BIS Hallmarking Licence for Jewellers

What is BIS Hallmarking Licence for Jewellers?

Hallmarking of gold and silver jewellery became mandatory in India from June 2021 under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act 2016. Every jeweller wishing to sell or offer hallmarked articles must obtain a BIS Jeweller Licence. Selling unhallmarked gold jewellery or fake hallmarked articles attracts criminal liability. We guide jewellers through the BIS portal application, documentation, and inspection process.

The Hallmarking scheme in India is administered by the Bureau of Indian Standards under the BIS (Hallmarking) Regulations 2018, notified under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act 2016. The Government of India made hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts mandatory from 23 June 2021 through a notification issued under Section 16 of the BIS Act. Silver hallmarking was subsequently included. The scheme applies to jewellers engaged in the manufacture and sale of gold and silver articles across India. A jeweller wishing to sell hallmarked jewellery must obtain a BIS Certificate of Registration, commonly referred to as a Jeweller Licence, by registering on the BIS portal at manakonline.in. The licence is specific to each premises and must be separately obtained for each retail showroom, factory, or workshop from which hallmarked articles are sold or offered for sale. The BIS licence number and HUID (Hallmark Unique Identification) system are interlinked. Each piece of hallmarked jewellery receives a unique six-digit alphanumeric HUID number at the Assaying and Hallmarking (AHC) centre, which allows consumers and regulators to trace the article back to the specific jeweller and the testing centre. The application for a Jeweller Licence requires basic business documentation including entity registration proof, PAN, address proof of the premises, GST registration, and sample of existing jewellery stock if any. BIS conducts a verification and may conduct an inspection of the premises. The licence fee is nominal. The licence is valid for five years and must be renewed before expiry. After obtaining the licence, the jeweller must mark each article at a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre before selling it. Storing or selling unhallmarked articles in categories covered by the mandatory order is an offence.

How It Works

1. 1

   Portal registration and application submission

   Register on manakonline.in and submit the Jeweller Licence application with entity and premises details, uploading all required documents.

2. 2

   BIS verification and inspection

   BIS reviews the application and may conduct a premises inspection to verify the business address and operational status.

3. 3

   Licence grant and HUID onboarding

   Upon approval, BIS issues the Jeweller Certificate of Registration. The jeweller can then send articles for hallmarking to a nearby BIS-recognised AHC centre.

4. 4

   Ongoing compliance

   Jewellers must register stock movements on the BIS portal and ensure all saleable articles carry a valid HUID hallmark. Annual return must be filed on the portal.

Government Fees

Professional Fees