Bringing Gold To India: Customs Rules And Passenger Limits

A returning passenger can bring up to 1 kg of gold into India in baggage after staying abroad for at least 6 months, but duty must be paid on it in foreign currency. Only the small jewellery allowance is duty-free, and that needs a longer 1-year stay abroad. These are two separate rules, and mixing them up is the most common mistake.

If you are short on time, read the “Two rules, not one” table below. It tells you which rule applies to you and whether you pay duty.

Gold for passengers is governed by two distinct rules. They have different stay requirements and different duty treatment. Read this table first.

The jewellery allowance and the 1 kg import are not added together as a single “1 kg duty-free” figure. Only the 20 g or 40 g of jewellery is free of duty. Everything beyond that is dutiable.

Both rules apply to a passenger of Indian origin or a passenger holding a valid Indian passport. A tourist who is not of Indian origin does not get the special jewellery allowance. Plain ornaments can qualify for the duty-free allowance; gold bars, coins and biscuits never do and are always dutiable.

A passenger who has stayed abroad for more than one year can clear bona fide personal jewellery free of duty, within these weight limits under the Baggage Rules:

• Gentleman passenger: up to 20 grams.
• Lady passenger: up to 40 grams.

Under the Baggage Rules 2016, these weight limits were paired with value caps of ₹50,000 for a gentleman and ₹1,00,000 for a lady. News reports indicate the Baggage Rules were revised with effect from 2 February 2026 and that the value caps were changed. Because we could not confirm the exact revised text against a CBIC notification this session, treat the value caps as uncertain and confirm the current position with customs or on cbic.gov.in before you travel.

What is certain: the weight limits of 20 g and 40 g apply under both the old and the revised rules, and the jewellery allowance needs a stay of more than one year.

Separately, an eligible passenger who has stayed abroad for at least 6 months can import gold in baggage up to a cap of 1 kg per passenger. This is not duty-free. The conditions, under Notification No. 45/2025-Customs dated 24 October 2025, are:

1. The passenger has stayed abroad for a period of not less than 6 months.
2. The quantity does not exceed 1 kg per eligible passenger.
3. Duty is paid in convertible foreign currency.

This route is what lets a returning worker bring a meaningful quantity of gold, including bars and coins, as long as the duty is paid.

Gold beyond the duty-free jewellery allowance is dutiable. As per the rates in Notification No. 45/2025-Customs dated 24 October 2025, the concessional duty for an eligible passenger meeting the 6-month condition is 6%, while gold brought by other passengers attracts 36%.

Customs duty rates move with the budget cycle. Before you travel, confirm the current rate for your situation on cbic.gov.in or at the airport customs counter. Do not rely on a figure quoted by a jeweller or a blog.

Declare any gold above the free allowance at the Red Channel on arrival. Using the Green Channel with undeclared dutiable gold is a customs offence and can lead to seizure.

For how your residency abroad is recorded, see ECR and ECNR passport status in India. If you are also moving money home, see LRS outward remittance and Form A2. For filing RTIs to get official records, read The RTI Playbook.

Kashvi Pathak returns to India after working in the Gulf for 8 months. She carries 35 grams of gold jewellery and one 50-gram gold bar.

Her stay is more than 6 months but less than 1 year. So she does not qualify for the duty-free jewellery allowance, which needs over a year abroad. She is, however, an eligible passenger for the 1 kg import route.

Her total is 85 grams, well within the 1 kg cap. She declares all of it at the Red Channel and pays the applicable duty in foreign currency. Had she stayed more than a year, all 35 grams of her jewellery would have been duty-free, within the 40-gram lady limit, leaving only the 50-gram bar dutiable.

The lesson: the 6-month clock and the 1-year clock are different. Count your days abroad carefully before you pack.

• Confirm whether your stay abroad crosses 6 months or 1 year.
• Check the current duty rate on cbic.gov.in for your category.
• Keep purchase invoices and weight slips ready, and use the Red Channel for any dutiable gold.

Only the duty-free jewellery allowance is free of duty: up to 20 grams for a gentleman and 40 grams for a lady, and only if you have stayed abroad for more than one year. Gold beyond that, including bars and coins, is dutiable. An eligible passenger who has stayed abroad for at least 6 months can import up to 1 kg total, but must pay duty on it in convertible foreign currency.

No. The 1 kg cap is a maximum quantity, not a duty-free amount. An eligible passenger who has stayed abroad for at least 6 months can import up to 1 kg, but duty is payable in convertible foreign currency under Notification No. 45/2025-Customs. Only the separate 20 g or 40 g jewellery allowance is free of duty.

As per Notification No. 45/2025-Customs dated 24 October 2025, gold brought by an eligible passenger attracts a concessional duty of 6%, while gold brought by other passengers attracts 36%. Rates change with the budget cycle, so confirm the current figure on cbic.gov.in or at the airport customs counter before you travel.

Yes, but never duty-free. Gold bars and coins do not qualify for the duty-free jewellery allowance, which covers ornaments only. An eligible passenger who has stayed abroad for at least 6 months can bring bars and coins within the 1 kg cap on payment of duty in foreign currency. Always declare them at the Red Channel.

Yes, for the duty-free jewellery allowance. A gentleman passenger can bring up to 20 grams of jewellery duty-free, and a lady passenger up to 40 grams, in both cases only after staying abroad for more than one year. The 1 kg import cap is the same for all eligible passengers regardless of gender.

• Notification No. 45/2025-Customs dated 24 October 2025, CBIC (consolidated customs duty notification effective 1 November 2025) - cbic.gov.in.
• Import Guidelines for Gold and Valuables, Mumbai Customs Zone III - mumbaicustomszone3.gov.in.
• Baggage Rules 2016 and the Indian Customs Declaration Form, CBIC.

• ECR and ECNR passport status in India
• LRS outward remittance and bank refusal of Form A2

Reviewed by the RTI Wiki editorial team. Last reviewed: June 2026.