Prohibited items for courier in India: what's banned, restricted or allowed with care

Courier companies in India refuse narcotics, arms and ammunition, explosives, counterfeit goods, currency and obscene material outright. Precious metals, jewellery, lithium batteries, liquids, flammables, aerosols, chemicals, medicines and perishables are restricted: some couriers take them with conditions, others don't. India Post keeps its own prohibited list. Always check your courier's current terms before you book.

There is no single national list for private couriers. Each one publishes its own, shaped by Indian law, aviation security rules and its network. Blue Dart, for example, says its banned and restricted categories follow restrictions imposed by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the regulatory requirements of the State. This guide summarises the official lists we could verify as of September 2026. It is not legal advice, and lists change without notice.

Which items are prohibited or restricted for courier in India?

What do the official lists actually say?

Blue Dart splits its list in two. Banned on all services: currency, Indian postal articles, liquids and semi-liquids (conditions apply), philately items, pornography, bullion, illegal drugs and narcotics, firearms and ammunition, precious and semi-precious items, radioactive material, and all IATA restricted items and dangerous goods. Restricted on Domestic Priority but possibly accepted on its Apex and Surface services: battery-powered electronics and spares, single packages over 32 kg, and packages larger than 32 × 19 × 19 inches.

Delhivery's restricted list names arms, chemicals and poisons, fuels, certain machinery such as chainsaws and defence equipment, toxins, jewellery and precious stones, currency including cheques and demand drafts, and dry ice. India Post prohibits anything sent against any law in force, obscene or indecent articles, explosive, inflammable, dangerous, filthy, noxious or deleterious substances, noxious living creatures, private lottery material, and gold coins or bullion worth over ₹20,000.

Compare couriers before you decide a product can't ship. An air-heavy network like Blue Dart's is stricter on batteries and flammables than a surface service. Our courier directory and the pages for Blue Dart and Delhivery cover how each network works.

Why are perfumes, batteries and liquids restricted?

Because most of them are dangerous goods under aviation rules, and many courier parcels fly for at least one leg. IATA's guidance forbids lithium-ion batteries shipped on their own (UN 3480) as cargo on passenger aircraft and caps their state of charge at 30%. Batteries packed with or inside a device (UN 3481) have looser limits. Alcohol-based perfume is a Class 3 flammable liquid. Couriers that take these products usually do so on surface services and may ask for a safety data sheet. Our guide to shipping perfume, liquids and batteries covers the packing and paperwork.

What happens if you ship a prohibited item?

Delhivery's own page is blunt: shipping restricted items may result in seizure, disposal and heavy penalties for the client or seller. In practice, an item caught at X-ray or inspection is typically held at the hub, then returned to origin with return freight billed to you, or destroyed if it is hazardous. Repeat offences can get a seller account suspended. Narcotics, weapons and e-cigarettes can also become a police matter, and the AWB ties the parcel to your account and invoice.

There is a quieter cost too. A courier is unlikely to settle a loss or damage claim on a shipment that was misdeclared or breached its terms, and a leaking bottle that ruins other parcels can come back to you as a liability claim. If you ship high-value goods legitimately, read up on shipping insurance before you rely on a courier's standard liability.

How do you check a product before dispatch?

1. 1Classify every SKU once, at listing time: is it a liquid, alcohol-based, an aerosol, a battery or battery-powered, a chemical, food, a medicine or high value? Keep the manufacturer's safety data sheet for anything chemical.
2. 2Check the law before the courier. If the item is illegal to sell or transport (narcotics, unlicensed arms, e-cigarettes, protected wildlife), stop there.
3. 3Read each courier's current official list and note the service. An item refused on air express may be accepted on surface.
4. 4Tag restricted SKUs in your catalogue so their orders go only to the couriers and services that accept them.
5. 5Describe contents accurately on the invoice and booking. Never write 'gift' or 'sample' to get a restricted item through.
6. 6Pack to the category: leak-proofing for liquids, terminal protection for batteries, orientation arrows where needed. Our ecommerce packaging guide has the basics.
7. 7Recheck the lists every quarter and before festive peaks, since couriers update them without prior notice.

Grey areas deserve a written answer from your courier's account manager rather than a guess: CBD or hemp products, imitation weapons, attars, power banks, refurbished phones and Ayurvedic tonics with alcohol content are the usual ones. A two-line email confirming acceptance on a named service saves a held shipment later.