What cannot leave India, and what cannot arrive
Every shipment has to satisfy two authorities: the one it is leaving and the one it is entering. Items pass one and fail the other constantly, which is why a single "prohibited" list is misleading.
Prohibited outright, everywhere
Currency and negotiable instruments. Precious metals in bullion form. Firearms, ammunition and parts. Narcotics and psychotropics. Live plants, seeds and animals. Explosives and flammable liquids. Counterfeit goods of any kind.
These are refused at intake. We will not accept them into the locker in the first place.
Restricted, but shippable with care
Lithium batteries travel on air lanes only, with dangerous-goods documentation that we file. Devices with the battery installed are easier than loose cells.
Perfumes, aerosols and alcohol-based cosmetics are volume-capped and cannot go on every lane.
Sealed, labelled, non-perishable food is fine into most destinations and blocked into Australia and New Zealand.
Jewellery ships insured and fully declared, with hallmark documentation where it exists.
Anything flagged in your locker shows the specific rule and the destination it applies to, before you pay.
India-specific export restrictions
Antiquities over one hundred years old cannot be exported without an Archaeological Survey of India certificate, and genuinely old items are seized without one.
Certain wildlife-derived materials — ivory, shahtoosh, some shells and skins — are prohibited under CITES regardless of the destination.
Some agricultural commodities face export quotas or outright bans that change with the season.
What to do when you are unsure
Ask before you buy, not after it arrives at our warehouse. The concierge answers restriction questions from your actual destination rules.
If we are uncertain, our compliance desk checks and answers within a working day. An unshippable item sitting in your locker is a smaller problem than one destroyed in transit.
In short
- Two lists apply: what may leave India and what may enter your country.
- Batteries, liquids and food are restricted rather than banned.
- Antiquities need an ASI certificate to leave India.
- Ask before buying; flagged items show their rule in your locker.
Put this to use
A free Indian address takes under a minute and costs nothing until something ships.