India issues Notification requiring prior authorization for import of hydrofluorocarbons 
On March 14, 2022, the India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued Notification of amendment in the Import Policy (Schedule-I) of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-2020, establishing new conditions for the import of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Prior to the amendment, there were no import restrictions on HFCs, and free trade was allowed; however, as a result of this amendment, import authorization should be obtained in advance from the Ozone Cell, a unit under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). HS codes are designated for the relevant items, and this amendment is reflected in “Chapter 29 organic chemicals” and “Chapter 38 other chemical products” of the Import Policy.
The HFCs for which import conditions will be established by this amendment are as follows.
| HS code | Item description |
| 29034100 | Trifluoromethane (HFC-23) |
| 29034200 | Difluoromethane (HFC-32) |
| 29034300 | Fluoromethane (HFC-41)
1,2-difluoroethane (HFC-152) 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) |
| 29034400 | Pentafluoroethane (HFC-125)
1,1,1-trifluoroethane (HFC-143a) 1,1,2-trifluoroethane (HFC-143) |
| 29034500 | 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a)
1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134) |
| 29034600 | 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-Heptafluoropropane (HFC-227ea)
1,1,1,2,2,3-hexafluoropropane (HFC-236cb) 1,1,1,2,3,3-hexafluoropropane (HFC-236ea) 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane (HFC-236fa) |
| 29034700 | 1,1,1,3,3-Pentafluoropropane (HFC-245fa)
1,1,2,2,3-pentafluoropropane (HFC-245ca) |
| 29034800 | 1,1,1,3,3-Pentafluorobutane (HFC-365mfc)
1,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,5,5-decafluoropentane (HFC-43-10mee) |
| 29035100 | 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf)
1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ze) (z)-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro2-butene (HFO-1336mzz) |
| 38275100 | Containing trifluoromethane (HFC-23) |
| 38275900 | Containing other hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) (limited to those not containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)) |
| 38276100 | Containing 15% or more by mass of 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (HFC-143a) |
| 38276200 | Other (Excluding 38276100 above, limited to those containing 55% or more by mass of pentafluoroethane (HFC-125) but not containing unsaturated fluorinated derivatives of acyclic hydrocarbons (HFOs)) |
| 38276300 | Other (Excluding 38276100 and 38276200 above, limited to those containing 40% or more by mass of pentafluoroethane (HFC-125)) |
| 38276400 | Other (Excluding 38276100, 38276200, and 38276300 above, limited to those containing 30% or more by mass of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) but not containing unsaturated fluorinated derivatives of acyclic hydrocarbons (HFOs)) |
| 38276500 | Other (Excluding 38276100, 38276200, 38276300, and 38276400 above, limited to those containing 20% or more by mass of difluoromethane (HFC-32) and 20% or more by mass of pentafluoroethane (HFC-125)) |
| 38276800 | Other (excluding 38276100-38276500 above, containing substances of 29034100-29034800) |
This Notification of amendment can be downloaded from the following URL (in Hindi and English).
https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2022/234169.pdf
