Taking gold from the UAE to India: How much can you carry duty-free? Check the customs rules
Check duty-free limits, customs charges and what to declare before you fly.
Dubai’s gold souks are a favourite stop for Indian travellers, particularly during the Diwali gold-buying season, when demand for jewellery rises. With the festive rush driving purchases, UAE residents planning to carry gold to India should check the customs rules before buying.
But before you pick up that necklace, bracelet or gold coin, there is one important question: how much can you take home without paying customs duty?
India has separate rules for gold jewellery and gold bars or coins. Eligible passengers who have lived abroad for more than a year can bring a limited quantity of jewellery duty-free. Those who want to carry more gold can use a separate import facility, subject to eligibility conditions and customs duty.
India’s Baggage Rules, 2026, in force since February 2, set a weight-based allowance for jewellery. A separate scheme lets eligible travellers bring in more gold by paying duty. (Check today’s live gold prices in the UAE before you buy.)
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Here is what you need to know before buying gold and flying to India.
How much gold can you take to India duty-free?
Eligible residents or tourists of Indian origin who have lived abroad for more than one year can bring in jewellery without paying duty:
Women: up to 40g
Men and other passengers: up to 20g
Things to know:
It’s about weight, not value. The allowance covers jewellery made of gold, silver, platinum or other precious metals, with or without stones.
Check the net gold weight. If a piece includes stones or other materials, the gold content is what counts.
Bars, biscuits, coins and bullion are not covered.
You must meet the overseas-residence condition. A short trip or a tourist visit does not qualify.
Want to estimate how much you may have to pay? Use the Gulf News Gold Customs Duty Calculator – India for an indicative estimate based on the gold’s value and applicable duty rate.
Can you bring more than 40g?
Yes, but not duty-free. Notification No. 45/2025-Customs, dated October 24, 2025 and since amended, lets eligible passengers bring up to 1kg of specified gold, including ornaments, by paying customs duty. To qualify, you must:
be of Indian origin or hold a valid Indian passport
have stayed abroad for at least six months (short visits to India totalling up to 30 days may be disregarded, subject to the notification’s conditions)
pay the duty in convertible foreign currency
stay within 1kg per person
What counts:
gold bars (not tola bars) with a manufacturer’s or refiner’s serial number and weight in metric units
gold coins of at least 99.5% purity
gold in other forms, including certain ornaments. Ornaments studded with stones or pearls are excluded from this category and have separate conditions.
What is the customs duty on gold?
Since May, 2026, the concessional duty for eligible passengers under this scheme is 15%: 10% basic customs duty plus 5% Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess. It was 6% before that date.
Customs calculates duty on its own assessable value, which may differ from the price on your Dubai invoice:
Customs duty = assessable value × 15%
For example, if Customs assesses your gold at ₹100,000, the duty is ₹15,000.
This rate applies to qualifying imports under the special scheme, not to every passenger. Check the latest notification before you fly, because duty rates can change again.
Before travelling: Keep your purchase invoices, check your eligibility and declare dutiable gold at the Red Channel. The duty is calculated using the value assessed by Customs, which may differ from the Dubai purchase price.
Can you bring silver?
Eligible passengers of Indian origin or holding a valid Indian passport can bring up to 10kg of silver, ornaments included, under a separate duty-paid scheme. The six-month stay and foreign-currency payment conditions apply. Ornaments studded with stones or pearls are excluded.
Does the ₹75,000 baggage allowance cover gold?
No. The general allowance is separate from the gold import rules, and you can’t use it to bring in gold bars or coins duty-free. For arrivals by air or sea, it is:
₹75,000: Indian residents, tourists of Indian origin and foreigners on a valid non-tourist visa
₹25,000: foreign tourists, excluding infants
₹2,500: crew members
Gold and silver in forms other than ornaments are excluded from this allowance. It can’t be pooled between passengers. If you arrive by land, you don’t get the same allowance.
Do transfer-of-residence allowances cover gold?
Passengers moving back to India may qualify for concessions on personal and household items, with value limits of ₹150,000, ₹300,000 or ₹750,000 depending on how long they lived abroad and other conditions. These are not an additional gold allowance. Jewellery and bullion stay under the gold import rules.
Bringing jewellery for a wedding?
