Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2026: What Every Jeweller and Gold Business Must Know

The Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Articles (Third Amendment) Order, 2026, is an amendment to the existing law on mandatory gold hallmarking in India and affects all jewellers, gold dealers, manufacturers, and retailers operating in India. This order, issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, on August 3, 2026, and published in the Gazette of India on August 6, 2026, amends the list of districts for which BIS hallmarking of gold jewellery is mandatory.

If your business sells, manufactures, or trades gold jewellery or gold artefacts, this update could change whether hallmarking is now mandatory in the district where you operate, and getting it wrong can mean penalties, seized stock, or a blocked BIS registration. Many businesses struggle to track ongoing changes like this one, which is exactly why working with an experienced gold hallmarking compliance consultant like Corpseed can help you stay ahead of the deadline rather than react to it after an inspection.

Key Highlights of the Amendment

• The order is called the Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2026.
• It has been issued by the Central Government, through the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
• It is issued under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 2016, specifically Section 14(3) read with Sections 15(2), 15(3), 16, 17, and 25(3).
• The government consulted the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) before issuing this order, as required by law.
• The amendment replaces the entire Annexure (the district-wise list) of the original Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts Order, 2020.
• The new Annexure lists districts, state by state and union territory by union territory, where hallmarking of gold jewellery and gold artefacts is mandatory.
• The order becomes effective immediately from its date of publication in the Official Gazette, i.e., August 6, 2026.
• This is the third amendment to the original 2020 Order. The principal order was notified on January 15, 2020, and was last amended on April 28, 2026 (S.O. 2117(E)), before this latest change.
• The order is signed by Richa Misra, Additional Secretary, on behalf of the Central Government.
• Businesses operating in any district newly added to the Annexure must ensure their gold jewellery and gold artefacts carry a valid BIS hallmark without delay.

No transition period is separately specified in the order; compliance is expected from the date the order takes effect.

The Regulatory Framework

What Law Governs This Order?

This order is made under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (Act No. 11 of 2016). In simple terms, this law empowers the Central Government and BIS to make hallmarking (a quality and purity certification mark) compulsory for certain goods, including gold jewellery and gold artefacts.

The specific legal provisions used are:

Section 14(3)- power to specify goods, articles, or products for compulsory hallmarking or certification.

Section 15(2) and 15(3)- powers related to standard marks and certification schemes.

Section 16- provisions dealing with hallmarking or certification requirements.

Section 17- provisions on how compulsory marking is implemented.

Section 25(3)- powers to make orders for goods or articles requiring compulsory certification.

Who Is the Regulatory Authority?

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is India's national standards body and the technical authority responsible for hallmarking. The Department of Consumer Affairs (under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution) is the administrative authority that issues the legal order making hallmarking compulsory in specified districts, after formally consulting BIS.

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this framework is to ensure that gold jewellery and gold artefacts sold in India meet a guaranteed purity standard, verified and certified by a BIS hallmark. The scope of this particular amendment is limited to updating the list of districts where this requirement legally applies it does not change the hallmarking process, purity standards, or registration requirements themselves, which continue to be governed by the parent 2020 Order and BIS regulations.

Industries Covered

This order applies to:

• Gold jewellery manufacturers
• Gold artefact makers
• Jewellery retailers and showrooms
• Gold traders and wholesalers
• Jewellery exporters dealing in domestic sales.

Any business that sells or supplies gold jewellery or gold artefacts to consumers in the districts listed in the Annexure

What Has Changed?

The core change made by this amendment is straightforward but important: the entire Annexure (district list) of the 2020 Order has been replaced with a new Annexure.

Not sure which rule applies to your stock? Corpseed's BIS Registration experts can review your product line against the current Annexure in a single consultation. 

Important Note: The order text itself does not describe the amendment as adding a fixed number of new districts it simply states that the previous Annexure "shall be substituted" with the new one. Businesses should check the new Annexure directly against their operating district to confirm applicability, rather than assuming their district's status has stayed the same.

Which Districts Are Covered Under the New Annexure?

The new Annexure lists districts across 26 states and union territories. Below is a quick-reference table of some of the major districts named in the official list, so you can quickly check whether a well-known city or district near you is covered. This is not the complete list; the notification spans dozens of districts per state, but it gives you a quick way to check the states and prominent districts most people search for.

