Other

Other electrical machines and apparatus (miscellaneous specialised)

CDSCO CLEARANCE · MOHFW CLEARANCE

HSN 8543 70 29 (Other electrical machines and apparatus) is subject to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) labelling requirements under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022, and to a prohibition on e-cigarettes and all electronic nicotine delivery systems administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) oversight applies where any apparatus is licensed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, as a carve-out from the DGFT prohibition.

What this is

HSN code

8543 70 29

Chapter

85 · Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof

Primary regulator

CDSCO · Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (licensed-product carve-out); MOHFW · Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022

Customs documentation

Labelling compliance declaration from MOHFW
DGFT prohibition compliance from DGFT
Licence from CDSCO

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

CDSCOCDSCO·Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation

MOHFWMOHFW·Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Confirm the goods do not constitute e-cigarettes, refill pods, atomisers, cartridges, electronic nicotine delivery systems, heat-not-burn products, e-hookah, or any like device. Import of all such articles under HS 8543 is prohibited, and customs officers will treat any such consignment as liable to seizure and confiscation.
DGFT Notification 20/2015-20 dated 26-09-2019
2
Where the consignment comprises tobacco-related apparatus, ensure packaging and labelling comply with the health-warning specifications in GSR 592(E) dated 21-07-2022, operative from 01-12-2022. Non-conforming labelling triggers detention at the port of import pending rectification or re-export.
GSR 592(E) dated 21-07-2022 · CBIC Instruction 02/2023 dated 07-01-2023 · MOHFW letter D.O.P.16011/02/2017-TC (Part-1) dated 09-12-2022
3
If the apparatus is licensed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, ensure the CDSCO licence or registration is current and uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry — this licensed-product status is the sole statutory carve-out from the DGFT e-cigarette prohibition under HS 8543.
DGFT Notification 20/2015-20 dated 26-09-2019 · Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940

A word of counsel

The most common error on this residual tariff line is importing what are commercially described as 'vaping devices,' 'heated tobacco units,' or 'nicotine inhalers' on the assumption that a CDSCO drug-device licence provides clearance. The CDSCO carve-out in DGFT Notification 20/2015-20 is narrow: only products licensed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 qualify; a product that is merely registered or exempted under those Rules, but not positively licensed, remains subject to the prohibition, and the consignment faces confiscation.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 8543 70 29 require BIS certification?

No, this residual tariff line is not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. Import is primarily governed by the DGFT prohibition on e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems under DGFT Notification 20/2015-20, and by MOHFW packaging and labelling requirements under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022.

Are spare parts or components of e-cigarettes — such as refill pods or atomisers — also prohibited under this tariff line?

Yes. DGFT Notification 20/2015-20 dated 26-09-2019 explicitly prohibits import of parts and components of e-cigarettes, including refill pods, atomisers, and cartridges, under HS 8543; there is no component-level exemption.

What labelling health-warning standard applies if the apparatus is associated with conventional tobacco products?

GSR 592(E) dated 21-07-2022 notified a new set of health warnings operative from 01-12-2022 under General Note 13 of the ITC (HS) Schedule; consignments must carry the updated warnings as specified, with any deficiency addressable only under the rectification window and not by label substitution at port.

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