Key facts for India buyers, as of October 2026
— “All other second-hand capital goods” fall within the Free category of FTP paragraph 2.31 I(d).
— Second-hand diesel generating sets are Restricted and importable against authorisation.
— Customs may reject a declared price reasonably doubted after requesting more information.
— The Customs Manual directs used machinery without a prescribed export-country inspection report to special valuation.
— RBI allows authorised banks to set thresholds for advance-payment security.
Ask your Indian customs broker to check the machine’s eligibility and report requirements, and your authorised bank to confirm its payment conditions.
Can I import second-hand machinery into India?
The policy category is the starting point, but the buying decision belongs to the actual unit. As of October 2026, FTP 2023 paragraph 2.31 I(d) lists “All other second-hand capital goods”, apart from the categories in I(a), I(b) and I(c), as Free with no condition entry.
The same paragraph contains no whole-machine age limit or residual-life rule. That is a narrow statement about paragraph 2.31, not a promise that every machine can enter without further conditions. The machine’s current ITC(HS) line still matters.
Second-hand diesel generating sets are treated differently. Paragraph 2.31 I(a) lists them as Restricted and “Importable against Authorisation”. FTP 2.09 says “Actual User alone may import” goods requiring authorisation, so the proposed buyer or trader cannot assume eligibility.
Tractors and truck-mounted cranes also need their own classification review. Their current Chapter 87 used-vehicle conditions should not be replaced with the general capital-goods position. A familiar trade name does not decide which route applies.
We'd check the engine type and identification plate first, because that quickly separates a general capital-good enquiry from a generator or vehicle-route question.
Free does not mean unchecked. It is the policy category recorded for the general line. The tariff classification, any line conditions and the buyer’s eligibility still need a written machine-specific answer.
Ask the Indian customs broker or DGFT to confirm the current line conditions, generator authorisation route or Chapter 87 treatment for the model, serial number, year, configuration and intended use before purchase.
Do I need an IEC to import a used machine?
The importer identity belongs near the start of the purchase. As of October 2026, an Importer Exporter Code is compulsory for imports, subject to stated exemptions. One exemption covers goods for personal use that are not connected with trade, manufacture or agriculture.
That personal-use wording does not cover a machine bought for work. A business buying construction plant or agricultural machinery should not plan around it. A private buyer without a business also needs an individual eligibility answer rather than an assumption.
The legal importer named on the purchase and import documents should match the route that DGFT or the broker accepts. A mismatch can leave the seller preparing papers for the wrong buyer structure.
We'd decide whose name belongs on the invoice before negotiating the final paperwork, because changing the importer later can unsettle the file.
Ask DGFT or the Indian customs broker to confirm the buyer’s registration position and the eligibility of any private individual involved.
Do I need a Chartered Engineer certificate, and how is the machine valued?
Customs can examine both the declared price and the supporting material. As of October 2026, Rule 12 allows a customs officer to reject a declared price that is reasonably doubted after asking the importer for more information.
The CBIC Customs Manual also addresses used machinery that arrives without an export-country inspection report in the prescribed format. It directs that machinery to special valuation under Circular 07/2020-Customs.
The important pre-purchase question is not simply whether someone can produce a report. It is which format, engineer and evidence the relevant Custom House will accept for the particular machine. An inspection company’s marketing does not settle that question.
The condition inspection and customs valuation evidence work best when they use the same machine identity. Photographs, plates and seller documents should describe the unit consistently, while the accepted report requirements come from the Indian side.
We'd compare the report's serial number with the plate photo before relying on its valuation work; a polished report for the wrong unit is no help to the buyer.
Our guide to buying construction plant from Europe explains the buying side. A condition review helps the commercial decision, but it does not replace the prescribed report if customs requires one.
Ask the Indian customs broker and Custom House to confirm the prescribed report, accepted engineer and valuation evidence before shipment.
What import duty and tax will I pay on used machinery?
There is no single used-machinery percentage that can answer this safely. As of October 2026, the current duty, surcharge and import IGST depend on the exact tariff code, origin and customs value of the machine.
The UK–India CETA treaty text records base rates and staging. It does not, by itself, establish the current rate, the machine’s origin eligibility or any preference that applies to the unit under consideration.
