BIS raises gold hallmarking fee to ₹75 from ₹45 ahead of festive season

The Bureau of Indian Standards has revised hallmarking charges for gold and silver articles, raising the fee for gold to ₹75 from ₹45, while retaining the charge for silver at ₹35, with immediate effect ahead of the festive season.

The increase has been notified through the BIS (Hallmarking) Amendment Regulations, 2026, dated September 14, 2026.

Under the amended Schedule IV, jewellers are required to pay a hallmarking fee of ₹75 per article, subject to a minimum charge of ₹200 per consignment, while for silver articles, the fee payable by jewellers to recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centres (AHCs) is fixed at ₹35 per article, with a minimum of ₹150 per consignment.

BIS hallmarking verifies the purity of a precious metal used in jewellery and certifies the article under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), containing the three key markings: its logo, Karat or millesimal fineness, and a six-digit alphanumeric code known as the Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number.

Expressing concern over the move, the All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC) urged the government and BIS to immediately review the decision and retain the existing charge pending stakeholder consultation.

“GJC and the jewellery industry have consistently supported hallmarking because purity assurance and consumer confidence are fundamental to our trade. But support for hallmarking does not mean that a nearly 67% increase in the cost of mandatory compliance should pass without examination. Hallmarking volumes have expanded enormously. The industry, therefore, deserves to understand why the per-article charge needs to rise from ₹45 to ₹75 at this stage,” the apex industry body Chairman Rajesh Rokde said.

The priority should be to address issues of fake hallmarking, unauthorised operations and non-compliance before increasing the burden on compliant jewellers, he said.

“Compliance must remain commercially sustainable. If the compliant route becomes progressively more expensive while informal and unauthorised channels continue to operate, the differential between the two widens. That is not desirable either for the government, the industry or the consumer,” GJC Vice Chairman Avinash Gupta said.

Mr. Gupta raised industry concerns regarding aggressive discounting and commercial inducements in the race for hallmarking volumes.