BIS hallmarking is India's official quality certification for gold and silver jewellery. It guarantees that jewellery sold to consumers meets the declared purity standard. As of January 2021, hallmarking became mandatory for gold jewellery in India, and since 2022, every hallmarked piece must carry a unique six-digit alphanumeric Hallmark Unique ID (HUID). This guide covers everything jewellers, manufacturers, and retailers need to know about BIS hallmarking compliance.
What is BIS Hallmarking?
BIS hallmarking certifies the purity of gold and silver in jewellery. A hallmarked piece of gold jewellery carries marks that tell the consumer exactly what gold purity they are buying — verified by an independent BIS-licensed Assaying and Hallmarking Centre (AHC).
Under the Gold (Control) Act and the Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts Order, 2022, it is illegal to sell gold jewellery without a BIS hallmark in India (with limited exemptions for special orders and antique pieces).
- ›BIS hallmark certifies purity: 14K (585), 18K (750), 20K (833), 22K (916), 23K (958), or 24K (999)
- ›Each hallmarked piece must carry: BIS logo, purity mark (e.g. 916), and a six-digit HUID code
- ›Hallmarking must be done at a BIS-licensed Assaying and Hallmarking Centre (AHC)
- ›Silver jewellery hallmarking is voluntary but increasingly adopted
HUID — Hallmark Unique ID
The Hallmark Unique ID (HUID) is a six-digit alphanumeric code assigned to each piece of jewellery at the time of hallmarking. It is registered in the BIS digital portal (huidonline.bis.gov.in) and links the physical piece to a digital record.
HUID solves a critical problem: it makes each hallmarked piece traceable and verifiable. Consumers can enter the HUID on the BIS portal to verify when and where a piece was hallmarked, and confirm its declared purity.
- ›HUID is assigned by the AHC at the time of hallmarking — not by the jeweller
- ›Each HUID is unique globally; no two pieces share the same HUID
- ›Jewellers must update the HUID portal when a piece is sold, melted, or exported
- ›Consumers can verify HUID authenticity at huidonline.bis.gov.in
- ›The HUID eliminates the possibility of counterfeit hallmarks (a significant pre-HUID problem)
Who Must Register for BIS Hallmarking?
Any jeweller selling gold jewellery in India must be registered with BIS under the BIS Jeweller Registration Scheme. Registration is done online at the BIS portal.
- ›All jewellers (retail, wholesale, manufacturer) selling hallmarked gold jewellery must be BIS-registered
- ›Jewellers selling silver jewellery voluntarily seek hallmarking must also be registered
- ›Registration is free of government charge (though agents may charge a service fee)
- ›A registered jeweller gets a unique BIS registration number (e.g., R-000XXXXXX)
- ›Registration can be cancelled if the jeweller is found selling unhallmarked or counterfeit-hallmarked jewellery
Getting Jewellery Hallmarked — The AHC Process
As a registered jeweller, you take your gold items to a BIS-licensed Assaying and Hallmarking Centre (AHC) for testing and hallmarking. There are over 1,700 AHCs across India.
- ›1. Deliver jewellery to an AHC along with your BIS jeweller registration number
- ›2. The AHC tests each piece (typically using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) or fire assay for verification)
- ›3. If the purity meets the declared standard, the AHC stamps the BIS logo, purity mark, and assigns a HUID to the piece
- ›4. AHC uploads the HUID data to the BIS portal and returns the hallmarked pieces
- ›5. Turnaround time: typically 1–3 days for standard items; longer for large batches
- ›6. AHC fees: typically ₹35–₹45 per piece (varies by AHC and batch size)
Exemptions from Mandatory Hallmarking
The mandatory hallmarking order includes specific exemptions:
- ›Special-order jewellery — custom pieces made to a consumer's specific order (must be disclosed at the time of order)
- ›Antique jewellery — defined as jewellery more than 50 years old
- ›Small towns and rural areas — phased rollout originally exempted smaller towns, though coverage has expanded significantly
- ›Jewellery for export — items made exclusively for export are exempt
- ›Watches, coins, and non-jewellery gold articles — covered under separate regulations
Penalties for Non-Compliance
The penalties for selling non-hallmarked gold jewellery in mandatory hallmarking areas are significant under the BIS Act, 2016:
- ›Fine up to ₹1 lakh per instance for first-time offences
- ›Fines up to ₹2 lakh for repeat offences
- ›Imprisonment up to 1 year in cases of deliberate fraud
- ›Seizure and forfeiture of non-compliant jewellery stock
- ›BIS conducts regular market surveillance and can conduct raids on jewellery shops
Key Takeaways
- ✓BIS hallmarking is mandatory for gold jewellery sold in India since January 2021 — non-compliance carries criminal penalties
- ✓Every piece must now carry a HUID (six-digit code) traceable in the BIS digital portal
- ✓Jewellers must be BIS-registered before they can send jewellery for hallmarking
- ✓Hallmarking is done at BIS-licensed AHCs (1,700+ across India) — not at the jeweller's premises
- ✓AHC fees are typically ₹35–₹45 per piece; HUID registration is mandatory and done by the AHC
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