Import of Gold and Silver When Traveling to India

Importing Gold & Silver into India: Guidelines, Duties, and Tips for Travelers

Gold Bar

 

India's cultural affinity for gold and silver is not just a matter of tradition; these metals play a pivotal role in the country's economy, rituals, and as investments. Whether it's for personal adornment, as a gift, or for investment purposes, the import of gold and silver into India by travelers attracts specific regulations and duties. Understanding these rules can help you navigate the process smoothly and avoid any potential legal issues. This article outlines the guidelines for importing gold and silver into India, including the applicable customs duties and practical tips for travelers.

Gold Import Regulations

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Customs Department have set clear guidelines for the import of gold to ensure compliance and monitor the flow of these precious metals into the country.

For Personal Use: Travelers to India are allowed to bring gold jewelry as part of their baggage, subject to certain limits and conditions. Male passengers can carry gold jewelry worth up to INR 50,000 without incurring duty, while female passengers have a higher limit of INR 1,00,000.

Gold Bars and Coins: There is also a provision for carrying gold in the form of bars or coins. However, this is subject to the payment of customs duty. As per the latest regulations, any passenger of Indian origin or a passenger holding a valid passport, who has been residing abroad for over six months, can import up to 1 kilogram of gold, including jewelry, upon payment of customs duty.

Customs Duty: The customs duty on gold is subject to change based on international market rates and government policy. Currently, the duty stands at 12.5% of the value, in addition to a 3% GST. It's crucial to check the latest rates before planning your import.

Silver

Silver Import Regulations

Similar to gold, silver imports are regulated but slightly less stringent, making it somewhat easier for individuals to bring silver into India.

Duty-Free Allowance: There is no specified duty-free allowance for silver like there is for gold jewelry. Silver, whether in the form of jewelry or utensils, is subject to customs duty upon entry into India.

Customs Duty: The import of silver, whether as bars, coins, or jewelry, attracts a customs duty plus GST. As with gold, these rates are subject to change, so verifying the current duty rates before importing silver is advisable.

Tips for Travelers Importing Gold & Silver

Declaration: Always declare any gold or silver you are bringing into India beyond the allowed duty-free limits. Failure to do so can result in penalties, confiscation of the items, and legal action.

Documentation: Keep all purchase receipts and any certificates of authenticity for the gold or silver items you're carrying. This documentation will be necessary for declaring the items and calculating duty.

Payment of Duty: Be prepared to pay the customs duty in foreign currency. The exact amount will be calculated based on the current market value of gold or silver and the weight of the items you're importing.

Legal Limits: Be mindful of the legal limits for importing gold and silver. Importing quantities beyond what is allowed for personal use may raise suspicions of commercial importation, which has different regulations and requires an import license.

Check the Latest Regulations: The rules and duty rates for importing gold and silver into India are subject to change based on economic policies and market conditions. Always check the latest regulations on the official Indian Customs website or consult with a professional before your trip.

Importing gold and silver into India can be a valuable privilege for travelers, allowing them to carry these precious metals for personal use, gifting, or investment. However, adherence to the stipulated guidelines and payment of the necessary duties is crucial for a hassle-free experience. By staying informed and prepared, travelers can ensure that their precious cargo contributes to their wealth without becoming a legal burden.

71 comments:

RAJESH PAI said...

Dear Sir / Madam,

FAQ is very useful.

I need to know following:
1. What is the minimum quantity of Gold (in the form of Coin / Slab)is excempted from Duty?
2. What is the current duty / 10 gm of Gold.
3. Whether it can be payed in INR after reaching India?

Kindly request you to guide me.
Thanks.

Unknown said...

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I want to know what is the minimum quantity of Gold (in the form of Coin / Slab)that is excempted from Duty?

Anonymous said...

Indians (US citizen now) wants to carry back some family silver. What is the limit for this - in terms of weight ? Where does one look for such information ?

Unknown said...

Dear Sir,
My mother travelled from Saudiarabia to Ahmedabad on 02nd May-09. She stayed in saudi exactly 177 days. She was carrying 116 grams fo gold in the form of biscuit & wearing two gold chains of 18gram each. at the airport custom officer asked my mother that import of the gold is illegal & she has to pay 65000 Indian rupees. She was ready to pay custom duty of 250 INR per gram. custom officer also threatned her to put in the jail. I am very upset about the incident happend with my mother.
I want to know that how much gold she can carry when the person resides outside india for particular days? Is the custom office behaviour with my mother fair? why they are always targetting older, innocent people.

