Will my 110 V American CPAP work in India?

Yes, if its power supply says 100–240 V, which current ResMed supplies do. Use a plug adaptor, not a transformer. Check your own power brick's label.

Can I claim warranty in India for a machine bought in Dubai?

Generally no. The warranty is honoured where the machine was sold. This is the main reason we suggest buying locally when the machine is for someone living in Kerala.

Should I put the CPAP in check-in baggage?

No. Carry it in the cabin with the prescription. Humidifier tubs crack and masks get crushed in the hold, and a damaged machine on arrival means nights without therapy.

Bringing a CPAP machine to India from the Gulf, US or UK

Last updated: 2026-10-28

Quick answer

Electrically it is a non-issue: ResMed power supplies are 100–240 V, 50/60 Hz, so a machine bought in Dubai, Houston or London runs in Kerala on a plug adaptor. Do not add a step-down transformer. Carry it as cabin baggage with the prescription, declare it as personal medical equipment, and keep the original box if you can. The real catch is after-sales: a machine bought abroad has no Indian warranty, so a motor failure in year two becomes your problem. That is often the deciding factor for families buying for parents who live here.

Voltage and plugs

Every current ResMed power supply is rated 100–240 V at 50–60 Hz, which covers India, the Gulf, the UK, Europe and the US. You need a plug adaptor, nothing more. Check the label on your own power brick to be certain before you travel.

Do not run the machine through a step-down transformer. These are sized for resistive loads, often produce a poor waveform, and add a failure point between your mains and a device you depend on. A plain adaptor is both cheaper and safer.

Flying with it

Carry it on, always. Hold baggage is handled roughly and a CPAP in a suitcase arrives with a cracked humidifier tub more often than it should. Most airlines do not count a CPAP against your cabin allowance when it is declared as medical equipment, but the rule varies, so check with yours and carry the prescription or sleep study report.

Empty the humidifier tub before packing. Keep the mask and tube with the machine, not in the hold.

Customs, practically

A CPAP travelling with the patient as personal medical equipment is routinely brought in and rarely queried. Declare it if asked, carry the prescription, and be ready to say it is in use rather than for resale. A brand-new, boxed, sealed machine brought in for somebody else is a different conversation and may attract duty depending on value and your allowance.

Rules change and officers have discretion, so treat this as the general pattern rather than a guarantee, and check the current baggage rules before you fly if you are carrying more than one machine.

The warranty problem

This is what actually matters. A machine bought in the Gulf carries a warranty valid where it was sold. ResMed India is not obliged to repair it, and a distributor will usually decline a claim on a device it never supplied. For a machine with a working life of five to seven years, that is a real exposure.

Spares are the quieter version of the same problem. Masks, filters and tubing are standard and easy to buy here. A blower assembly or a board for a US-market variant, four years in, is not.

When buying in Kerala is the better maths

Compare the actual numbers rather than the sticker. A machine abroad may be cheaper up front, and then you carry it 3,000 kilometres, lose the warranty and own the repair risk. A genuine AirSense 10 AutoSet here is ₹51,000 with a 2-year Indian warranty, delivery to your parents' house in 2–4 days, a technician who fits the mask in their bedroom, and a WhatsApp number they can use when you are not in the country.

If you are buying for parents in Kerala from abroad, we wrote a step-by-step guide to exactly that, and the NRI page covers paying from abroad. If you already own a machine bought overseas, bring it — we will read its data, supply consumables and set the pressure to your current prescription.

Bringing a CPAP machine to India from the Gulf, US or UK

Voltage and plugs

Flying with it

Customs, practically

The warranty problem

When buying in Kerala is the better maths

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