In India, gold is not just a metal or jewelry, but has a special emotional and sacred significance in Indian homes. To safeguard this, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) made hallmarking of gold jewelery mandatory from June 16, 2021. This duty is levied equally on every gold item irrespective of its weight.

However, there are still some gold ornaments which are exempted from this mandatory hallmarking rule. Meaning there is no hallmarking fee on this jewellery. From September 14, 2026, BIS imposes a hallmarking fee of Rs 75 (excluding GST) on each gold item.

So, if you buy any gold item this Dhanteras or Diwali which is outside the ambit of hallmarking, you don’t have to pay duty on it. Here is a list of gold jewelery and items on which hallmarking is not mandatory for jewellers.

There is no hallmarking fee on these items

Gold bars weighing less than 2 grams
Kundan, polki or jadau jewellery
Anything made for export that conforms to the requirements or standards of a foreign buyer
Articles of gold, articles of gold thread used for medical, dental, veterinary, scientific or industrial purposes
Any item that is not completely finished and needs to be further manufactured or processed
Gold bricks, whether in the form of bars, plates, sheets, foils, rods, wires, strips, tubes or coins
The jewelery was taken to international exhibitions
Jewelery for ‘Business-to-Business’ (B2B) exhibitions in the country
Gold watches and fountain pens

How will hallmarking fee apply in case of detachable jewellery?

Many pieces of jewelry have two or more parts that can be paired together, such as earrings or a necklace. For such items, BIS says buyers should ensure that each item in the pair and all detachable parts are individually HUID (Hallmark Unique Identification).

A ‘detachable’ part of a piece of jewelery is one that can be easily removed or replaced. BIS says that each item of a pair and all its separate parts should be hallmarked with a different HUID. Customers must check the hallmarking and purity information on each item to avoid any problems related to purity.

What if the detachable jewelry weighs less than 2 grams?

Let us understand this with an example. Suppose you are buying gold earrings this Dhanteras. Now suppose the earring screw is also made of gold, but weighs less than 2 grams. According to BIS rules, if the gold earrings weigh more than 2 grams, the jeweler will put a hallmark on the front. But the earring screws will not be hallmarked, as their weight is not more than 2 grams.

Gold hallmarking fee in 2026

Ahead of the festive season, in September 2026, BIS revised the hallmarking charges on gold and silver items. Now jewelers will have to pay a fee of Rs 75 for each gold item to an approved ‘Assessing and Hallmarking Centre’. Earlier this fee was 45 rupees which means it has increased by about 67 percent. Note that as per the official notification, a minimum fee of Rs 200 per consignment will be charged.