Dubai: If you are travelling from the UAE to India, and planning to take some gold jewellery with you, it is important to keep in mind the customs requirements at Indian airports to ensure you do not get prosecuted or penalised, or your goods confiscated, because of violating customs declaration protocols.
How much gold can I carry?
According to travel guidelines by India’s Central Board Of Indirect Taxes And Customs, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, an Indian passenger who has been residing outside India for over one year can carry gold jewellery in their baggage.
If the passenger is male, the gold jewellery can be up to 20g, with a value cap of Indian rupees 50,000 (Dh2,535).
If the passenger is a woman, the gold jewellery carried in the luggage can be up to 40g, with a value cap of Rs100,000 (Dh5,070).
However, it is important to note that this cap is for those residing outside India. Additionally, the gold has to be of 22k or lower purity.
If you are an Indian tourist who was on a trip to the UAE and are returning to India, you are not allowed to carry gold jewellery in your luggage.
Can I carry gold bars or gold coins?
No, if you are on a visit to India, you cannot carry gold bars or gold coins. The allowance is only for gold jewellery, which has to be of 22k or lower purity.
However, in cases of repatriation, where an Indian national is returning to India after having lived and worked outside the country, and has filed a ‘transfer of residence’, they are allowed to bring in up to 1kg of gold, which can include gold bars or coins as well as jewellery.
In this situation, the passenger would be required to pay customs duty, on the value of gold exceeding Rs100,000. The passenger would be required to declare the gold to the Customs department, on arrival, or can fill in the declaration form before travelling, using the Custom department’s app, called ‘Atithi’, which is available for Apple and Android devices.
How much cash can I carry?
Declaration of foreign exchange or currency has to be made before the customs officers in the following cases:
a. Where the value of foreign currency notes exceeds US$5,000 (Dh18,365) or equivalent.
b. Where the aggregate value of foreign exchange including currency exceeds US$10,000 (Dh36,730) or equivalent.
