How do we check if a product is restricted or prohibited for import into India?

India's Foreign Trade Policy classifies every importable item under the ITC-HS (Indian Trade Classification based on Harmonized System) schedule, and each entry is marked Free, Restricted, or Prohibited. Free items can be imported against a standard IEC with no additional license. Restricted items — which include certain chemicals, wildlife products, used machinery, and some electronics categories — require a specific import license from the DGFT before shipment, and importing without one can result in seizure and penalties, not just delay.

Prohibited items cannot be imported under any circumstances, regardless of licensing, and the list changes periodically as trade policy evolves — items can move between categories with limited notice, so a product that was freely importable last year isn't guaranteed to remain so. Because misclassification carries real financial and legal risk, checking the current ITC-HS classification for a specific product against its correct tariff heading before committing to a shipment plan is worth doing as a formal step, not an assumption carried over from a previous import.