India bans imports made with forced labour

The government issued a notification on July 15, 2026, banning imports of goods made with forced labour, officials said. The move follows approval from Piyush Goyal and will be incorporated into the Foreign Trade Policy, officials said.

DGFT notification and approval

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade issued the formal notice, which specifies that goods produced with forced labour will be barred from import, officials said. The announcement cites alignment with ongoing international trade reviews and aims to tighten entry requirements for affected products, officials added.

Customs and importers will face a new compliance standard, the notification says: shipments will need documentation demonstrating supply-chain labour standards before clearance. Officials did not publish a detailed enforcement timetable in the notification but said the provision will be folded into the next update of the Foreign Trade Policy.

The immediate effect will be administrative: greater documentary checks at ports and a potential slow-down for consignments lacking provenance paperwork, officials said. Exporters and traders whose inputs are scrutinised in international probes should expect heightened scrutiny at Indian ports.

Watch for implementing guidance and operational details from the trade ministry within 14 days; that guidance will determine how quickly customs begins stepped-up checks and what paperwork importers must produce.