Don't see your exact district above? The full Annexure covers many more districts within each of these states (and others, including Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tripura, and Uttarakhand). Since hallmarking applicability is district-specific and legally binding, always verify your exact district against the official Gazette notification rather than relying on general area names. If you're unsure how to read the Annexure or want direct confirmation for your business location, Corpseed's compliance team can check district applicability for you as part of a hallmarking compliance review.

Implementation Timeline / Norms

• Effective Date: The order shall come into effect on August 6, 2026, which is the date of publication of this order in the Official Gazette. No such delay in the operation of the order has been provided for.
• Compliance Deadline: In view of the immediate operation of the order, businesses operating in districts covered by the new Annexure are required to comply with this date.
• Applicability: The order applies to any business dealing in gold jewellery or gold artefacts within a district named in the new Annexure.

Required Actions:

• Check whether your operating district appears in the new Annexure.
• If it does, confirm your BIS hallmarking registration is active and valid.
• Ensure every piece of gold jewellery or gold artefact sold carries a genuine BIS hallmark (including a HUID).
• Update internal compliance checklists and staff training to reflect the new district status, if applicable.
• Maintain proper documentation proving hallmarking compliance in the event of an inspection.

Why Was This Implemented?

While the order itself is procedural (updating a district list), it fits into the Central Government's broader objective behind mandatory gold hallmarking, which includes:

• Consumer protection: ensuring buyers of gold jewellery get exactly the purity they pay for.
• Standardisation: bringing gold jewellery sold across India under a uniform, verifiable quality mark.
• Trade transparency: reducing disputes between buyers and sellers over gold purity.
• Ease of doing business: giving jewellers a clear, predictable national framework instead of inconsistent local practices.
• Progressive expansion: gradually widening hallmarking coverage to more districts as BIS's registration and assaying infrastructure (Assaying & Hallmarking Centres) becomes available in those areas.

Impact on Businesses

• Gold jewellery and articles manufacturers: Manufacturers whose factory is located in a new area covered under the Act shall ensure that all their products are hallmarked before being sold.
• Importers: Those importers who repack, relabel, and sell the gold jewellery within India shall ensure compliance with hallmarking laws.
• Exporters: In most cases, exporters dealing in export business to countries other than India are not much affected by the Act; however, in the event of any domestic sale in a covered district, they are affected by the Act.
• Brand owners and large jewellery chains: Multi-location brands need to map every showroom against the new Annexure and update store-level compliance status accordingly.
• MSMEs and small jewellers: Smaller businesses, which may have limited compliance bandwidth, face the greatest operational adjustment if their district is newly listed, as they must quickly arrange BIS registration and access to hallmarking.
• Startups entering the jewellery business: New entrants must build hallmarking compliance into their business plan from day one if operating in a listed district.
• Traders, distributors, and retailers: Anyone in the supply chain selling directly to consumers in a covered district must verify that stock received from suppliers is properly hallmarked.
• OEMs and job-work units: Units manufacturing on behalf of brands must ensure hallmarking is completed before goods are dispatched for sale.
• Service providers (repair, remaking, customisation): Businesses that alter or remake jewellery for customers should be aware that hallmarking obligations continue to apply to the finished product sold.

The operational impact includes coordinating with AHCs for testing and marking; the legal impact includes potential penalties for non-compliance; the financial impact includes hallmarking and registration costs, the documentation impact includes maintaining hallmarking records, and the supply chain impact includes verifying hallmark status of goods received from vendors before resale.

How Businesses Will Achieve Compliance?

• Check district applicability: Compare your business location against the new Annexure published with this order.
• BIS Registration: Apply for or renew your BIS hallmarking registration if your district is newly covered.
• Documentation: Maintain proof of registration, hallmarking certificates, and HUID records for all stock.
• Testing and Assaying: Get gold jewellery and artefacts tested and hallmarked through a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre.
• Approvals: Ensure all necessary BIS approvals are current before selling hallmark-required stock.
• Certification: Confirm each piece carries the mandatory hallmark, including purity grade and HUID.
• Inspection Readiness: Keep records organised so you can respond quickly if BIS or Legal Metrology officials inspect your premises.
• Renewals: Track registration validity and renew before expiry to avoid a compliance gap.
• Reporting: Maintain internal reporting on hallmarking status across all outlets and stock.
• Record Maintenance: Preserve purchase and hallmarking records for the period required under BIS rules.

