Green channel or red channel? How customs works when you land in India
Use the green channel if you're carrying nothing dutiable or prohibited. Use the red channel if you have goods to pay duty on, or if you answer "Yes" to any of questions 16 to 18 on Form CBD-I. In either case:
- You declare dutiable or prohibited goods electronically, in Form CBD-I, before the green channel.
- You can file on the Atithi app up to three days before you land.
- You can update the declaration until you arrive.
Customs checks are mainly risk based, so most travellers walk straight through.
This guide is our interpretation of India's published customs rules, for general information. It isn't legal or customs advice, and Smuggl isn't liable for loss from relying on it. Customs decides how your goods are treated when you land.
What are the green and red channels?
After immigration and baggage collection, you reach customs and walk through one of two channels. The Customs Baggage (Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2026 define them:
- The green channel is a walk-through channel for passengers who aren't required to report to the red channel.
- The red channel is for passengers who declare goods for payment of duty, or who carry goods subject to the import prohibitions listed in Form CBD-I. If you've already paid the duty, you don't need it for that reason.
Which channel should you use?
| What you're carrying | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Used personal effects, and new items within your allowance | Green | Nothing to declare. The allowance is ₹75,000, or ₹25,000 for a tourist of foreign origin |
| New goods above your allowance | Red | Declare in Form CBD-I. Duty applies to the excess, about 38.5% |
| Pets | Red | Declare your No Objection Certificate or import authorisation in advance |
| Jewellery beyond daily use or beyond the special allowance | Red | Form CBD-I asks for the weights |
| A television, gold bullion, a satellite phone, a drone, meat, dairy, fish or poultry products, seeds or plants | Red | Each is a question on Form CBD-I |
| Prohibited articles | Red | Examples on the form: narcotics, wildlife products, counterfeit Indian currency, maps with wrong boundaries |
| Indian currency over ₹25,000, foreign notes over US$5,000, or total foreign exchange over US$10,000 | Red | You also fill the Currency Declaration Form |
Our duty-free calculator adds up your new items against your allowance, so you know which row you're in before you fly.
How do you declare in advance on Atithi?
- Open CBIC's Atithi app or web portal, or ICEGATE, and sign in with a one-time password.
- Fill in Form CBD-I: your flight, the value of dutiable goods and your answers to questions 16 to 18. Add supporting documents such as bills.
- File it up to three days before you land. Filed early, it counts from the date you arrive.
- Update it any time until you arrive.
- After landing, take the red channel and show your declaration.
If you can't file electronically, an Assistant or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may allow you to declare another way on arrival. For a child under 18, a family member or legal guardian files.
How should you handle a customs check?
Most travellers are never stopped. If you are, a few habits keep it quick.
- Be calm and polite. Answer what you're asked, truthfully and completely. Short answers are easier on everyone than long ones.
- Have your documents ready: passport, boarding pass, your Atithi declaration and the bills for anything new.
- Know your numbers. Your allowance, your category and the 38.5% rate on the excess let you follow the officer's assessment.
- Pack so inspection is quick. Keep valuables and receipts together near the top, and keep the original packaging or receipt for electronics and other valuable items.
- Stay within your airline's baggage limits so your bags are easy to handle. Our guide to liquids and power banks in hand luggage covers cabin rules.
- Pay any duty through the official process and keep the receipt.
What can you expect?
- Baggage declarations are verified mainly on the basis of risk, according to the regulations.
- CBIC has told officers at international airports to wear body cameras when dealing with arriving passengers (Instruction No. 34/2025-Customs, 30 December 2025).
- If goods are detained, the officer issues a detention receipt with your details, the items and the officer's details. You can clear them later by paying the duty, with any interest and storage charges.
- The Customs Help Desk in the arrival hall can help with questions or a complaint.
- If your bag is lost or delayed, ask a customs officer at the mishandled baggage counter to endorse your free allowance.
Which other CBD forms might you meet?
| Form | What it's for |
|---|---|
| CBD-I | Declaring your accompanied baggage when you land |
| CBD-II | Unaccompanied baggage, filed on ICEGATE |
| CBD-III | An export certificate for valuables you take out of India and bring back |
| CBD-IV | A temporary baggage import certificate for tourists |
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use the red channel if I'm within the ₹75,000 allowance?
No. If you carry only used personal effects and new goods within your allowance, and nothing on questions 16 to 18 of Form CBD-I applies to you, you can use the green channel.
How early can I file my customs declaration for India?
Up to three days before you arrive, on the Atithi app or ICEGATE. You can update it until you land. A declaration filed early counts from the date you arrive.
Is the Atithi declaration compulsory?
Passengers carrying dutiable or prohibited goods must declare them electronically in Form CBD-I before entering the green channel. If you can't file electronically, an Assistant or Deputy Commissioner of Customs may allow another way on arrival.
What is Form CBD-I?
The Customs Baggage Declaration form for accompanied baggage. It asks for your flight details, the value of goods subject to duty, and Yes or No answers on pets, jewellery, prohibited articles, televisions, gold bullion, food and plant products, satellite phones, currency and drones.
Which items send me to the red channel?
Goods above your allowance, and a Yes to any of questions 16 to 18 on Form CBD-I. Those cover pets, jewellery beyond daily use or the special allowance, prohibited articles, televisions, gold bullion, meat and dairy products, seeds and plants, satellite phones, large amounts of currency and drones.
Can someone file my declaration for me?
For a child under 18, a family member or legal guardian files it. For unaccompanied baggage, anyone you authorise can file the declaration.
Are customs officers recorded?
CBIC has told officers at international airports to wear body cameras when dealing with arriving passengers, in Instruction No. 34/2025-Customs of 30 December 2025.
How much duty will I pay on goods above my allowance?
About 38.5% of the value above your allowance: 35% basic customs duty plus a 10% surcharge on that duty. Our guide to how customs duty works in India explains the rate.
Sources
Checked on November 14, 2026. Rules, limits and fees change.
- Customs Baggage (Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2026, Notification No. 15/2026-Customs (N.T.), with Form CBD-I (Kolkata Customs compilation) (channel definitions, declaration timing, Form CBD-I, Instruction No. 34/2025-Customs)
- CBIC: International travellers guide (Atithi, Customs Help Desk, mishandled baggage)
- CBIC: FAQs on the Baggage Rules, 2026 (who declares, red channel, detained baggage)
- CBIC: Circular No. 04/2026-Customs (detention of goods and the detention receipt)
- CBIC: Notification No. 14/2026-Customs (N.T.), the Baggage Rules, 2026 (the allowances)
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