India delays import limitations on laptops, tablets by three months

India is delaying the implementation of its import limitations on laptops, tablets and servers that would affect Macs and iPads by three months, reports TechCrunch.

In a notification published late Friday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said the implementation of the new import rule won’t go into effect till October 31. Earlier on Friday, India’s Deputy IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar assured the industry players that New Delhi will provide a “transition period” before implementing the amended import policy, notes TechCrunch.

In a surprise announcement on Aug. 4, India announced it was banning inbound shipments of laptops and tablets without a license, reported Bloomberg. The article says that the companies had been expecting the government to implement some import measures, but wasn’t expecting this particular move or the speed with which it happened. The tech firms re  negotiating with authorities regarding the quickest way to get an import license.

The government in its notification gave no reason for the move, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been promoting local manufacturing and discouraging imports under his “Made in India” plan. Current regulations in India allow companies to import laptops freely, but the new rule mandates a special license for these products similar to restrictions India imposed in 2020 for inbound TV shipments.