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U.S.-INDIA MOTION PICTURES AGREEMENT

What is this Agreement and what does it do?

Who benefits from this Agreement?

How can this Agreement help my company?

Can the U.S. Government help me if I have a problem?

How can I get more information?

What is this Agreement and what does it do?

In a letter dated February 20, 1992, the Indian Government informed the U.S. Government that -- in response to a U.S. request -- India had agreed to eliminate a number of restrictions on the importation and distribution of motion pictures, prints and video cassettes, giving U.S. and other foreign exporters greater access to the Indian film market.

The trade liberalizing measures described in the Letter took effect on April 1,1992. They have no expiration date.

Who benefits from this Agreement?

All U.S. and other foreign motion picture companies and their trade associations wishing to export motion pictures and video cassettes to India or distribute them there can benefit from this Agreement.

How can this Agreement help my company?

As a result of this Agreement, foreign film makers and distributors and trade associations that wish to export their products to India and distribute them there will encounter:

no import quotas on motion pictures or video products;

no limit on the number of prints brought into the country;

no requirement to enter into an agreement with the National Film Development Corporation;

no prohibition on establishing or maintaining offices in India for the purpose of importing and distributing motion pictures and video cassettes;

no restrictions on dubbing imported films into local languages; and

no requirement that imported motion pictures and video cassettes be imported by a designated state body (i.e., "canalized") or subjected to canalization fees.

While India did not agree to eliminate altogether the ceiling on total remittances by motion picture trade associations operating in India, it agreed to raise the ceiling to 6 million U.S. dollars per year, and then subsequently removed the ceiling.

Can the U.S. Government help me if I have a problem?

Yes. If you believe that you are not obtaining the benefits provided by this Agreement, contact the Trade Compliance Center at the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Center can provide you with the information and assistance you need to understand the Agreement and can activate the U.S. Government to make official inquiries of the Indian authorities to help you resolve your export problems.

How can I get more information?

The complete text of the Letter Regarding Indian Import Policy For Motion Pictures is available from the Office of Trade Agreements Negotiations and Compliance's web site.

If you have questions about this Agreement or how to use it, you can e-mail the Trade Agreements Negotiation and Compliance , which will forward your message to the Commerce Department's Designated Monitoring Officer for the Agreement. You can also contact the Designated Monitoring Officer at the following address:

Designated Monitoring Officer -

India Motion Pictures Agreement

Office of South Asia

Global Markets

U.S. Department of Commerce

14th Street & Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20230

Tel: (202) 482-3423

The Designated Monitoring Officer can also provide you with useful trade leads and contacts.

You can also obtain more information on exporting to India by visiting the following web sites of the International Trade Administration:

The Commercial Service India's Home Page

This web site provides exporters with information on regulations and procedures regarding customs and import documentation, as well as market intelligence information on India.


TANC offers these agreements electronically as a public service for general reference. Every effort has been made to ensure that the text presented is complete and accurate. However, copies needed for legal purposes should be obtained from official archives maintained by the appropriate agency.