Hallmarking is the Bureau of Indian Standards mark on gold jewellery and gold artefacts. It tells you the purity of the piece in carat and fineness, and it gives the piece a code you can check. BIS made hallmarking mandatory from 23 June 2021, first in 256 districts. The Bureau’s hallmarking brief says coverage is now 392 districts, after the amendment order of 3 August 2026.
The mark has three parts. The BIS logo says a recognised centre has tested the piece. The purity is the carat and the fineness. The HUID is a 6-character code, unique to that article. HUID hallmarking started on 1 July 2021. The BIS Care app is where you read that code before you pay. The grades in the current scheme are 9K (375), 14K (585), 18K (750), 20K (833), 22K (916), 23K (958), 24KS (995). A 22K piece is fineness 916, which means 916 parts in 1,000 are gold.
The bill for a hallmarked piece should show the description, the net weight, the purity in carat and fineness, and the hallmarking charges. Putting the HUID on the invoice is voluntary. A recognised centre currently bills the jeweller ₹75 per gold article, with a minimum of ₹200 for a consignment. That figure is what the centre charges the shop. It is not a price the law sets for the customer. Add whatever hallmarking line your invoice shows to the cost you keep for a later sale.
What the order does not cover
An article under 2 grams is outside the mandatory order. So is a jeweller whose yearly turnover is up to ₹40,00,000. Kundan, Polki and Jadau pieces have their own exemption. Gold bullion and gold coins are not covered by the jewellery order. A coin can still be hallmarked when a BIS-licensed refinery or mint marks 999 or 995 fineness. If a coin has no mark, you are trusting the seller’s assay.
GST on the jewellery is a separate bill. The rate on finished jewellery and on unwrought gold is 3%. Making charges are the shop’s fee, and the GST Council’s FAQ charges that 3% on the whole transaction value. Hallmarking does not remove those costs. It tells you the metal is what the tag says.
Mistakes people make
- Treating a coin as hallmarked because the shop called it 24 carat.
- Assuming every district has been under the order since 23 June 2021. The start was 256 districts. The brief’s later figure is 392.
- Paying a hallmarking line without reading it, then losing the bill. The bill is your purchase cost.
- Confusing the centre’s ₹75 charge to the jeweller with the line on your invoice.
- Using an old list of six caratages. The Bureau’s brief, current as of October 2026, lists seven: 9K (375), 14K (585), 18K (750), 20K (833), 22K (916), 23K (958), 24KS (995).
Where it sits
Hallmarking is a purity check, not a promise about the gold price and not a tax exemption. The gold options guide puts a hallmarked chain next to a gold ETF, a gold fund, a Sovereign Gold Bond and digital gold. The tax guide starts when you sell. Keep the invoice. A 2 gram floor, a ₹40,00,000 turnover exemption and the coin exclusion are the three limits people miss at the counter.
Questions
Does a gold coin need a BIS hallmark?
The mandatory order covers gold jewellery and gold artefacts. Bullion and coins are outside it. A coin of 999 or 995 fineness may still be hallmarked by a BIS-licensed refinery or mint. A shop coin is not hallmarked the way a chain in a covered district must be.
What should the mark show?
Three things: the BIS logo, the purity in carat and fineness, and a 6-character HUID. HUID hallmarking started on 1 July 2021. Check the code in the BIS Care app before you pay. The grades in the current scheme are 9K (375), 14K (585), 18K (750), 20K (833), 22K (916), 23K (958), 24KS (995).
Is the ₹75 charge what I pay the shop?
A recognised centre bills the jeweller ₹75 per gold article, with a minimum of ₹200 a consignment. That is the centre’s charge to the shop. Your invoice can show a different hallmarking line. Read that line, and keep it with the bill.
Sources
Figures checked 29 Oct 2026.