Please advise, I want to raise this matter to PMO office

Anonymous said...

what is quantity of gold that an NRI can bring to India free of customs duties?

Anonymous said...

dear sir, i wanted to know that can a person bring gold from kuwait if he has been working for only 3 mths, and how much ??

Anonymous said...

Dear Sir/ Madam,
I want to know what are the Customs rules of exporting a golden paints for parcelaine to India.
Please advise.
Thanks.
Din

kartik said...

how much a person can carry silver out of india?

Anonymous said...

Hello,
I want to know if I can bring into India silver objects of about 2 kilos which are of Indian origin and are antiques from the UK? I will also be having some brass antiques. There are not ancient or very old. But bought in the UK through E bay and auctions. Please advice

Unknown said...

I am coming on my annual vacation from Saudi Arabia on November. i want to bring 50 to 70 gms of gold during my vacation. I would like to know how much is allowed to bring for one person without any custom duty.

Unknown said...

what is quantity of gold that an NRI can bring to India free of customs duties?

Anonymous said...

Pinky said,

Dear Sir/Mam,

I want to know if a german is working in india how much gold (slabs) can he carry back to germany?, in how much time & what duty he needs to pay in India & Germany.

I request you to kindly help me

Rajesh K Iyer said...

Are there any information on diamonds? free stones and ornaments.

Unknown said...

Dear Sir/Madam,

I want to know how many grams gold bar or coins i can bring from taiwan to india for my sister-in-law marriage.
Kindly reply me .
Thanks & Regards,

Anonymous said...

dear sir,

what is the minimum amount gold NRE can bring to India without duty

Anonymous said...

Parag Bhagat, did your mother pay the fine on the spot. Did she had so much rupees with her while traveling ?.

Unknown said...

Dear Sir / Madam,
I need to know following:
I am a small jewelery trader. I want to buy some silver jewelery from china.But I do not have any import license. If I import these jewelery as passenger baggage by myself for commercial purpose,it will be illegal or legal? If it is legal, then what is the customs duty?
Kindly request you to guide me.
Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sir / Madem

I would like to know customes duty about 50 gold coins (400 grms) to traveling in India at Kozhikode Airport in February 2011

with best regards
Sakkeer

Ganesh said...

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am living in Uganda, i am working here on work-permit and now after 1 year i am coming to India ,so i want to know
1. Can i bring gold up to 10 kg ?
2. what documents or requirements are needed?
3. Can i sell this gold again in India and in which procedure?

Kindly request you to guide me.
Thanks.

Premavathi Periasami said...

Dear Sir/Madam,

Information given here is very useful. I need to know the following:

1. What is the duty for emerald/ruby/pearl/coral beads(not stones) ?
If yes, how it is calculated. Your reply is appreciable.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

What if I am carrying a crystal necklace. Do I have to pay custom duty?.

Anonymous said...

what is quantity of gold that an NRI can bring to India free of customs duties?

Unknown said...

what is quantity of gold that an NRI can bring to India free of customs duties?

Anonymous said...

what is quantity of gold and silver that an NRI can bring to India free of customs duties?

Anonymous said...

These questions can be very useful if they are properly answered. i personally request someone to please answer them.

muddy said...

hay i am indian and studying in uk from past 1 year and want to take sum scrap gold and jewelery in india , is it legel ?

Rajesh said...

how to duty at the air port cash or cheque. How much time it takes to do the formality at the airport. Can we pay duty on line before landing in india.

1 said...

as per cbec.gov.in/customs/cs-act
A passenger returning to India shall be allowed clearance free of duty jewellery in his bona fide baggage to the extent mentioned as below

(i) Jewellery upto an aggregate value of Rs. 10,000 by a gentleman passenger, or

(ii) Upto aggregate value of Rs. 20,000 by a lady passenger.

1 said...

as per India Gov customs rules A passenger returning to India shall be allowed clearance free of duty jewellery in his bona fide baggage to the extent mentioned as below ..

Indian passenger who has been residing abroad for over one year. can bring
(i) Jewellery upto an aggregate value of Rs. 10,000 by a gentleman passenger, or

(ii) Upto aggregate value of Rs. 20,000 by a lady passenger.

Srilu said...

