Gold Allowance for Travellers to and from the UAE (2026)

Duty on gold brought into the UAE

Jewellery for your personal use, along with clothing, phones and other personal items, is exempt from customs duty when you arrive in the UAE. Gifts and other new goods are exempt up to AED 3,000 in total, as long as they are for personal use and not in commercial quantities. Frequent travellers who regularly bring in the same kind of goods, and aircraft crew, do not get this allowance. Above the allowance, customs duty is 5% of the cost, insurance and freight value, and 5% VAT is added.

Imported gold jewellery is dutiable at 5% when it is brought in as goods, but there is no customs duty on gold bullion. Investment gold of 99% purity or more, in a form traded on bullion markets, is zero-rated for VAT. Gold brought in to sell is a commercial import and must go through a licensed trading company with customs registration and invoices.

Declaring gold: the AED 60,000 rule

Every traveller entering or leaving the UAE must declare cash, negotiable financial instruments, precious metals (including gold) and precious stones worth more than AED 60,000, or the equivalent in other currencies, in total. The limit applies to each traveller aged 18 or over. Cash and valuables carried by a child under 18 are added to the accompanying adult's total.

Declare through the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) Afseh app or website, which you can complete before or during travel, or, at Dubai airports and ports, through Dubai Customs' iDeclare app, which lists jewellery, gold and other precious metals among the items to declare. You can also declare to customs at the port. Declaring is free. Not declaring can lead to a customs fine, confiscation or referral to law enforcement. Rough diamonds need prior approval from the UAE Kimberley Process office.

Taking gold out of the UAE

The UAE sets no limit on how much gold you can buy or take out for personal use. The same AED 60,000 declaration applies when you leave, so declare on Afseh before departure if your gold, cash and stones together exceed it. Keep the tax invoice for each piece, showing the weight, karat and price, because your destination's customs will ask for it.

Overseas tourists aged 18 or over who are not UAE residents can reclaim VAT on jewellery bought from retailers in the Tax Refund for Tourists scheme, operated by Planet for the Federal Tax Authority. Each tax-free purchase must be at least AED 250, and you validate it at a Planet desk or kiosk at the airport, within 90 days of the invoice date and before you leave; have the jewellery with you in case it is inspected. The refund is the VAT less 13% and a fixed fee per transaction (AED 3.60, according to the FTA). UAE residents cannot claim, and investment gold of 99% purity or more carries no VAT to refund.

Dubai and the UAE to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the UK

Leaving the UAE, the rules are the same whatever your destination: declare over AED 60,000 and keep your invoices. What you pay depends on where you land. India gives eligible passengers a duty-free jewellery allowance by weight and value and charges customs duty on more, and on bars and coins. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka each set their own limits on duty-free jewellery and on dutiable bars. The UK has no weight limit but taxes jewellery above its personal allowance and has a separate cash-declaration rule. Read the destination page before you buy, because the duty there can outweigh the saving in Dubai.

Practical tips

Buy from established retailers and keep the original tax invoice and any purity certificate. Wear or carry jewellery in your hand luggage, not your checked bags. Do not carry gold for someone else: gold in commercial quantities, or gold that is not yours, can be seized at either end. If you are not sure whether your jewellery counts towards AED 60,000, declare it, because there is no fee. Rules change, so check with UAE customs and your destination's customs before you travel.