Kolkata: Gold ha been in the news not only in India but also all over the word due to its galloping prices over the past two years. Against this backdrop, the government has made a few significant changes for passengers arriving in India from abroad. One should know the new Baggage Rules, 2026 to know how much yellow metal can an individual bring into the country without paying duty. These revised provisions, which aim to simplify customs procedures and make travel more passenger-friendly, came into effect from February 2, 2026. The important point to note is that these changes are meant to simplify customs operations and help electronic declarations. These will also ensure more easy clearance of passengers at airports and seaports.
How much duty free goods?
There is no one size that its all. The Customs department will apply different duty-free allowance limits for different categories of passengers. If the person travelling into the country is a resident Indian or a tourist of Indian origin or a foreign national who holds a valid non-tourist visa can bring in goods worth up to Rs 75,000 without paying any duty. This amount is a 50% jump from the Rs 50,000 limit earlier. But for a tourist of foreign origin the limit of duty free goods in Rs 25,000. For crew members of an aircraft or a ship, the limit is Rs Rs 2,500.
How much duty-free gold?
According to the modified rules, residents and tourists of Indian origin coming into the country from abroad after a stay for more than one year, can bring duty-free gold up to 40 grams. But this limit is for women only. Others who fulfil the same criteria but are not female, can bring 20 grams. For this they won’t have to cough up any duty. Thus there is no ceiling in terms of value but only by weight.
Earlier limits of carrying jewellery
Before the latest change, a passenger residing abroad for more than one year could bring 20 grams of gold and up to Rs 50,000. That was applicable for a male passenger. For a woman passenger, the caps were 40 grams and up to Rs 1 akh. However, with the frantic rise in the price of gold, the price ceiling has been removed and the allowance limits is by weight only.