Q496. Taking Gold to India, How much customs duty will I be charged on 60gm of ornamental gold

Question: Dear sir I am working in Bahrain I have completed my 11 months after the last vacation. Now if I take 60gm of oranamental gold how much will be free allowance and how much duty I have to pay. Please advise Thanks and best regards K. Raja Mohamed

Answer: The duty free allowance for male passengers arriving in India with gold ornaments is currently Rupees 50,000 and works out to roughly about 16.5 gms. Anything over would be subject to payment of duty which I beleive is currently 10% on gold jewelery plus a 3% cess charge*. *Readers should keep in mind that customs duties are fixed via notification from the authorities from time to time and the only way to get the exact amount payable is from the concerned customs authorities.

Walking out from green channel with gold on arrival in India

Passengers arriving in India with gold jewelery should keep in mind that these days customs officials are more vigilant when it comes to jewelery. The duty free allowance of Rupees 50,000 for men and Rupees 100,000 for women is not a big amount considering the price of gold these days. Just a gold chain is usually worth more! If you have jewelery over the allowed limits then don’t take the risk of walking out from the green channel. If caught, this can lead to a lot of legal problems, confiscation of jewelery and fines. NRIs who find themselves in a position where they cannot or do not want to pay the customs duty being levied at the airport, may have the option of depositing the gold items at the customs warehouse, you get a receipt and than you can take these items back when you leave India. Of course this facility is only offered if you are not caught smuggling the gold and voluntarily declare what you have.