How to Check the HUID Number on Gold Jewellery (2026 BIS Care App Guide)

If you're searching for how to check the HUID number on gold jewellery, the answer is reassuringly simple — three marks on the piece, one free app, and 60 seconds of your time. Since 16 June 2021 every gold jewellery piece sold in India by a registered jeweller must carry a 6-character Hallmark Unique Identification number stamped alongside the BIS triangle and a purity mark. That HUID is your strongest single defence against fake or under-karat gold.

This 2026 guide walks you through the four-step BIS Care app verification, explains where exactly the HUID is stamped on different jewellery types, what each result field tells you, and what to do if the verification fails. It applies whether you bought the piece in Maharashtra, a small Uttar Pradesh tehsil, or any of the 7,000+ Indian sub-districts in our directory.

1. Locate the three marks on your gold piece

Every BIS-hallmarked piece carries three marks together — never separately. They are stamped at a BIS-recognised assaying & hallmarking centre (AHC) at the time of jewellery production.

• BIS triangle logo — the official "△ BIS" mark that certifies the piece was tested by an authorised assayer.
• Purity mark — three digits indicating fineness: 916 for 22K (91.6% gold), 750 for 18K (75% gold), 585 for 14K (58.5% gold).
• 6-character HUID — a unique alphanumeric code, e.g., AZ3M7K. Every piece in India has its own HUID; no two pieces share the same code.

Where to look on each piece type: rings — inside the band, opposite the gemstone if any; chains — on or near the clasp; bangles — inner surface, often near the joint; pendants — on the back, top edge; earrings — on the post or back of the stud. A 10× magnifier makes the marks crisp; phone cameras with macro mode also work well.

2. Download the official BIS Care app

BIS Care is a free, official Bureau of Indian Standards app. Download it only from these channels — never from third-party APK sites, which sometimes carry tampered versions:

• Google Play Store — search "BIS Care". Confirm the publisher reads Bureau of Indian Standards, not a similarly-named entity.
• Apple App Store — same; verify publisher is BIS.
• BIS official website — bis.gov.in links to the latest app builds.

The app is around 25 MB and works offline for previously-verified pieces. First launch asks for permissions: location (used to flag jeweller fraud against your purchase city), camera (for QR-style HUID scan in newer app builds), and notification access (for BIS alerts on stolen-piece HUIDs).

3. Run the verification — four taps

Open BIS Care, then:

1. Tap Verify HUID on the home screen.
2. Enter the 6-character code in capital letters. The app accepts both upper and lower case but the stamped code is always uppercase.
3. Tap Verify. The check completes in 1–3 seconds with internet connectivity.
4. The result page returns: jeweller name, jeweller address, BIS licence number, hallmarking centre that stamped the piece, date of hallmarking, purity confirmation (22K/18K/14K), and the article description (necklace, ring, etc.).

The result is your independent confirmation that the piece is genuine. Save it as a screenshot — useful if you ever need to claim insurance, sell the piece, or escalate a complaint years later.

4. Cross-verify each field against your purchase invoice

The BIS Care result must match your bill on five dimensions. Any single mismatch is a problem.

1. Jeweller name — must exactly match the seller named on the invoice.
2. Jeweller address — same shop address; mismatched city is a major red flag.
3. BIS licence number — should appear on the invoice; verify it matches BIS Care.
4. Date of hallmarking — must be on or before your purchase date. A future hallmarking date is impossible and indicates a fake HUID.
5. Purity — 916 (22K) on the bill must match 916 in the app result. A mismatch means under-karatage fraud — the bill says 22K but the piece is actually lower purity.

Some additional sanity checks: the article description in BIS Care should describe the piece type (necklace, chain, ring) consistent with what you bought. The hallmarking centre name should be a real BIS-recognised AHC — searchable on the official BIS website.

What to do if the HUID doesn't verify

Three failure modes exist, each requiring different action:

• HUID not found in database — the most common fraud. Either the HUID was printed onto the piece but never registered with BIS (counterfeit), or the jeweller has not synced their inventory. Return the piece and demand a refund. If the jeweller claims "system delay" wait 48 hours; if it still fails, report.
• HUID exists but belongs to a different jeweller — extremely serious. The HUID was copied from a real registered piece. This is criminal counterfeit. Take photos of the piece and the BIS Care result, file an FIR if the seller refuses refund, and report to BIS at 1800-11-4000 or via the BIS Care app complaint section.
• Purity mismatch — the BIS result shows lower purity than your bill. Even one karat off is fraud. Return the piece, demand refund, and consider escalating because the jeweller is selling under-spec gold to unsuspecting buyers — others are likely affected.

HUID for second-hand or inherited gold

Pieces purchased before 16 June 2021 are not required to carry a HUID — they predate the mandatory rule. If you've inherited family gold without HUIDs, that's normal and legal. To make these pieces resaleable at the higher hallmarked rate, take them to a BIS-recognised hallmarking centre; they will assay-test, stamp the HUID and issue a printed report for ₹45–₹500 per item.

For second-hand purchases from another individual (not a registered jeweller), the seller should hand over the original BIS Care verification screenshot or the original purchase invoice. If neither is available, treat the piece as effectively unhallmarked and either run a fresh assay or apply the unhallmarked-gold discount on price.

How HUID protects you when reselling

When you eventually sell old gold, hallmarked pieces fetch 2–4% better rates than unhallmarked equivalents. The buyer can verify your piece via BIS Care in 60 seconds — no destructive assay test, no wastage discount on top of standard. On a ₹5 lakh sale, that's ₹10,000–₹20,000 of additional cash in your hand.

The HUID also creates a permanent ownership record. If your gold is stolen, the BIS database flags the HUID as missing, making legitimate resale through licensed jewellers very difficult for thieves. Recovery rates rise meaningfully when the stolen pieces are HUID-tracked.

Common HUID myths debunked

Three common confusions deserve clear answers:

1. "HUID is the same as the jeweller's licence number" — false. The HUID is a per-piece code. The jeweller's BIS licence is a separate code (often beginning with letters like "BL/JR/"). Both should appear in BIS Care, but they're independent identifiers.
2. "You can transfer HUID between pieces" — false. The HUID is bound to the specific piece at time of stamping. Polishing or reshaping doesn't transfer the code; if the stamp is erased during heavy polishing, the piece must be re-hallmarked.
3. "HUID guarantees the gemstones in the piece" — false. The HUID certifies only the gold purity. Stones (diamonds, pearls, gemstones) are not part of the BIS hallmark. Stones need separate certification — GIA, IGI, or HRD for diamonds; gem labs for coloured stones.

Practical 2026 takeaway

Verifying HUID takes 60 seconds and saves 5–25% of jewellery value risk. Make it a habit — verify every piece before paying, and verify all your existing pieces over a weekend. Save screenshots of each verification for insurance and resale. For tehsil-level shopping, our verified jeweller directory across all 36 Indian states lists shops with active BIS licences alongside today's local IBJA-aligned gold rates.