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am an Indian and I am working in Singapore from 1yr.
Can I buy (In India) gold ornaments for my baby of 3yrs old (Kammar patta/Waist belt, arm vanki etc) and bring back to singapore?

manvindra singh said...

hi,i shop on sites of usa for gold jewellery shipping to india,10k,..weight is 1 lb,price is 105$
how much custom fees i have to pay

Anonymous said...

It is very clearly mentioned regarding number of cigarettes or litres of liquour that can be brought to india by indian citizen but no clear answer as to the quantity of gold to be brought to india by citizen is not mentioned. kindly reply specifically.

Anonymous said...

It seems like Indian custom staff Fu**ing horible. they are not allowed to treat anyone like this as incident happend with mother of MR. Parag Bhagat.
These crapy customs people are always looking for someone who is not aware of laws, ruls and regulations.
I belive india is not good place to stay anymore inregards to securtiy and safety of people.

Ria said...

Dear sir/mam
Do I need an invoice of gold(bars) to carry with me to India as we are travelling back to India after 6yrs.
Kindly request to guide us.
Thanx
Ria

mohamed Badrujaman said...

DEAR SIR

I AM INDIAN .. RIGHT NOW I AM IN SAUDI ARABIA SINCE 2 YEARS .. I HAVE 40GM GOLD FOR MY MARRIAGE SO HOW MANY GRAM EXCEMPTED FROM DUTY ?

1 said...

Hi mohamed .. you can carry all those 40gm .. but dont keep them in ur bag when arriving kochi/tvm .. wear all ornaments (or keep in you poket) before going to emigration till u go out of Airport .. if u keep in bag while scanning thay will ask you to pay duty.

Anonymous said...

I have 250gms of 22 Carat golden Jewelry(chain and neckles) and I am traveling to India after 6 months ,Do I have to pay custom charges and how much?

Anonymous said...

Sir,
It is amusing to go through these funny rules. They are so different from practice. We seem to have these outdated rules only to penalise or humiliate of torture some innocent persons to make money.
When we are so clear about Cigarettes and Liquor why not about pure gold in coins / buisuits?

buy gold coins said...

Thank you very much for sharing this guide on gold and silver.

Anonymous said...

I want to buy a co2 BB gun it looks real made of metal so i wanna know that custom allow it or no? If yes! Do i have to do all paper work for it???

neha said...

hey hi am an indian staying in US on dependent Visa,I was wondering that how much gold can I carry in the form of coins or a biscuit and ornaments when I ll be leaving for India after 8 months stay in US.kindly reply

Unknown said...

I am habing indian passport , living in india, going south africa for 6 days. how much gold can be beought in india thorugh my baggae without any duty?

Anonymous said...

Dear sir.

Me and my two kids are going to India from uk . Can we carry 200gm of gold bars . We have one 100gm and two 50gms gold bars. Could you please tell me about is necessary to pay customs duty and how much we need to pay. We are waiting for your reply. Based On your reply we will decide we have to carry gold or not. So please give me reply.

Anonymous said...

as now the price of gold as increased and with 10000rupees what we wil get.this was an old rule of indian govt and its kindl requested to make change in de rule wisely

acsajeer@gmail.com said...

SIR
PLEASE TELE ME NEW BAGGAGE ROLES.
SPECIALY GOLD IMPORTING.

Anonymous said...

i want to know that how much custom duty i have to pay for 150g gold jwellery bring from saudi arabia? ( if i stayed 3months in KSA), Please send me detail about custom duty.

Samish said...

bloody rules in India....., maximum gold which you can carry exempted customs duty is INR 20000, which is equal to 1 gram value....., what bloody rules, females cant even wear an earring avoiding the official customs duty. Is there any one who can change these stupid rules made in 18th century..... .my dear NRI's officially you can bring only 1 gm of gold avoiding official duty.....be careful with our stupid rues and regulations.......rgds...same one unlucky NRI.

Anonymous said...

APPENDIX D
(See rule 6)
(1) Jewellery
(2)
(1)
Jewellery
(2)
Indian passenger who has been
residing abroad for over one year.
(i) Jewellery upto an aggregate value of Rs. 10,000 by a
gentleman passenger, or
(ii) Upto aggregate value of Rs. 20,000 by a lady passenger.

chinchu chandran said...

2006 BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE RULE APENDIX rule 6)
(1) Jewellery
(2)
(1)
Jewellery
(2)
Indian passenger who has been
residing abroad for over one year.
(i) Jewellery upto an aggregate value of Rs. 10,000 by a
gentleman passenger, or
(ii) Upto aggregate value of Rs. 20,000 by a lady passenger

stupid rules made earlier, now 1 gram gold is costing 20000 and only 1 gram can be carried along when you are coming from abroad.....when our Indian rules will get uptodate?

