The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has approved hand-carriage of gem and jewellery consignments through Ahmedabad International Airport, adding the city to India’s official Hand-Carriage/Hand-Book of Procedures (HBoP) network. The inclusion, announced via Public Notice No. 33/2025–26 dated December 1 2025, aligns with India’s broader trade movement under FTAs with the UAE, Australia, the UK and the European Free Trade Association.

Hand-carriage facilities, earlier limited to Delhi, have now been extended to major ports including Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. Ahmedabad was not initially listed as a Hand-Carry Point of Origin. Continued representation by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) resulted in the port’s formal inclusion in the updated system.

Following the notification, a GJEPC delegation led by Jayanti Savaliya, Regional Chairman (Gujarat), met Shiv Kumar Sharma, Principal Commissioner of Customs, Ahmedabad. Customs has assured that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Ahmedabad will be issued at the earliest to operationalise the facility.

For exporters in Gujarat, the development is expected to support quicker movement of high-value shipments and better utilisation of preferential access under ongoing FTAs. In FY 2024–25, Gujarat’s gem and jewellery exports stood at $ 1,979.90 million, accounting for nearly 7% of India’s sectoral exports.

GJEPC Chairman Kirit Bhansali said the approval meets a long-standing industry demand and will strengthen operations across Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot. Savaliya noted that hand-carriage access will benefit MSMEs by reducing procedural timelines and improving connectivity through Ahmedabad’s growing international flight network.