The government on Wednesday announced curbs on imports of gold, platinum and silver jewelery with immediate effect, aimed at preventing misuse of free trade agreements (FTAs). These restrictions will apply irrespective of any prior contract, irrevocable letter of credit, advance payment, shipment status or any other commitment, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.Accordingly, it said, the benefit of the transitional arrangement will not be available. “The import policy of goods under CTH (Customs Tariff Heading) 7113 has been revised from ‘Free’ to ‘Restricted’ with immediate effect,” it said. Gold, silver and platinum jewelery items are included under this heading. Importers of these items will now require permission or license from DGFT. With this, there is now a ban on import of all gold, silver and platinum jewellery.However, it added that imports by 100 per cent export-oriented units and units located in Special Economic Zones (SEZS) will not be subject to these restrictions. Additionally, imports under schemes for export of gems and jewelery under a chapter of the Foreign Grade Policy will also be exempted from these restrictions. An industry official said some importers were misusing the India-ASEAN FTA. The official urged the government to simplify the licensing process so that genuine players are not troubled by the move. India has a free trade agreement in goods with the 10-nation Southeast Asian nation bloc ASEAN since 2010.In November last year, the government had imposed an import ban on certain types of platinum jewelery till April this year. Similar restrictions on silver jewelery were in place till March this year in September 2025. Some traders were trying to use the FTA to make quick money by taking advantage of the duty differential and bypassing tariffs, the official said, adding that the move was aimed at curbing the import of these precious metals in the name of unstudded jewelery from countries like Thailand.