How Much Gold Can You Take to India from Canada? (2026 Rules)

Short answer: if you have lived outside India for more than one year and you are of Indian origin (including OCI cardholders), you can bring 40 grams of gold jewellery duty-free if you are a female passenger, or 20 grams otherwise. That allowance is measured purely by weight — there is no longer any value cap. Gold bars, coins and biscuits get no free allowance at all and must always be declared.

What changed in February 2026 — and why most articles are wrong

India replaced its entire baggage regime on 2 February 2026. The new Baggage Rules, 2026 removed the old value caps that used to sit on top of the weight limits.

Under the previous rules, the same 40g/20g weight limits applied — but they were also capped at ₹1,00,000 for women and ₹50,000 for men. With gold trading well above ₹1 lakh for 20 grams, those caps had quietly made the allowance almost worthless: you would hit the value ceiling long before the weight one.

Those caps are gone. The customs guidance now states that jewellery allowances are set "solely on weight basis by removing outdated value caps."

This matters because a great deal of what is published online — including some Indian government pages that are still live and still show the ₹50,000 figure — has not been updated. If an article quotes a rupee value for the gold allowance, it is describing the old rules.

The duty-free jewellery allowance

Passenger	Duty-free gold jewellery
Female passenger	40 grams
All other passengers	20 grams

No value limit applies to these weights.

Who actually qualifies

This is the part most travellers get wrong, and it is worth reading carefully.

The allowance is for a resident, or a tourist of Indian origin, who has been residing abroad for more than one year. Indian customs defines "tourist of Indian origin" as including NRIs and OCI cardholders. So:

• A Canadian citizen of Indian origin or an OCI holder who has lived in Canada for over a year — qualifies.
• A Canadian of non-Indian origin — does not qualify for this jewellery allowance at all. In fact, import of gold as baggage by a foreign national is not permitted beyond personal jewellery being worn.

If you have lived abroad for less than a year, you do not get the 40g/20g allowance either.

Jewellery versus bars and coins — an important distinction

Indian customs treats these completely differently.

Jewellery means "articles of adornment ordinarily worn by a person, made of gold, silver, platinum, or other such precious metals, whether studded or not." Stones and pearls set into a piece do not disqualify it.

Gold in any other form — bars, coins, biscuits, bullion — receives zero duty-free allowance. It is expressly excluded from the free allowance and must be declared, regardless of quantity.

Separately, used personal jewellery that is reasonably required for daily life is treated as personal effects and is duty-free for any passenger, on top of the allowances above. A wedding ring you have worn for years is not the same thing as 40 grams of new gold.

Bringing more than the allowance

You can bring gold above the duty-free allowance and pay duty on the excess, but only if you meet all of these conditions:

• You are of Indian origin, or hold a valid Indian passport
• You have stayed abroad for at least six months (short visits back to India totalling 30 days or less are ignored)
• Duty is paid in convertible foreign currency
• Maximum 1 kilogram of gold per eligible passenger (10 kg for silver)

You can bring it with you on arrival, or import it as unaccompanied baggage within 15 days.

Declaring it: red channel, green channel

Getting this step wrong is what turns a legal import into a seizure.

• Green Channel — for passengers carrying no dutiable or prohibited goods.
• Red Channel — for dutiable goods, high-value items, gold bullion, and currency above the declaration thresholds.

Declaration is now electronic and mandatory for anyone carrying dutiable or prohibited goods. It is filed through the ICEGATE portal or the ATITHI app before you arrive, and can be amended right up until you land.

Walking through the Green Channel while carrying declarable gold is itself the offence — it is not something you can correct afterwards. Customs guidance is blunt about the consequences: non-declaration or mis-declaration "may lead to confiscation, fines, penalties, or prosecution."

Two things frequent travellers should know

Taking jewellery to India temporarily — for a wedding, say, with the intention of bringing it home — can be cleared on a Temporary Baggage Import Certificate, issued by Customs on arrival. It is valid until your first departure or six months, whichever comes first, cannot be extended, and you must produce the items with it when you leave.

Taking jewellery out of India that you intend to bring back? Obtain an Export Certificate before you depart, so it re-enters duty-free. Without one, gold you bought in India years ago can be treated as a fresh import on your return.

Planning a trip where this matters?

Wedding travel, family gold, and gifts moving between Canada and India come up constantly in our office — we book these routes every day and our agents know how the current rules apply in practice.

We are a licensed Canadian travel agency based in Surrey, BC, and we hold unpublished fares to India that do not appear on booking sites. If you are planning this trip, call us on (778) 312-2390 — no obligation, and we are reachable 24/7.

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Rules verified against Indian customs guidance as of 26 July 2026. Customs regulations change, and duty rates in particular were amended during 2026. This guide is general information, not legal or customs advice — confirm current requirements before you travel, or ask us and we will check for you.