Consumer Affairs Ministry Expands Mandatory Gold Hallmarking to 398 Districts Across 26 States

The regulatory perimeter around India’s retail bullion trade just tightened again.

Under notification S.O. 5997 dated November 2, the Department of Consumer Affairs cleared the Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts Order, 2026, pulling six additional districts into the compulsory hallmarking net. The move lifts the total tally of notified districts to 398 across 26 states and Union Territories, up from 392.

The enforcement replaces the district-wise annexure originally framed under the Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts Order, 2020. Jewellers operating inside these newly designated territories can no longer hawk uncertified inventory over the counter. Every piece of gold jewellery and artefact must now carry verifiable purity marks.

Six New Districts Enter the Net

The expansion distributes compliance across five distinct states, targeting key consumer hubs and regional trading pockets.

And the geographical spread is calculated. By folding South West Delhi alongside rural manufacturing belts like Bulandshahr and trading outposts like Panchmahal, authorities are closing regional supply gaps that previously allowed unassayed stock to circulate across borders.

Six Purity Grades and HUID Tracking

Compliance is rooted in verifiable data. Under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) framework, mandatory hallmarking covers six specific gold purity tiers:

Traceability runs directly through a laser-etched Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) alphanumeric code stamped onto every individual piece. Buyers can run this identifier directly through the BIS Care mobile application to verify weight, purity grade, and assaying center records before settling payments.

Market Context: Mandatory hallmarking has rolled out in deliberate phases since the central government initiated the framework in June 2021. The latest notification does not establish a blanket national mandate—leaving hundreds of districts outside the compulsory perimeter—yet each incremental tranche narrows unorganized bullion circulation and consolidates trade toward formal retail networks.