How to Use the BIS Care App to Check a Hallmark

The BIS Care app is the simplest tool a buyer has for checking whether a piece of jewellery is what the shop says it is. It is free, it runs on a phone, and it reads the same HUID database that hallmarking centres write to. Here is how to use it well.

Getting the app

BIS Care is published by the Bureau of Indian Standards and is free on both Android and iOS. It works in 12 languages, including Hindi, English, and ten regional languages, so you can use it in whatever language you read most comfortably. Download it only from the official app stores to avoid lookalikes.

Checking a HUID, step by step

Every hallmarked gold article carries a six-digit HUID alongside the BIS logo and the purity number. To check it:

1. Open BIS Care and choose the option to verify a HUID.
2. Type in the six-digit code, or scan it where the shop provides a scannable tag.
3. Read back the record. The app shows the tested purity and fineness, the hallmarking centre that tested the piece, the registered jeweller, and the date of hallmarking.

If the code is genuine, those details appear in seconds. If nothing comes up, the HUID is not in the BIS database, which is a problem worth stopping for.

The newer checks: photo and weight

Since late 2025, BIS has been recording a photograph and the weight of each article against its HUID at a set of pilot centres. Where that has been done, the app can show you the article's image and weight as well. That turns the check into a comparison: the piece in your hand should match the photograph and weigh what the record says. A mismatch in weight or appearance is a clear warning sign.

What counts as a red flag

A few results should make you pause:

• The HUID returns nothing at all.
• The purity shown does not match what is stamped or what you were told.
• The jeweller named in the record is not the shop you are standing in.
• Where a photo and weight exist, they do not match the actual piece.
• The same HUID appears on more than one article.

Raising a complaint

The app is not only for looking things up. It also lets you register a complaint, with photographs, if a hallmark looks wrong or a piece fails to match its record. Complaints go to BIS directly, which is the proper channel rather than arguing only with the shop.

The habit worth keeping

The single most useful thing is timing: check the HUID before you pay, not after you get home. It takes under a minute, and it is the difference between trusting a stamp and verifying it.