I was trying to buy 3 toy drones 2 years ago, Today I got a registered post from Chennai customs asking me to pay a fine of 5000/- Rs each and the drones are all confiscated and I wont get it.
I don't know how to pay the fine.. It will be 3*5000 = 15000/-
Will I get in to trouble if I don't pay it.

Most Importantly, Will I be imprisoned, If I don't don't pay?

for paying the penalty you will have to deposit a treasury challan with the proper
accounting code under the act
after depositing you have to send the receipted challan to the commisioner

the above is the way we do it .

go to your nearest SBI - big branch and ask an officer
speak politely and he will explain it

unlikely that you will be put in prison

pm me and i will send you a photo of a treasury challan

Hi Saikat,

I what to know what comes after this letter, I will PM you for the details on how to pay the fine, but should I really take a step to pay the fine for the item I will never get. I am just trying to know the way it works in customs.

Well you can appeal the order

But you have to resolve the issue ...
If you just sit on it... It will snowball

Remember you are up against a department and not a person.

I understand, Will it backfire if I go to customs office and ask them details? Because what all they got now is my name and a mailing address, If I go they would know me in person.
Please share if you have any experience like this.

better not to visit the customs office. Ask them to send the items back to seller, if possible. Explain them that you are not aware about the ban of the drones. Tell them that you will not repeat it.

These new custom officers are now re-opening the old files of drone importers and imposing heavy fine on them to show off their seniors how they have accumulated lakhs of rupees to the govt treasury.
I too was imposed fine but only Rs 500 which I immediately paid by cheque.
After a year of submitting fine, a new officer again sent me fine letter just like you demanding penalty but I mailed them the receipt of my already submitted fine.
Mine was Mumbai Location..

My micro heli was classified as a drone and confiscated by the customs, hope they are proud. It was a BNF without batteries or TX, weight abour 35gms.

People who see me flying call my aeroplanes as drones too . How sick can it get .

Too many horror stories. I believe this hobby is going nowhere. All these prohibiitions feel suffocating.

How come the united states of america (USA) and Europe and London are allowing importing of all these types of RC equipment. Why only India is not allowing? I am really confused. USA is more concerned about security but still they are allowing these RC equipment. This is a huge discouragement really. Is it because lack of awareness about the RC products?

Unless and until new government will come such restrictions won't be lifted.
This is clear violation of our rights to freedom .Due to sitting of illiterate & ignorant people on top positions and passing such nonsense bills, our India can never be progressed.
Everything still selling in India illegally but someone tries to buy legal way then they are sent 5000 fine letters and their items are confiscated.

http://dgca.nic.in/cars/RPS-FAQs.pdf

Read Question 6

6.  What are the requirements for import of Drones (with or without camera) in India?
Any entity intending to import RPAS in India shall obtain Equipment Type Approval
(ETA) from WPC Wing, Department of Telecommunication for operating in de-licensed
frequency band(s). Such approval shall be valid for a particular make and model.

The applicant, other than Nano category, shall apply to DGCA along with ETA for
import clearance. Based upon the import clearance issued by DGCA, DGFT shall issue
license for import of RPAS.

--------
If your item is less than 250 grams (nano category), (it is defined here http://dgca.nic.in/cars/D3X-X1.pdf
it does not need license. You can try with.

However, they may say that you have imported before this notification where only this policy is in effect https://dgft.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notification_No.16_%28English%29_0.pdf

Another issue is they will ask you for ETA 

Hello Everyone,
This Post really caught my eye to be honest and I don't know how should i really respond to this post because i really feel bad to see this after all even after the DGCA had released the set of rules and most the Drones are Under 250 Gms Then why can't they release the Confiscated Drones hah ? I dont really understand this condition at all.

Or as to say the whole Indian Customs Department has gone totally corrupt ( Well sorry to say this) But its hard to find a single person working in the department which won't be corrupt. I guess The Exceptions will be one or two!