If you are bringing jewellery to India temporarily for a wedding or another event and plan to take it back out, ask Customs for a Temporary Baggage Import Certificate (Form CBD-IV) on arrival. It records what you brought in. You must take the items out again within the permitted period and meet the certificate’s conditions.
Don’t assume wedding jewellery automatically qualifies for the duty-free allowance. If you plan to leave it in India, the normal baggage and gold import rules apply.
Is it cheaper to buy gold in UAE?
UAE market tracks international prices and offers plenty of choice, but the final cost depends on the gold rate, making charges, VAT, currency conversion and any Indian duty, which is now 15% on gold above your allowance.
UAE jewellery generally carries 5% VAT. Eligible tourists can claim a refund on qualifying purchases when leaving, subject to the scheme’s conditions. UAE residents shouldn’t assume they qualify. In India, jewellery attracts GST.
Before you buy, compare the full cost of the same weight, purity and design in both countries:
gold rate and purity
making charges and stone costs
VAT or GST, and any tourist refund
currency-conversion and card fees
Indian customs duty, if it applies
buy-back and exchange terms
A lower displayed rate doesn’t automatically mean a cheaper purchase.
Jewellery, bars or coins?
Jewellery can use the 40g or 20g duty-free allowance if you qualify. It carries making charges, and resale deductions may apply.
Bars and coins get no duty-free allowance. Eligible passengers can bring them under the 1kg scheme by paying duty. Their price is usually more closely tied to the gold’s weight and value, though premiums and resale terms vary.
Buying to wear? Compare the finished piece’s price and making charges. Buying as an investment? Compare the premium over the gold rate, purity, certification and buy-back terms.
22-karat or 24-karat?
22-karat : about 91.6% pure gold. The added metals make it more durable, so it’s the usual choice for jewellery.
24-karat: about 99.9% pure. It’s softer and more common as bars and coins.
Tips before you buy
Check your eligibility. The 40g and 20g limits apply only if you meet the overseas-residence conditions.
Compare making charges. Ask shops to list the gold rate, weight and making charges separately, and ask whether the charges are negotiable. Deira Gold Souk offers many retailers, while mall-based brands may differ on pricing, designs and buy-back terms.
Check purity. Look at the purity marking and get an itemised invoice showing weight, caratage, gold value and making charges, plus any purity or assay certificate. A certificate or shop label doesn’t replace checking the item’s actual markings.
Keep your paperwork. Carry the original invoice and certificates in your hand luggage where Customs can inspect them.
Check payment fees. Compare card charges and exchange-rate mark-ups, and look at the final amount in your home currency.
Don’t split purchases to dodge duty. Each passenger must qualify independently, and Customs can look at who actually owns the goods.
How do you declare gold at an Indian airport?
Under the Customs Baggage (Declaration and Processing) Regulations, 2026, you can file Form CBD-I through India’s ATITHI app or web portal up to three days before arrival, and update it until you land.
At the airport:
Red Channel: use it if you carry goods you must declare, including gold bullion or jewellery above the allowance.
Green Channel: use it only if you have nothing dutiable or prohibited.
If you’re carrying dutiable gold:
Check the rules before you leave.
Keep your invoice and travel documents within reach.
Complete the electronic declaration, where applicable.
Walk through the Red Channel.
Pay the duty and finish the formalities.
What if you don’t declare?
Failing to declare, declaring falsely or concealing goods can lead to confiscation, fines, penalties and prosecution. Commercial quantities can’t be cleared as passenger baggage, even if you offer to pay duty. Check your eligibility and declare accurately rather than assume that paying duty lets you bring in any amount.
Travelling out of India with valuables?
If you’re leaving India with expensive jewellery you plan to bring back, consider declaring it to Customs before departure and getting an Export Certificate (Form CBD-III). It helps show the item left India with you.
What UAE travellers should remember
40g or 20g: duty-free jewellery for eligible passengers who have lived abroad for more than one year.
Up to 1kg of gold or 10kg of silver: allowed with duty for those who meet the six-month rule. Gold duty is 15% since May 13, 2026.
Bars and coins: never covered by the duty-free jewellery allowance or the ₹75,000 baggage allowance.
Wedding jewellery: ask Customs about a temporary import certificate if it’s going back out.
Before you fly: check the latest rules, keep your documents and declare what you must.
Source: Mumbai Customs Zone III, Import Guidelines for Gold and Valuables (last updated October 30, 2026); Notification No. 45/2025-Customs.
