Editor’s Note
This article reports on India’s Finance Minister announcing a planned overhaul of customs procedures, which could simplify the process for travellers, such as UAE residents, carrying personal jewellery. The stated goal is to reduce cumbersome processes and improve the passenger experience.
There may be respite ahead for UAE residents travelling to India with personal jewellery. India’s Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, announced that a “complete overhaul of the customs area is on the cards,” calling it her next major reform.
Her remarks come as NRIs, especially those in the UAE, increasingly urge India to update its duty-free gold jewellery limits, which many say no longer reflect economic reality. With gold prices near Rs13,000 per gram in India and Dh508 per gram in Dubai, long-term expatriates argue that the allowances set in 2016 are now obsolete.
The current rules permit 20 grams of jewellery worth Rs50,000 for men and 40 grams worth Rs1 lakh for women, values that now cover only a small portion of the intended weight. When making charges are included, travellers say the real duty-free quantity drops by almost 70 per cent, leaving even modest personal jewellery at risk of scrutiny. UAE-based NRI groups have formally requested clearer, more realistic guidelines, citing rising complaints of unnecessary interrogations and stressful airport checks.
For Spring resident Khushboo Jain, travelling home now means anxiety. She recalled a recent incident at Mumbai airport.
She described being stopped after passing through customs when an officer noticed her bangles. The questioning became personal before she was allowed to leave. Another experience involved having her handbag pulled aside for scanning.
Jumeirah resident Manasi Bajaj described a similar 45-minute questioning over costume jewellery and a past incident where UAE dirhams were mistaken for gold coins.
As India’s wedding season kicks off, many UAE expats are travelling home to attend family celebrations, but growing concerns over customs checks are making them think twice about carrying real gold. For many NRIs, jewellery is deeply tied to culture, tradition, and family festivities, yet the anxiety of airport scrutiny is dampening the excitement. Dubai resident Shreya Rai said the stress of travelling with gold now often overshadows the joy of family occasions.