I remember calling a Officer in Mumbai Customs on their Offical Landline Phone and Luckily (Yes Luckily) He picked up and gave me another number and said that this officer handles all the Drone Cases. So I called the guy he was totally young (i'm just estimating by the voice) and WAS TOTALLY RUDE. I was like asking him like if we import a nano drone will it be cleared according to DGCA Rules Now and he was like "We Can't say anything much on Phone. How can we tell everything on Phone" And I was like Sir I just want to know about it and then he said "If it is according to the DGCA rules (He Knew about the New Rules and Still Trying to pretend he doesnt know but at the end he admitted to it that he knows hah with a rude voice) then we will follow the rules and clear it" They dont say anything much then the official language on Phone. Why So ? The Reason is Simple They are always scared if someone is trying to catch them or trapping them or recording the calls and if they say anything different they can get in trouble after all its a government Job and still even if they say they are saved by their Higher Officials because even the Higher Officials are of course Well i dont need to say it and they never want to do much.

In This Case My Friend I can only tell you that there are really only some ways you can deal about and I guess Members who posted here have written most of it.


Well this is the first case you appeal to it and also go against this and you have the right to question why did they send me this notice after 2 Years? Why ? To be honest Did you get any Notice Before it ? Like any Show Cause Notice? as they have mentioned in the Letter on the 1st Para? If they did and you didn't receive it You can say in the appeal and confront this.

Also this is very true that
Yes They are Re-Opening The Old cases Well Why? The Reason Mentioned Above and also the Government itself wants money and so this Political Parties. Everyone in the Government is Looting India and its People!


The Second Way will be most probably to explain them that you didn't know about it and you can get them sent back if its Possible! I have been questioning this myself where is this thing going hah? and this Question a Thousand Times.....
The Reality here is quite Simple Sir... The Departments when works it shows to the whole world how Forward they are Going Just like The Drone Regulations and Afterwards Global Aviation Summit and then for Years we Won't see development. Its Just to show the world how Fast India is in Development in Every Sectors and Get Loans From Other Banks Outside  India In Number of Thousands Of Crores! But after that No Development is done hah...

Where as those countries i guess believe in working and making people Life's quite easy I have seen there Customs works really fast and even if some parcels get late they do respond to People's Queries I guess that too with a good gesture rather than Indian Customs who is mostly rude and there's not a single Customer Care Centre where you can call....If you have done something wrong unintentionally and If Indian Customs is handling well your treated like a Criminal That's the reality.

The Customs Knows Everything they have the every knowledge when a customs Parcel is examined The Other assistant checks the value also by checking the product on Internet if its under Declared or Something Like that. There is total awareness about the RC Products. They Just act like people who dont know anything... If there was no awareness then how are some stores (Not The Local Hobby Shops In India Talking About Other Toy Shops) able to Mini-Quads And So many Other Items in India hah? And the way they talk... about this issues nowadays if we talk about drone it is directly taken to Military Issues and Terrorist Activity In India and we can say a HUGE Thanks to Media in India which always keep showing How Pakistan is using Drones against India... and people talk about drones in a different mindset.

The Word like "RC Plane Or Helicopter" didnt get that famous as much as the word "Drone" has got in India. If India was controlling the rules of every Customs in the World then i guess the companies making Quadcopters and Anything related to this would have gone bankrupt and totally destroyed by Now. The Same People in this departments who are troubling people as per their "rules" are allowing other people to sell the same products i guess by well you know very well... what i am trying to say here.

I guess outside every Custom Office/Clearing House there are Clearing agents which have direct setting (oh Yes Setting is the word i would choose to describe it) with the all the Officials but they only choose to work with the Consignments/Cargo with High Number Of Quantities.

I might have said a lot here but there's so much frustration towards this custom issues and still this is a doubt if importing this items after the rules of DGCA (Especially a Nano Drone) can be safe and will not be confiscated and Cleared Without HASSLES. As said by Vibrant Hobbies they can still ask for ETA and Confiscate it and Fine you!