Srini said...

With the new changes in the excise duty proposed in the budget (and certain rollbacks offered by the Finance Ministry within the last week) - do you know if there is any change in these customs duty values you mentioned in your article?

By the way - Do you have any references that say this?

mohiuddin said...

what is quantity of gold and silver that an NRI can bring to India free of customs duties?

Anonymous said...

I wonder there are so many people having so many questions about import of gold/silver.... according to rules only 1 gm or now probably even less amt of gold will be permitted.... I really pity our poor Indian govt where nobody even bothers to answer the questions/doubts of so many people..ALL THE BEST TO ALL U NRI'S out there..inspite of all this we proudly need to say..we are the citizens of INDIA THE GREAT!!!!

Anonymous said...

is it possible to get an updated rules for importing gold howmany gram each person can carry without customs duty?

Murali said...

How much of gold in any form can be imported to india without customs duty.

Murali said...

What is the permissible limit of gold allowed without customs duty?

Anonymous said...

what if m carrying gold purchased in India, will I be taxed on arrival in Mumbai from UAE?

Unknown said...

Dear Sir / Ma'am,

My sister, who has been in Canada for more than 2 decades is now moving back to India. She owned a business which involved retailing gold ornaments, diamond rings and watches through a store she operated in a mall. She has now let-go of the shop but is still left with some unsold inventory which involves gold, diamond rings and some watches. I would like to ask if she would be subjected to duty on arrival in
canada, if yes, what is the percent of levy?

Thank you in advance for your response.

Regards

Unknown said...

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a Australian citizen of Indian origin. I am about to travel to India and would like to know how much gold can I carry in the form of bars.

Your answers are higly appreciable.
Many Many Thanks
Syed

RAJ said...

Stupid rules..The rules is from 1967. How about our marriage ornaments which we are using from long time. We were travelled several time through the Airports. Nobody check the quantity. Why your customs people was not checking the ornaments from last several years.Why they are ingnored the rules. It is your fault. So you have to give consideration for the people who coming back.

Anonymous said...

dear sir,

i am staying in saudi arabia last two years i will be come to india may be next month how many grams gold (chain,bangles)allowed carring with me and how much duty per one exceed grams please give me the answer.

e;mail to
sarathy.vijay373@gmail.com

Unknown said...

dear sir,
if anyone want to import gold bar of 1 k.g. from ghana.what is the procedure? and how much duty one has to pay to bring gold bar in his destination.
please email me at ankitshah71990@gmail.com

vixy said...

one of my friend just been to India & was surprised when custom officers asked her to pay Rs.15,000 because she was carrying 50 grams of gold. When she asked them show me ur latest rules or information about gold. They just denied & threatened her to put her behind the bars. just because she didn't have Indian currency,they charged her $300 Australian dollars(equilant to Rs 16,200) When she asked for receipt,they simply showed her way of out.
INDIAN GOVT. SUCKS

Anonymous said...

visit the following site for all the detail

http://www.cbec.gov.in/travellers.htm

Unknown said...

dear sir/madam

i want to know what about watches like rolex & rado i want to bring 4 watches 2 rolex 2 rado then i want to pay customs for them or not please give me reply

kind regards
mohammed zuber

Anonymous said...

I want to carry 50gram of gold coins from delhi airport to imphal airport? will the customs charge for that?

Anonymous said...

iam staying for over 10 years in saudi arabia
so i wanted to ask how much of gold i can take with me
please help

Anonymous said...

Dear Sir,

Self and my wife are going on a tour to Dubai for four nights and five days to witness Dubai festival. How much grams of jewelry and electronic items (ipad and laptop)we can bring . It will be very kind of you for answering this question at the earliest.
Kumar

Anonymous said...

i want carry 50 grm designed gold how much custmos charge

Life changer AK said...

I need to know only this that if in hare for 2 or 3 days and and i would like to buy some gold for my family so how much gold can i bring along with me in india couse i don't want problem with custom officers if there is a limit of grams for india pls let me know befor l'll be announced a criminal thanks

Unknown said...

How Much Pure Silver I Can Carry Without Any Fine Or Taxes...???

Anonymous said...

Did u got any information for that did u taken silver to India howmuch u hav taken rply

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