HOW MUCH GOLD CAN I CARRY TO INDIA? HOW MUCH GOLD JEWELRY CAN YOU BRING TO INDIA?

INDIAN GOLD JEWELRY ALLOWANCE.  INDIAN GOLD JEWELRY CUSTOMS REGULATION.
As per the latest Indian customs regulation (march 28 2018 reported), a male passenger can carry up to 20 grams gold jewelry duty-free into the country, provided that it has a maximum value of 50,000 Rupees. That being said, if you are a female passenger, your duty-free gold limit is 40 grams, with a maximum worth of 100,000 Rupees.
These same rules also apply to children, as long as they have been living abroad for longer than a year.

NOTE: the duty-free allowance is ONLY for plain gold jewelry and does not include studded gems or diamond jewelry or any other form of gold.  So diamond a gemstone jewelry would not be included in that import.

Gold ornaments that are brought into the country that exceed these limits can be subject to a 10% customs duty. Additionally f you are planning on bringing other forms of gold into India, you may have to pay duties on it. If you are taking gold in any form other than jewelry, you must declare it! The duty-free allowance in India is ONLY for gold jewelry and NOT for gold coins, gold bars, or gold biscuits.  


Few Steps NRIs/ US Citizens Can Initiate To Minimize Problems When Taking Gold Jewelry To India:
WE DO JEWELRY APPRAISALS!
It is good practice to have receipts, even an appraisal with photographs so that jewelry being carried is easily identifiable. If you intend to bring the jewelry back out of India when you leave, you should be prepared to present appraisals so the jewelry can be documented. If the jewelry was originally bought in India, you would need to provide proof (or have proof handy if necessary) to the custom officials. In the event the items are not identifiable and cannot be documented, your jewelry items can be held by customs, a receipt will be given to you and you can take it back when you leave India. To prevent this gap in being able to wear your jewelry simply contact us for an up to date appraisal noting the purpose of the appraisal!

DECLARING YOUR JEWELRY :
In the customs declaration form, a traveler should declare gold jewelry he/she is wearing or carrying. If you are carrying more than the duty-free gold jewelry allowance, you should consider declaring the jewelry items on arrival in India with the customs authorities and get the items endorsed on your passports for ease. Indian customs has proposed that a traveler can be charged 10% of the duty, which he/she can reclaim on his/her return. Indian customs can depute a jewelry appraiser to assess the value of gold jewelry so an accurate, up to date, professional appraisal is important (again we can handle this for you). For those who carry a lot of gold/jewelry and deliberately fail to declare the items on arrival, their gold/jewelry items can be confiscated and they can face fines and prosecution under the customs laws of India. NRI's/ US Citizens should also keep in mind that when they take jewelry to India from countries like USA and Canada they may be questioned by customs officials on their return.

CARRY A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF GOLD JEWELRY:
The primary purpose of customs officers in India regarding gold jewelry, is to stop the illegal importation of gold. Note: Most customs officers are not looking for NRIs/ US Citizens coming for a short visit and bringing in a reasonable amount of jewelry to wear during their stay. Most are looking for gold in a solid form or unreasonable quantities of gold jewelry being carried. A person wearing or carrying 50 gold bracelets is probably considered as a non-reasonable amount of jewelry being taken in for personal use.  This would in turn make customs officials check such passengers.  Should you wish to carry this type of quantity or more we are happy to offer our paid services for consulting on such matters.

CONSIDER GETTING JEWELRY APPRAISAL DONE IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY:
To avoid problems with customs officials at Indian airports, and quite frankly, your home country when you return, strongly consider getting an appraisal done before leaving.  Here at Velvet Box Society for the purpose of travel we will photograph each piece and document all details of the piece including XRF analysis of exact metal content. This appraisal should be carried with the passenger and may help with Indian customs officers, as well as customs officers in the middle east, and other countries in Asia that your jewelry will travel back when you leave the country . Furthermore, an appraisal will help customs create a card in your home country (USA for example where we are located) to avoid problems when you return home with the jewelry.

REMAKING OLD JEWELRY:
In most foreign countries (outside the USA), when it comes to gold jewelry, customs will charge a duty on remade jewelry.  Generally, depending on the country, they will treat it as an entirely new item. To clarify, you could take old gold ornaments from USA to India to get jewelry made there, technically the labor cost is likely to be less (though not always) and the quality would likely not be the same (though it depends on who is making it). When you return, duty payable would be calculated on the full appraised price and even though the gold was taken from USA it will be subject to duty.  This duty would be collected on BOTH borders likely and is not recommended.  Made in the USA has a nice ring to it as well.

DIAMONDS & OTHER STUDDED GOLD JEWELRY:
If you have jewelry set with precious stones or diamonds, these will not qualify for duty-free allowance. You will have to pay duty on them based on the quantity carried. The free allowance is only applicable for pure gold jewelry specified within Indian customs regulation. Other countries do differ.

HOW MUCH GOLD JEWELRY EACH PASSENGER CAN CARRY:
Each passenger can carry up to 1 kg (kilogram) of gold jewelry upon payment of customs duty.  This is true particularly if the passenger has stayed abroad for a minimum of a year or more. Additionally, Indian customs will not allow more than 1 kg of gold jewelry even if the passenger is willing to pay the customs duty for it. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely that of the author.  For more information we would recommend reviewing International laws.  These opinions and views are expressed at the above date and are subject and likely to change.  We will not be held responsible or liable in any way shape or form for expressing these opinions or views.  That being said we are happy to help with appraisals and do offer special expert consulting solutions for complex gemstone, gold, and diamond importation and exportation.

Contact Us