Now On this case a lot of members have posted but i would you can either pay or Better think if you really want to pay for those items which your not going to get at all. If you were getting the items and fine was low this would have been something different but the customs department are trying to bring back cases from the Graves i guess as said already. Even if you don't pay I'm sure legally there are lot of ways to confront to this and even if you dont confront they will send you another notice i guess but i dont think for something that you ordered and got confiscated you will be imprisoned The simple answer to this is " You Didn't know that about this rule when you ordered it and the item is already confiscated then why should i pay a fine?" You didn't get the items (which is really bad and UNFAIR TO BE HONEST) and still we need to pay the fine? If i was you i would not pay it my friend. Yes The Consequences well i would have seen in future but i won't pay that much for the items that i didn't even get two years back! ( This is just my thinking and thought on this)

But No Offense to you and anyone here What i have said maybe i can be/might be wrong somewhere but its the reality actually. Still No Offense to Anyone. and If i said something extra Please let me know but whatever i have said its true and sadly i dont think we will get to see change in India At least.

Regards,
Aman.

Hello brother
the above scenario is as same for me too

i also ordered a small toy thing unknowingly the rules on Mar2018

then show cause notice on Sep2019

i replied that i don't know these rules and i don't want to hear in personal

then,
On 30th june 2020
a letter ordering me to pay  :Rs:5000/- fine

Now in that letter no details to payment


i need help  regarding How and Where to pay the fine amount ?
also ,
what if i ignored this letter and let go (what would happen?).

hoping for help
 
 

my scenario is as same as him
also i got  the same letter in this post !

Hi RCmaestro,

I have received a similar letter from customs today asking me to pay a penalty of 5000/- for importing a nano drone from sp4mm3r.
There is no point in fighting with them so I decided to pay the fine and get over with it.

I'm from Chennai, received the letter from Meenambakkam Foreign post.

Kindly let me know:

1, Did you pay the fine yet?
2, If so how did you do it?

Your help is much appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi brother i think you also got same  issue like mine

i also requested above helpers to help me too

lets hope for good

and if u know any thing about it

kindly let me also know .
 

So bro,  do u have any solution for the above issue i mentioned ?

if u know any thing let us all know

Posting this in case it helps someone... I had mailed to DGCA

Dear Sir,

This query is in regards to the import of NANO (sub 250 gms) drones. I want to import a nano class drone to India. As I see from the digitalsky website, it says nano drones do not require an import license. So, does it mean that if I import a nano drone my drone will not be confiscated by the customs. For example, this Betafpv Meteor 65. It's a sub 250gms drone whose weight is about 20-25 gms with a battery. So if I order this, will it be confiscated by customs or will it be delivered to me without a show cause notice. Practically people say it gets confiscated by customs, if the word DRONE is used in any package even if it's a small drone under 250 gms. Would really like your guidance in this regard.

Waiting for your reply.


And this is the reply that I got


Sir,

NANO drone does not require DGCA permission for import, However any drone is being imported into India shall have Equipment Type Approval issued by WPC, DoT to ensure that it is operating in de-licenced frequencies.

Further, if NANO RPA is going to  operate above 50ft (Above Ground Level), UIN (Unique Identification Number)  and UAOP (Unmanned Air Operator Permit) is required. 

Applying for ETA, You may visit Saral Sanchar website and choose the Apply for ETA (Other than Self-Declaration) Certificate under the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing Tab on the left. It will re-direct you to  http://210.212.79.17/Login.aspx for filing of  model wise ETA. Drones don’t fall under Self declaration scheme of ETA.

Please also visit wpc.dot.gov.in/index.aspxand refer few clarification/ Orders relating to RPA/ drones. Relevant links of DGCA also mentioned in these orders. Pl visit those links as well.

This conversation is of 5..6.2020

My message is only applicable for people whose item caught in Chennai customs.

I have sent an email to customs department asking for clarifications (chennaipadair@gmail.com, mail Id provided in the letter itself)

Their reply goes as follows...


I have sent the DD drawn for 5000/- to the specified address. This morning I received a call from customs, a guy told me to come and collect the challan for the payment.

Hope this helps.

Please keep us posted.