Customs Duty on Musical Instruments in Nepal (2026): 5%–15% + VAT
Musical instruments across chapter 92 carry 5-15% duty into Nepal plus 13% VAT - civilised rates for a category where local retail covers beginner gear and little else. Serious guitars, keyboards and studio equipment arrive as imports; the freight care a NPR 300,000 instrument needs matters more than the tax it attracts.
Live tariff
HS-code duty rates for musical instruments
Showing 12 representative tariff lines of the 18 that match this category. The duty column is the customs rate charged on the assessable (CIF) value; 13% VAT is then applied on the duty-inclusive amount for VAT-liable lines.
| HS code | Description | Customs duty | VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 92011000 | Musical Instruments (Piano, Guitar, Violins, etc) | 15% | 13% |
| 92012000 | Grand Pianos | 15% | 13% |
| 92019000 | Keyboard pipe organs, accordions, clarinets, trumpets, bagpipers | 5% | 13% |
| 92021000 | Drums, xylophones, cymbals, castanets | 5% | 13% |
| 92029000 | Guitars, Harps And Other String Musical Instruments (Excl. With Keyboard And Those Played With A Bow | 15% | 13% |
| 92029200 | Parts of musical instruments | 5% | 13% |
| 92051000 | Brass-Wind Instruments | 15% | 13% |
| 92060000 | Percussion Musical Instruments, E.G. Drums, Xylophones, Cymbals, Castanets, Maracas | 15% | 13% |
| 92071000 | Keyboard Instruments, The Sound Of Which Is Produced, Or Must Be Amplified, Electrically (Excl. Acco | 15% | 13% |
| 92079000 | Accordions And Musical Instruments Without Keyboards, The Sound Of Which Is Produced, Or Must Be Amp | 15% | 13% |
| 92081000 | Musical Boxes | 15% | 13% |
| 92089000 | Fairground Organs, Mechanical Street Organs, Mechanical Singing Birds, Musical Saws And Other Musica | 15% | 13% |
Rates are the tariff we apply when quoting real shipments to Nepal; excise duty, where levied for a specific product class, is charged in addition.
Worked example
What NPR 1,20,000 of musical instruments costs to land in Nepal
Step by step, using the representative rate for this category (15% duty on HS 92011000, 13% VAT). Your exact rate depends on the precise HS code in the table above.
- Musical Instruments (goods value)
- NPR 1,20,000
- International freight (illustrative, 10% of goods)
- NPR 12,000
- Assessable value (CIF = goods + freight)
- NPR 1,32,000
- Customs duty (15% of CIF, HS 92011000)
- NPR 19,800
- VAT (13% of CIF + duty)
- NPR 19,734
- Estimated landed cost
- NPR 1,71,534
Nepal assesses every courier import - there is no de-minimis exemption, so even small parcels are taxed at these rates. Freight is illustrative - use the calculator for a quote with real shipping on your actual item.
Before you order
What to know about importing musical instruments
Moderate duty across the chapter - the tax is the easy part of instrument importing.
Humidity swings in transit threaten solid-wood instruments; hardshell cases and seasonal timing matter.
Electronic instruments (synths, interfaces) clear as instruments, not as electronics with registration.
Insure to real replacement value - courier claims on instruments hinge on honest declarations.
What we ship
Popular musical instruments imports
Fender and Gibson guitars
Yamaha keyboards
Roland synths
Audio interfaces
Shure and Rode microphones
Musical Instruments import questions, answered
How much duty does a guitar attract when imported to Nepal?+
Will a solid-wood guitar survive shipping to Kathmandu?+
Are studio equipment and microphones taxed as instruments?+
Is there any special clearance for electronic instruments?+
Import musical instruments without customs surprises
Send us the product link. We quote goods, freight, the exact per-HSN duty and VAT as one all-in landed price - then buy, ship and clear it for you.