Phase 6 of Mandatory Gold Hallmarking Adds Seven More Districts

The Bureau of Indian Standards opened the sixth phase of mandatory gold hallmarking on 2 March 2026, adding seven districts to the list where registered jewellers may sell only hallmarked gold. That brings the total to 380 districts.

The seven new districts

The districts brought in under Phase 6 are Rupnagar in Punjab, Banda in Uttar Pradesh, Beed in Maharashtra, Gomati in Tripura, Katihar in Bihar, Beawar in Rajasthan, and Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh. Each already had, or has now been assigned, access to an assaying and hallmarking centre, which is the condition BIS uses before a district is added.

How far the system has grown

Mandatory hallmarking began on 23 June 2021 across 256 districts. Between that date and 5 March 2026, more than 60 crore gold articles were hallmarked with a six-digit HUID. That is up from the 40 crore figure BIS reported a little over a year earlier, a sign of how quickly volume has built as the covered area has widened.

Which purities are covered

Mandatory hallmarking applies to gold at 14, 18, 20, 22, 23 and 24 carat. Nine-carat gold, added to IS 1417 in July 2025, can be hallmarked but is not yet compulsory. Twenty-two carat remains the mainstay of Indian jewellery.

What it means for jewellers

A jeweller registered in a covered district cannot sell unhallmarked gold jewellery above the exemption threshold. Any piece put out for sale needs to have passed assaying and been stamped with the BIS mark, the fineness number, and a HUID. Selling without one carries penalties under the BIS Act 2016.

If you trade in a district that has just been added, the practical step is to clear existing unhallmarked stock through a BIS-authorised centre before selling it, rather than after a complaint or an inspection.

What it means for buyers

For anyone buying gold in one of the newly covered districts, the change is simple: every piece on sale from a registered jeweller should now carry a HUID you can check in the BIS Care app. Enter the six-digit code before you pay and confirm the purity, the centre, and the jeweller against what the shop is telling you.