Mail Products

Prohibited Items (Domestic Mail)

  1. Any explosive, dangerous, filthy, noxious or deleterious substance, any sharp instrument not properly protected, or any living creature which is either noxious or likely to injure items in course of transmission by post or any officer of the Post Office; or
  2. Anything likely to injure, any item during transmission by post, or any officer of the Post Office; or
  3. Any ticket, proposal, advertisement or any other matter relating to a lottery, except the case where the lottery is organised or authorised by the Central Government or State Government; or
  4. Any indecent, immoral or obscene printing, painting, photograph, lithograph, engraving, book or card, or any other digital media, or any other indecent, immoral, or obscene item; or
  5. Any item having thereon, or on the cover thereof, any words, marks or designs of an indecent, obscene, seditious, scurrilous, threatening or grossly offensive character; or
  6. Any item having thereon, or on the cover thereof, any matter which is prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order; or
  7. Any item having thereon, or on the cover thereof, any pictorial representation of a person who is a proclaimed offender, or who has been convicted of an offence punishable under any applicable law of the land for the time being in force; or
  8. Any item having thereon, or on the cover thereof, anything written, printed, or otherwise impressed upon or attached to its address side, which, either on account of its being likely to be mistaken for stamps used for the payment of postage or by inconvenient proximity to any such stamp or by tending to prevent the easy and quick reading of the address; or
  9. Narcotics and psychotropic substances, as defined by the International Narcotics Control Board, or other illicit drugs which are prohibited in the country or territory of destination, the country or territory of origin, the Central Government, State Governments, or any authorised agency; or
  10. Counterfeit and pirated items; or
  11. Anything which, by their nature or their packing, may expose officials or the general public to danger, or soil or damage other items, postal equipment, or third-party property; or
  12. Dangerous goods, narcotics and psychotropic substances, prohibited drugs and cosmetics items, items prohibited by or under International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Department of Wildlife and the Drug and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (23 of 1940) or items prohibited by any law of the land; or

    Explanation: For the purpose of this clause, "dangerous goods" means items or substances that are capable of posing a risk to health, safety, property or environment, which include explosives, gases, flammable liquids, toxic and infectious substances, corrosives and other miscellaneous items which may cause health and safety hazards.

    Provided that battery and other items, the transmission of which, by air, is prohibited, shall be sent to the addressee through surface mode only; or

  13. Live animals except otherwise permitted in these regulations; or
  14. Coins, banknotes and other valuable items, except permitted through a special process:

    Provided that the order shall be in consonance with Reserve Bank of India guidelines, Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations, 2015 made under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999), or any other applicable law of the land for the time being in force on the subject:

    Provided further that currency notes, coins, or bank notes, shall invariably be transmitted as insured items; or

  15. Other items, the importation or circulation of which is prohibited in the country or territory of origin or destination; or
  16. Documents having the character of current and personal correspondence, with the exception of archived materials, exchanged between persons other than the sender and the addressee or persons living with them; or
  17. Anything prohibited in International Postal Services by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) or any other organisation; or
  18. Any other thing, prohibited by Central Government from time to time.