
2
If the memory cards contain foreign reprints of Indian films, obtain prior written permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting before filing the bill of entry. Import without such permission is prohibited and the consignment is liable to seizure.
Policy condition no. 1 to Chapter 85 of ITC (HS) Import Policy

A word of counsel

The content-neutrality assumption is the most common error on this tariff line: importers of blank or general-purpose memory cards frequently overlook that the policy condition attaches to the card's contents at import, not to its physical format. A consignment of memory cards pre-loaded with film content — even as samples or promotional material — triggers the Cinematograph Act, 1952 certification requirement and, if the content is a foreign reprint of an Indian film, the Ministry of I&B prior-permission requirement. Failure to obtain either clears the path to outright confiscation of the consignment.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 8523 52 20 require BIS certification?

No, memory cards under this tariff line are not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. Import is governed by the ITC (HS) policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, with content-specific conditions under policy condition no. 1 to Chapter 85 applying where the cards carry film content.

Does the Cinematograph Act, 1952 certification requirement apply to blank memory cards?

No. The certification and distribution-law compliance requirement under policy condition no. 1 applies only where the imported memory card carries cinematographic or other film content; blank or data-only cards are not subject to this condition.

What happens if a memory card consignment contains a foreign reprint of an Indian film without Ministry of I&B permission?

Import of foreign reprints of Indian films without prior written permission from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is prohibited, rendering the consignment liable to seizure and confiscation under the Customs Act, 1962 read with the ITC (HS) policy condition.

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