The government has restricted the import of certain precious metal alloys that contain gold, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry .
According to a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on 17 June 2025, imports of alloys made of palladium, rhodium, and iridium that contain more than 1 per cent gold by weight will now be restricted.
This builds on an earlier restriction placed on platinum imports in March this year and now include the entire Customs Tariff Heading (CTH) 7110 at the 4-digit level, thereby ensuring uniformity in the import policy governing precious metals and their alloys, the ministry said.
However, to support industries that depend on these metals, like electronics, automobile parts, and speciality chemical manufacturing, the import of alloys containing less than 1 per cent gold will continue to be allowed freely.
According to the ministry, this approach is meant to balance the need for trade oversight while ensuring essential raw materials remain available to key sectors.
In a related move, the government has also restricted the import of certain colloidal metals and chemical compounds under Customs code 2843.
This step was taken to prevent gold from being brought into the country disguised as chemical compounds.
The ministry added that the import will be allowed for industrial and manufacturing sectors, including electronics, electrical and specialised chemical industry, against an import authorisation, thereby addressing the need of the domestic industry without disruption for actual use.