Common Compliance Mistakes:

• Assuming an old district status still applies without checking the updated Annexure.
• Selling hallmarked stock while a fresh BIS registration application is still pending.
• Not training sales staff to check hallmark and HUID details before billing.
• Poor recordkeeping that makes it hard to prove compliance during an inspection.
• Practical Tip: Don't wait for an inspection to discover your district has been added to the mandatory list. Proactively verifying applicability, the moment an order is published protects your business from last-minute scrambling.

Need this done for you? Corpseed handles BIS hallmarking registration end-to-end from checking district applicability to filing your application and tracking approval. 

Benefits for Businesses

Below are the key benefits businesses can gain by complying with BIS hallmarking requirements.

• Legal compliance with the BIS Act, avoiding penalties and enforcement action.
• Reduced risk of penalties, seizure of hallmarked stock, or business disruption.
• Greater consumer trust, since a BIS hallmark is a recognised assurance of gold purity.
• Stronger brand reputation in a market increasingly sensitive to authenticity.
• Business continuity, avoiding the risk of a stop-sale situation due to non-compliance.
• Better market access, since informed buyers and large retail partners prefer hallmarked jewellery.

Operational clarity, with a single, verifiable national standard instead of inconsistent practices.

Right Decision or Additional Burden?

Mandatory hallmarking and its gradual district-by-district expansion are generally seen as a positive step for consumer protection and market credibility. Still, it does come with real costs for smaller businesses.

• Strengths: The initiative builds consumer confidence in the quality of gold jewellery, eliminates disputes over purity, and creates a level playing field for both legitimate and fraudulent vendors.
• Difficulties: Companies in the newly included zones will incur costs and effort to become registered with BIS, arrange hallmarking through AHCs, and train employees.
• Costs of compliance: They include registration costs, per-piece hallmarking fees, and logistics costs arising from the distance from AHCs.
• Business preparedness: Large, well-organized firms are likely to adjust more easily than MSMEs and start-ups.
• Long-term impact: Over time, mandatory hallmarking is expected to formalise the gold trade further and reduce purity-related complaints, benefiting compliant businesses more than it burdens them.

Business Opportunities Created

Expanded, standardised market access in districts newly brought under mandatory hallmarking, where compliant sellers gain a competitive edge over non-compliant ones.

• Consumer confidence-driven sales growth, as buyers increasingly prefer hallmarked jewellery.
• Opportunities for Assaying and Hallmarking Centres to expand infrastructure in newly covered districts.
• Demand for compliance consulting is rising as businesses seek expert help to register with the BIS quickly and correctly.
• Technology and process upgrades, such as better inventory and hallmark-tracking systems.
• Investment opportunities for organised jewellery retail chains looking to formalise operations in newly regulated markets.

Why Choose Corpseed?

Navigating a regulatory update like this one figuring out whether your district is newly covered, getting BIS hallmarking registration in place, and making sure every piece of stock is compliant takes time that most business owners don't have. Corpseed works as an end-to-end compliance partner for gold jewellery businesses, handling:

• BIS hallmarking registration from application to approval
• Documentation assistance, so your paperwork is accurate the first time
• Liaison with government and BIS offices on your behalf
• Application filing for new registrations and renewals
• Approval tracking, so nothing gets delayed in the pipeline
• Pan-India support, useful for businesses operating across multiple newly listed districts
• Dedicated compliance experts who track regulatory updates like this one as they happen.
• A transparent, step-by-step process with clear timelines

Quick turnaround, reducing the time between a new requirement and full compliance

Corpseed's Core Message

Regulatory updates, such as the Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2026, move quickly, and non-compliance can lead to penalties, stock issues, and reputational damage. You don't need to track every gazette notification, decode every legal clause, or figure out BIS procedures on your own. Corpseed's regulatory experts monitor these changes as they're published and help businesses move from uncertainty to full compliance without unnecessary delays or risk. If your business deals in gold jewellery or gold artefacts, the smartest move is to confirm your compliance status today, before it becomes a problem tomorrow. Talk to a Corpseed compliance expert now and get clarity on exactly what this order means for your business.

Conclusion

The Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2026 has revised the list of areas, on a district-wise basis, where BIS hallmarking is compulsory for gold jewellery and gold artefacts from August 6, 2026 onwards. If your business falls within the newly declared districts, you should confirm that your BIS hallmarking registration is in order and that all your inventory is duly marked. There is no scope for procrastination regarding this obligation, as it is applicable from today onwards. In case there is any doubt in your mind regarding this revision and the process of getting your BIS hallmarking registration and compliance process completed efficiently and effectively, contact the regulatory compliance experts at Corpseed right away for an actionable plan.