Trouble Free Gold Jewelry

import/export by passengers

to India

Options when taking jewelery to

India that is over the allowed duty

free allowance

Passengers arriving in India and wearing or carrying in their baggage jewelry over the allowed limit set which is currently Rupees 50,000 for male and Rupees 100,000 for a female passenger, can be checked by the Indian customs authorities if they fail to declare the gold jewelry on arrival. Failure to declare the gold jewelry can lead to confiscation and fine of the jewelry but also arrest if the value of the jewelry exceeds a set limit. With the price of gold these days around Rupees 3000 for one gram of gold, based on the one lakh duty free allowance for women, they can bring in jewelry of approximately only 35 grams. A necklace set being of 75 to 100 grams is perhaps common these days and when a few gold bangles are added, the weight of gold ends up way over the allowed limit. Do note that the price of gold in India as on October 5, 2025 per gram of 22K gold is Rs. 10,962. In June 2016, reports have surfaced that the Indian customs authorities are in the process of coming out with a scheme that may make it easier for NRIs coming to India to perhaps attend a wedding or function and bring gold jewelry for their personal use during their Indian holiday. However, until new rules are announced there are some things that passengers arriving in India or leaving Indian can do to avoid customs duties on precious jewelry they take out or bring into the country. Taking valuable jewelry items for personal use out of India and wanting to bring it back, then get an export certificate from the Indian customs before departure from India. Export certificate usually will show information such as passenger’s name, passport number, details of the gold like weight, description etc. Once done then such jewelry item/s can be taken in and out of India without any problems with customs when leaving or returning to India. NRIs taking valuable jewelry items that are over the allowed limit into India should if possible get the jewelry evaluated and a customs card made by the customs authorities in their countries. On arrival they can declare the items and let the customs authorities know your intention to re- export the items when you leave. In such cases: The customs officer may if convinced the jewelry is indeed identifiable, place a notification on arriving passenger’s passport mentioning the jewelry that must be re-exported on departure. In case the customs officer is not convinced and feels there is no way to identify the jewelry and ensure re-export of the jewelry being brought in. He/she may ask the passenger to pay the applicable customs duty on the jewelry or give the passenger the option to leave the jewelry with customs authorities and pick up the same when leaving India. A detention slip is generally issued to the passenger when jewelry is detained, this document identifies the jewelry in question. When leaving India, use the detention slip to reclaim the gold jewelry.