Gold Allowance for Travellers to Bangladesh (2026)
Under Bangladesh's Non-Tourist Passenger Baggage Rules 2025, in force since 2 July 2025, a passenger may bring 100 grams of gold jewellery duty-free once per calendar year, in one trip or spread over several. No more than 12 pieces of one type are allowed. You may also bring one gold bar of up to 117 grams (10 tola or bhori) once a year, on a fixed duty of Tk 5,000 per tola, or about Tk 50,000 for a full bar. Customs can confiscate gold beyond these limits, and you must declare any dutiable gold on the baggage declaration form.
Reviewed October 2026 from official sources (listed below). Rules change — check with customs before you travel.
Estimate
Values your gold at today's international price, applies the 100 g jewellery allowance by weight, and charges bars the fixed Tk 5,000 per tola. An estimate, not a customs assessment.
Duty-Free Gold Allowance in Bangladesh
| Traveller | Duty-free allowance | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger aged 12 or over (Bangladeshi or foreign, non-tourist) | 100 g gold jewellery per calendar year | Total for the year across one or more trips. At most 12 pieces of one type. Jewellery means wearable ornaments, not raw gold shaped like bangles. |
| Same passenger: gold bar | None. One bar up to 117 g (10 tola) per calendar year on payment of duty | Duty of Tk 5,000 per tola (11.664 g). Bars over 117 g are confiscated. |
| Passenger who has already used this year's allowance | None | The 100 g jewellery allowance and the one-bar facility each apply only once per calendar year. |
| Child under 12 | None | Children under 12 receive the baggage weight allowance only, not the gold allowance. |
| Tourist (stay over 24 hours and up to 6 months, not working in Bangladesh) | Personal jewellery in use, as personal effects | Tourists Baggage (Import) Rules 1981. A value limit applies, so check with customs. The jewellery must leave Bangladesh with you. |
| Silver (for comparison) | 200 g silver jewellery per calendar year | Same 12-pieces-per-type limit. |
Duty on gold above the allowance
The 100 g jewellery allowance is duty-free, but only once per calendar year. Bangladesh's Non-Tourist Passenger Baggage Rules 2025 (S.R.O. 261 and 312 of 2025, effective 2 July 2025) count all your trips in the year towards it. Gold jewellery means designed, wearable ornaments. The 2024 rules defined it as designed, wearable ornaments of 22 carat or lower, to stop thick 24K "bangles" that were really gold bars.
Gold bars have no free allowance. You may bring one bar or ingot of up to 117 g (10 tola) once per calendar year and pay a fixed duty of Tk 5,000 per tola (11.664 g), about Tk 50,000 for a full bar. The rate went up from Tk 4,000 under the 2025 rules, in force since 2 July 2025. Bars over 117 g are confiscated. Gold beyond the allowances can be confiscated, or cleared only after adjudication with duty, fines and penalties. Customs at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport warn that undeclared gold leads to detention, arrest and a criminal case.
Declaring gold when you arrive
Use the green channel only if everything you carry is within the duty-free allowances, including 100 g or less of gold jewellery used once this year. If you carry a gold bar, more jewellery than the allowance or other dutiable goods, fill in the baggage declaration form and go to the red channel. Since July 2025 the form can be submitted online, but it must be done before you leave the customs hall. Keep the duty receipt.
Cash is declared separately. Foreign currency over US$10,000 or the equivalent must be declared on the FMJ form.
Taking gold out of Bangladesh
Under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1947, exporting gold, jewellery or precious stones from Bangladesh needs Bangladesh Bank permission. Bangladesh Bank's Guidelines for Foreign Exchange Transactions give a general permission to adult female passengers, outgoing and incoming, to take out and bring in personal jewellery worn or carried in their baggage. The guidelines give no general permission to take out gold bars or coins.
If you will bring valuable jewellery back, carry it openly, keep its bills and photos, and ask customs at departure how to record it so that it is not counted against your 100 g allowance on return.
From Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Malaysia
The same national rules apply on every route, whether from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat or Kuala Lumpur, and at Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet airports. That means 100 g of jewellery duty-free and one bar of up to 117 g on duty, each once per calendar year. Making several trips in a year does not reset either allowance. The country you leave has its own rules: the UAE, for example, requires travellers to declare cash and valuables worth AED 60,000 or more.
Practical tips
- Keep purchase bills showing the weight and karat of each piece.
- Check the 12-pieces-per-type limit. A dozen identical bangles is the maximum, even below 100 g.
- Do not carry gold for someone else: customs treat it as smuggling.
- Do not split a bar or melt gold into "jewellery". Only wearable ornaments count as jewellery.
- Budgets change these rules most years. Check with Bangladesh Customs (NBR) before you travel.
Gold price in Bangladesh today
Live rates →| 24K (999) | ৳15,989 / gram | ৳1,86,488 / tola |
|---|---|---|
| 22K (916) | ৳14,660 / gram | ৳1,70,994 / tola |
| 18K (750) | ৳12,003 / gram | ৳1,40,006 / tola |
Bringing Gold to Bangladesh: FAQ
How much is 1 tola of 22K gold worth in Bangladesh today?
About ৳1,70,994 at the international price converted to BDT (Oct 22, 2026, 21:00 UTC). Customs use their own notified or assessed value, and shops charge more, so treat this as an estimate.
How much gold can I bring from Saudi Arabia or Dubai to Bangladesh?
You can bring 100 grams of gold jewellery duty-free once per calendar year, with no more than 12 pieces of one type. You can also bring one gold bar of up to 117 grams (10 tola) once a year by paying Tk 5,000 per tola. More than that can be confiscated.
How many bhori of gold jewellery are duty-free in Bangladesh?
100 grams, which is about 8.6 bhori (1 bhori or tola = 11.664 g). The allowance is per calendar year, not per trip.
What is the duty on a gold bar in Bangladesh?
A fixed Tk 5,000 per tola (11.664 g), about Tk 50,000 for a full 10-tola (117 g) bar. Only one bar of up to 117 g is allowed per passenger per calendar year, and bigger bars are confiscated.
Can a child bring gold to Bangladesh?
No. Passengers under 12 receive the baggage weight allowance only and cannot bring gold jewellery or gold bars under the baggage rules.
Can I bring 100 g of jewellery on every trip?
No. Since 2 July 2025 the 100 g duty-free jewellery allowance and the one-bar facility each apply once per calendar year, whether you use them in one trip or several.
Do I need to declare gold jewellery under 100 g?
If your jewellery is within the 100 g allowance, you have not used it already this year, and you carry nothing else dutiable, you can use the green channel. Declare any gold bar or jewellery above the allowance on the baggage declaration form, which can be filed online before you leave the customs hall.
Gold Travel Allowance in Other Countries
Sources: Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport: Customs information · BSS: NBR amends Baggage Rules (S.R.O. 312, 2 July 2025) · Bangladesh Customs: Baggage rules · Bangladesh Bank: Guidelines for Foreign Exchange Transactions (Chapter 6) · The Daily Star: Baggage rules for gold tightened (June 2025). Information, not legal advice: customs officers decide on the spot, and rules change. See also: gold price in Bangladesh · gold price by weight.