What HUID is and how to check it

What hallmarking is

BIS defines hallmarking as the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in an article. It is an independent check that a piece of gold is as pure as the shop says it is, stamped on the piece itself.

The Bureau of Indian Standards runs the scheme. A jeweller registers with BIS and sends pieces to a BIS-recognised assaying and hallmarking centre (AHC). Only registered jewellers can send jewellery to an AHC; a customer or a karigar can’t walk in with a chain to be hallmarked. The centre tests the pieces, and the ones that meet the standard are marked.

For a customer, the value is simple. They don’t have to take your word for the purity, or anyone else’s. The mark on the piece says what it is, and since 2021 a code on the piece says where it was tested.

The three marks on a hallmarked piece

Since 1 July 2021, a BIS hallmark on gold has three marks:

1. The BIS logo, the standard mark of the Bureau.
2. The purity, in both carat and fineness. A 22 carat piece reads 22K916, an 18 carat piece 18K750.
3. The HUID, a six-character code made of letters and numbers.

Before July 2021, a hallmark had four marks: the BIS mark, the purity, the hallmarking centre’s mark and the jeweller’s mark. The last two were dropped when the HUID came in. The code now leads to that information instead.

The marks are small. BIS asks registered jewellers to keep a magnifying glass of at least 10X at the counter, so that a customer can read them before they pay.

What HUID is and when it became required

HUID stands for Hallmark Unique Identification. BIS calls it a six-digit alphanumeric number that is unique to each hallmarked item and traceable. When a piece passes its tests, the code is generated from the BIS server and laser marked on the piece by the hallmarking centre, next to the BIS logo and the purity mark.

Every piece gets its own code. A pair of earrings carries two HUIDs, one on each earring. BIS asks for each detachable part of a piece to be hallmarked with its own HUID too, since a part that can be removed can also be swapped.

The rule on selling came in two steps. From 1 July 2021, every piece hallmarked had to carry a HUID. For a while after that, shops could still sell older stock with the four-mark hallmark. A Ministry of Consumer Affairs order of 3 March 2023 then said that after 31 March 2023, no gold jewellery or artefact could be sold or displayed for sale in the notified districts unless it was hallmarked to the amended standard. The Ministry’s release that week was plain about what this meant: no sale of hallmarked gold jewellery without a six-character HUID after 31 March 2023.

That rule is about what a shop sells. Hallmarked jewellery that customers already own under the old schemes remains valid, and BIS says a customer can still sell old, unhallmarked jewellery to a jeweller, who can melt it and make new, hallmarked pieces from it.

Where the rules apply, and what is exempt

Mandatory hallmarking applies in the districts listed in the Annexure to the Hallmarking Order. It began with 256 districts on 23 June 2021, and the list has grown in phases since. BIS’s district list now runs to 392 districts after the eighth phase, notified on 3 August 2026. If you aren’t sure about your district, check that list.

The Order does not apply to:

• an article weighing less than two grams;
• jewellers with an annual turnover of up to ₹40 lakh;
• Kundan, Polki and Jadaau jewellery;
• watches and fountain pens;
• articles of gold thread;
• gold bullion in any form, including bars and coins;
• articles that are not yet complete and are meant for further manufacture;
• articles for medical, dental, veterinary, scientific or industrial use;
• articles for export to a foreign buyer’s specification, and for export and re-import under the trade policy;
• articles for international exhibitions, and for government-approved business-to-business exhibitions.

Each of these has conditions. BIS has published guidelines on the export and exhibition exemptions and on what counts as Kundan, Polki and Jadaau, so read those before you rely on one.

How a customer checks a HUID

A customer can check any HUID in BIS CARE, the official BIS app on Android and iOS, using the Verify HUID feature. They type in the six characters from the piece.

According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the result shows:

• the registration number of the jeweller who had the piece hallmarked;
• the hallmarking centre’s details, including its recognition number and address;
• the type of article, such as a ring, necklace or coin;
• the date of hallmarking;
• the purity.

If the app says “ring” and the customer is holding a chain, or the purity doesn’t match the stamp, the customer will ask you about it. Before anyone assumes the worst, check together that the code was read and typed correctly.

A customer who wants more than a lookup can have a hallmarked piece tested at any BIS-recognised hallmarking centre. BIS lists the fee as ₹200, for a fire assay. If a hallmarked piece turns out to be less pure than its mark, the BIS Rules, 2018 entitle the buyer to compensation of twice the difference in value for the shortfall, plus the testing charges.

What to keep on your side of the counter

A few things are required of a registered jeweller, and a few are simply good practice.

BIS’s guidelines for registered jewellers ask you to display:

• the BIS logo outside the shop, with the words “Hallmarked Jewellery Available for Sale”;
• your BIS certificate of registration, inside;
• what the hallmark looks like, and how fineness relates to carat;
• a magnifying glass of at least 10X, and a weighing balance, preferably accurate to 0.01 g;
• BIS contact details, the hallmarking charges, and the BIS CARE app poster.

On the bill, BIS asks for a description of each article, the net weight of the precious metal, the purity in carat and fineness, and the hallmarking charges. The bill must also say that the customer can get the purity verified at any BIS-recognised hallmarking centre. This applies to sales between jewellers too, not just to sales to customers.

Two habits make the HUID work for you.

Keep the HUID on the tag. When a piece comes back from the hallmarking centre, note its HUID on its stock tag next to the weight and purity. When a customer checks a code at the counter, you can match it to the tag in a moment, and your stock count can match each piece to its record.

Put the HUID on the bill. It isn’t on BIS’s list of bill details, but it ties the bill to the exact piece sold. If the customer comes back for an exchange years later, the bill and the piece match without argument.

BIS also gives jewellers a HUID Transfer module in Manak Online, where you can update the status of a HUID when a piece is sold to a customer, sold to another jeweller, returned by a customer, or damaged and melted.

In 24Gold, the HUID is a field on the item tag, alongside weight, purity, stones and photos, so it travels with the piece from stock to the counter.

Rules as published on 16 October 2026. Check the current BIS notifications for your district, or ask your BIS-registered hallmarking centre.