The import calculation is separate from the seller’s asking price. The broker’s assessment should refer to the same model, configuration and origin evidence as the proposed purchase. A changed attachment, engine or country-of-origin statement can therefore require a fresh classification or origin answer.
A useful calculation identifies the classification used, each current rate and base, the origin evidence required and any preference being claimed. If the classification changes, the calculation needs to be revisited.
We'd compare machines on the broker's assessed basis, not on a generic duty percentage, because two similar listings can follow different classification or origin routes.
Ask the Indian customs broker to confirm the live duty, surcharge, import IGST, bases and origin treatment for the exact machine before buying.
What safety, emissions and cleaning requirements apply?
Import policy is only one layer. As of October 2026, FTP 2.03(a) applies India’s domestic technical, environmental, safety and health norms to imports.
The Ministry of Heavy Industries records that the Machinery and Electrical Equipment Safety (Omnibus Technical Regulation) Order, 2024 was withdrawn on 16 January 2026. That withdrawal does not answer every technical or electrical question for a used machine.
The separate Electrical Equipment (Quality Control) Order, 2020 may still need consideration. Its current product scope and its application to used equipment must be checked for the unit and any electrical equipment it contains.
Emissions and registration can also depend on what the machine is. A construction machine, tractor or other vehicle-classified unit needs written advice from the relevant transport authority and testing body rather than a general assumption.
Plant-health treatment is another machine-specific point. The certificate position, cleanliness of the machine and treatment of its wood packaging need to be established before dispatch. Any UK export certificate requirement belongs in the same check.
We'd review fitted electrical equipment and the machine's intended road use together, because the whole machine and its components can raise different questions.
Ask the broker, BIS, the relevant transport authority, DPPQS and APHA to confirm the requirements that fall within their respective roles.
What should I arrange before paying and shipping?
Banking, export evidence and freight acceptance belong alongside the import checks. As of October 2026, RBI Regulation 10(3) lets the buyer’s authorised bank permit an advance import payment. The bank may specify thresholds above which a standby letter of credit or guarantee is required.
There is no universal threshold: the buyer’s authorised bank sets its own threshold and conditions for the proposed payment.
For a UK purchase, a VAT-registered seller can zero-rate the sale only if the goods leave the UK and it holds valid export evidence within three months of the time of supply. The invoice plan therefore needs to allow for the seller's evidence terms.
The freight plan also needs a live answer. A suitable sailing, acceptance of the used machine and the route are decisions for the forwarder and carrier on the proposed shipment.
A freight estimate is not the same as carrier acceptance. The booking request should identify the actual machine and its transport configuration, so the response belongs to the unit being purchased rather than to a generic machine type.
The machine’s accurate dimensions and transport configuration allow the forwarder to assess the method, acceptance, route, sailing and operational timing for that unit.
We'd line up the bank, seller and freight answers before setting the payment date, because each one can change when the buyer is ready to release funds.
Ask the authorised bank, UK seller, forwarder and carrier to confirm the payment conditions, export-evidence terms, machine acceptance, route and sailing before funds move.
The pre-purchase checklist
We'd use this list to turn the open questions into one go-or-stop review before committing:
— Send the exact machine identity and specification to the Indian customs broker for classification and eligibility advice, including any generator or vehicle conditions.
— Settle the importer’s IEC and registration position.
— Agree the inspection report, engineer and valuation documents with the broker and Custom House before shipment.
— Obtain the broker’s current duty, tax and origin calculation.
— Obtain machine-specific technical, emissions, registration and electrical-product advice.
— Check plant-health, cleanliness, wood-packaging and any UK certificate requirements.
— Agree payment conditions with the buyer’s authorised bank and export-evidence arrangements with the UK seller.
— Obtain the forwarder’s and carrier’s acceptance, dimensions, route and sailing response before booking.
Use these checks to spot an overseas machinery scam before you commit. Keep the authority answers beside the seller and inspection records so the commercial and import decisions refer to the same unit.
Working with a buying agent who already does this
Euro Plant Finder works on the sourcing and export side. We find machinery in the UK and Europe, check the seller, arrange inspection and coordinate the seller-side document hand-off.
