How to Get a Customs Export Certificate for Jewelry in India

To get a customs export certificate for jewelry in India, you take the pieces you plan to travel with, along with a valuer’s report, photographs, and identity documents, to the customs departure counter at your international airport before check-in. The officer inspects each item against your paperwork and issues Form CBD-III, which becomes the official proof that specific jewelry left India in your possession. When you return, that certificate lets you re-import the same pieces without paying duty and without them eating into your duty-free allowance.¹ Under the Baggage Rules, 2026, which took effect on February 2, 2026, the declaration can be filed electronically or in person.²

The certificate matters because the duty-free jewelry allowance on arrival is narrow: 40 grams for female passengers and 20 grams for other passengers.² Anything above that is treated as a fresh import and attracts customs duty of around 6 percent plus surcharges, unless you can prove the piece was already yours before you flew out. A receipt from a jeweler in India shows you bought the item; it does not show the item left the country with you and came back. The export certificate is what establishes that chain.

What to Gather Before You Leave for the Airport

A Valuation from an Approved Valuer

A standard shop receipt is not enough. You need a report from a government-approved jewellery valuer empanelled by the customs department. The valuer weighs each piece, separates the gross weight from the net weight of the precious metal after accounting for stones, records the type, quantity, and carat of any embedded gems, and assigns a current market value in Indian Rupees.³ If you don’t already have a valuer, some customs offices will arrange one from their empanelled list once you submit your pre-departure paperwork.

Photographs of Each Piece

Print self-certified photographs of every item on 6-inch by 6-inch photo paper. The image should clearly show identifying details such as hallmarks, settings, and design features. Write your name, passport number, and other identifying information on the back of each print.⁴

Identity and Travel Documents

Bring the following to the counter:

Passport valid for the intended travel.
Air tickets and travel itinerary confirming your departure.
Aadhaar card for identity verification.
PAN card, if one has been issued to you.
A packing list itemizing the jewelry going out.
Ownership documentation: purchase receipts, inheritance records, or a self-attested affidavit if no formal proof exists.

Having all of this organized before departure day is what separates a 30-minute process from a two-hour ordeal at the customs counter.⁴

Pre-Registration by Email

At Mumbai’s international airport, you can email your documents to the customs office at least four days before departure to start the process remotely, and the office can then arrange an empanelled valuer to meet you on the day you fly.⁴ Other major international airports have similar customs departure counters, but the exact pre-registration procedure varies by location. If you’re leaving from an airport other than Mumbai, contact that airport’s customs office well before your travel date to confirm how they want the paperwork submitted.

At the Airport Counter

Plan to reach the international airport at least four hours before your flight.⁴ The buffer sounds excessive until you’re watching an officer weigh and inspect a dozen pieces against a packing list while boarding time approaches.

At the customs departure counter, the officer compares each physical item against your valuation report, photographs, and packing list. They check weight, design, and stone composition to confirm the jewelry matches the paperwork. Once satisfied, the officer signs and stamps the Export Certificate (Form CBD-III) and notes your flight details and export date on it.

The jewelry must be in your physical possession during inspection. You cannot check it in as luggage before finishing the certification. Complete customs first, then go to airline check-in.

Using the Certificate When You Return

The certificate is valid until your first return to India or six months from the date of issue, whichever comes earlier. It cannot be extended and cannot be carried over to a later trip.⁵ If you travel abroad often with the same jewelry, you’ll need a fresh certificate each time.

On arrival, walk to the Red Channel rather than the Green Channel. Present the original certificate with the jewelry. The officer verifies the items against the certificate, and once confirmed, you pass through without any duty on those pieces.⁴ Walking through the Green Channel with high-value jewelry, even with a valid certificate in your bag, defeats the purpose. The certificate works only when you hand it to an officer in the Red Channel.

The other benefit is easy to miss. Chennai Customs notes that with an export certificate, “the concessions you are entitled to, when you return are not affected.”¹ Certified pieces do not count against your duty-free allowance, so you keep the full room for anything you actually bought abroad.

What the Certificate Won’t Cover

A few situations sit outside what the certificate can do:

Jewelry lost or stolen abroad. If listed items are not with you when you return, the re-import benefit does not apply, and you cannot use the certificate to claim duty relief on replacements.⁴
Jewelry altered or repaired abroad. If stones are added, a piece is resized significantly, or the design changes materially, the item may no longer match the description, and visible differences will trigger questions.
Expired certificates. The six-month or first-return limit is firm, and no extension is available.
Wrong channel on arrival. A certificate presented after you’ve cleared through Green does not restore the benefit.

The most common mistake is not getting the certificate at all, on the assumption that shop receipts will do the work. They won’t. For anyone carrying jewelry above the duty-free weight limit, the hours spent at the departure counter are a small cost against the duty bill and delay that come with an unverified declaration on return.

What Changed Under the 2026 Rules

If you’re working from older guidance, a few points have shifted under the Baggage Rules, 2026, which replaced the 2016 rules entirely on February 2, 2026.²

The declaration for Form CBD-III can now be filed electronically before departure, described in the rules as “electronically or otherwise,” rather than only in person at the counter.
Duty-free jewelry allowances for returning residents are now weight-based only. The old rupee caps of ₹50,000 for men and ₹1,00,000 for women no longer apply; the limits are 40 grams for female passengers and 20 grams for others.⁵
The certificate’s validity is shorter than earlier guidance from some customs offices suggested. It now expires on your first return or after six months, whichever comes first, with no renewal option.

The rules apply to residents, tourists of Indian origin, and foreigners holding valid non-tourist visas, so the export certificate process is available regardless of nationality.²

1
Chennai Customs. Passenger Clearance FAQ
2
India Budget. Baggage Rules 2026 Gazette Notification
3
Chennai Customs. Public Notice No. 01/2025 – Appointment of Approved Valuers
4
Mumbai Customs Zone – III. Export Certification Details
5
Press Information Bureau. Government Notifies Baggage Rules, 2026