Govt imposes import restrictions on certain gold-containing precious metal alloys to prevent gold imports in disguised form

These steps have been taken to strengthen regulatory oversight and prevent misuse of trade channels for importing gold in disguised forms.

The ministry in a statement stated that it "has issued Notification No. 18/2025-26 dated 17th June 2025, to restrict import of alloys of Palladium, Rhodium, and Iridium containing more than 1 per cent gold by weight".

In an official notification dated June 17, 2025, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued Notification No. 18/2025-26 to restrict the import of alloys.

This move is part of a broader strategy to regulate the import of precious metals and their alloys.

This restriction expands the existing rule that earlier applied only to platinum, as outlined in Notification No. 60/2024-25 dated March 5, 2025.

With this update, the government has now brought the entire Customs Tariff Heading (CTH) 7110 under the restricted import category at the 4-digit level. This ensures a uniform and consistent policy framework for all precious metals and their related alloys.

However, the government has adopted a balanced approach by allowing the free import of alloys containing less than 1 per cent gold. This provision ensures that industrial and manufacturing sectors, including electronics, auto components, and specialised chemical industries, are not impacted.

The aim is to maintain the smooth availability of essential raw materials while also keeping a check on gold misuse.

In a separate notification, DGFT also issued Notification No. 19/2025-26 on the same date to restrict imports of colloidal metals and chemical compounds classified under CTH 2843. This measure was necessary to prevent the import of gold disguised as chemical compounds.

To avoid disruptions for genuine industrial users, the import of these colloidal metals and compounds will be permitted against import authorisation for sectors such as electronics, electrical, and specialised chemical industries.

This ensures that the needs of domestic industries are met without loopholes being exploited.

The government's recent measures reflect a calibrated trade policy approach, balancing the ease of doing business for industry with tighter control to curb irregular gold imports. (ANI)