Your own Indian customs broker classifies, declares and clears the machine. We coordinate with that broker so the inspected unit and export documents match the information requested for the import.
We'd keep the inspection report at the centre of the buying file so the seller, broker and forwarder are working from the same machine identity.
Our buying-agent service page explains how we work.
Sourcing for India?
Tell us the machine type, spec and budget. We find it, inspect it, check the seller and get the export side documented for your clearing agent — working only for you, no fee unless we complete the deal.
Tell us what you're looking for →Want the import checklist to keep?
Download the free import checklist →Frequently asked questions
Can we import second hand machinery in India?
As of October 2026, FTP 2023 paragraph 2.31 I(d) lists all other second-hand capital goods, apart from its stated exceptions, as Free with no condition entry. That general line is not a clearance decision for every machine. Ask an Indian customs broker or DGFT to check the current ITC(HS) conditions for the exact unit before buying, especially if it could be treated as a vehicle or a second-hand diesel generating set.
Is there an age limit for importing used machinery into India?
FTP 2023 paragraph 2.31 contains no whole-machine age limit or residual-life rule. That statement applies only to that paragraph, not to every condition affecting a particular machine. A tractor or truck-mounted crane may fall within Chapter 87 used-vehicle conditions instead of the general capital-goods route. Give the exact model, year, configuration and proposed classification to your Indian customs broker or DGFT and obtain the current machine-specific answer before purchase.
Is a Chartered Engineer certificate required for used machinery imports?
The CBIC Customs Manual directs used machinery without an export-country inspection report in the prescribed format to special valuation under Circular 07/2020-Customs. The accepted engineer and report format for your machine still need checking. Before shipment, ask your Indian customs broker and the relevant Custom House what report, issuer and valuation evidence they will accept. Do not appoint a provider merely because it offers inspection services or describes its report as suitable.
What is the import duty on second-hand machinery?
There is no single rate for second-hand machinery. As of October 2026, your Indian customs broker needs the exact tariff code, origin and customs value to identify the current duty, surcharge and import IGST. The UK–India CETA text records base rates and staging, but that alone does not establish the rate or origin preference for a particular used machine. Ask for a written calculation that names the code, bases, origin treatment and any preference relied upon.
Can I import a used diesel generator into India?
A second-hand diesel generating set is not covered by the general Free line without qualification. FTP 2023 paragraph 2.31 I(a) lists these sets as Restricted and importable against authorisation. FTP 2.09 says that an Actual User alone may import goods requiring authorisation. DGFT and your Indian customs broker therefore need to check the buyer's eligibility and authorisation route before you commit to the generator; a trader should not assume automatic eligibility.
Can Euro Plant Finder handle the Indian customs side?
No. Euro Plant Finder works on the sourcing and export side. We find machinery in the UK and Europe, check sellers, arrange inspection and coordinate seller-side documents. Your own Indian customs broker handles Indian customs clearance and advises on classification, duty, technical rules, registration and plant-health requirements. We can coordinate the machine information and export documents with that broker, but we do not lodge the Indian declaration or act as the importer.
Sources and last check
This guide was last checked on 26 October 2026 against the official sources below. It is general guidance, not a quotation or legal advice: rates and rules change, so check anything that affects your machine with your customs broker or the authority named.
— DGFT — DGFT FTP 2023 Chapter 2 — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— DGFT — DGFT Handbook of Procedures Chapter 2, July 2026 edition — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— CBIC — CBIC Customs Manual 2025 — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— UK Government — UK–India CETA treaty text, UK Treaty Series 30/2026, Volume III — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— Ministry of Heavy Industries — Ministry of Heavy Industries — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— Ministry of Heavy Industries — Electrical Equipment (Quality Control) Order, 2020 — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— DGFT — DGFT Notification 4 (RE-2001), 31 Mar 2001 — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— DGFT — DGFT Policy Relaxation Committee minute, 7 Jul 2015 — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— Defra/APHA — Defra/APHA used-machinery export guidance (Feb 2020) — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— RBI — Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 (FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB) — checked 23 Oct 2026.
— HMRC — HMRC Notice 703 — checked 23 Oct 2026.