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I am going back to India soon from the US. Can I take a laptop in my carry-on luggage and another laptop in my checked baggage, so that I don't have to pay customs duty for either of the laptops? Will they ever figure out that I have two laptops? Does Indian Customs check the combined luggage of every person to see how much electronic goods they are carrying?

In case, a laptop is not allowed can I carry 2 NVMe SSDs and a RAM module in my checked baggage, without them complaining?

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    Great. Now anyone who answers risks being tried for conspiracy under Indian jurisdiction. I'll pass. Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 5:12
  • I have a friend interning with me, who did the same last year and paid no duties. I used to think Lithium batteries were not allowed in checked baggage. Any ideas? Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 5:17
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    Possible duplicate of Can I take two laptops to India from United States? One bought in India and one in US (see the second answer)
    – gparyani
    Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 5:33
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    Are you seriously asking for help in smuggling two laptops and/or hard drives in to India?
    – canonacer
    Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 9:32
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    I do not know for sure, but I'd be very surprised if Indian customs laws only applied to one of hand luggage and checked luggage
    – Richard
    Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 9:39

2 Answers 2

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Can I take a laptop in my carry-on luggage and another laptop in my checked baggage, so that I don't have to pay customs duty for either of the laptops?

No

The duty free allowances are per person, not per suitcase.

It doesn't matter if one device is packed in your carry on luggage and another in a checked bag, you have to declare the contents / value of your combined baggage.

Does Indian Customs check the combined luggage of every person to see how much electronic goods they are carrying?

Probably not of every person and not all the time.

Like many customs authorities they depend on passengers making their own customs declaration and self-assessment and they have a "Green channel" for passengers to that not have dutiable goods and a "Red Channel" for passengers that do.

That system gets enforced by "random" more thorough checks and the fact that passengers getting caught walking through the Green Channel with dutiable/prohibited goods are liable to prosecution/ penalty and confiscation of goods.

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    Let's make it clear that when one is caught, it will usually cost a lot more than if one declared things up front, though the exact details can vary substantially.
    – jcaron
    Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 10:50
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    +1 Every time I've been through a Red/Green customs system I've had all my luggage with me, checked and carry-on. When they stop someone they look at the passenger and all their luggage as a unit. Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 16:14
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As far as customs is concerned, there is no difference between checked baggage and carry-on baggage -- you go through customs after collecting your checked baggage. So your question about combined luggage makes no sense.

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