Gold Allowance for Travellers to the UK (2026)

Duty and VAT above the £390 allowance

Gold bought or received abroad counts towards your £390 allowance for other goods, or £270 if you arrive by private plane or boat. If your goods are worth more than that, you pay tax and duty on all of them, not just the part above the allowance. For jewellery, the simplified customs duty rate is 2%, and 20% import VAT is then charged on the value plus the duty. Jewellery of EU origin pays 0% duty if it meets the preferential-origin conditions.

Investment gold is exempt from import VAT. That means bars and wafers of at least 99.5% purity and gold coins of at least 90% minted after 1800 that meet HMRC's conditions. Other gold coins are charged VAT at 20%. You can pay online with a card before you arrive, or to a Border Force officer at the red channel.

Declaring gold and cash

If your goods are over the allowance, declare them online from 5 days (120 hours) before you arrive, or use the red channel or red-point phone. Goods that should have been declared can be seized.

Cash of £10,000 or more carried into or out of Great Britain must be declared, online up to 72 hours before you travel or at the red channel. In Great Britain, cash means notes, coins, bearer bonds, traveller's cheques and blank cheques, so gold bars and gold coins are not covered. Northern Ireland follows the EU definition: gold coins, bullion and nuggets count towards a €10,000 declaration limit. Families or groups whose combined cash is over the limit must declare it.

Taking gold out of the UK

There is no limit and no export duty on gold you take out of the UK for personal use. Leaving Great Britain, only cash of £10,000 or more must be declared, not gold. Leaving Northern Ireland for a non-EU country, gold coins and bullion count towards the €10,000 limit.

Keep receipts for jewellery you take with you, so you can show you already owned it when you come back. Your destination's rules apply on arrival, such as India's limits for returning residents.

From Dubai or India to the UK

Gold bought in Dubai or anywhere outside the UK counts towards the £390 allowance. Almost any gold jewellery is worth more than that, so expect to declare it and pay 2% duty plus 20% VAT on the full price. Investment bars and coins are VAT-free, but declare them if your goods are over the allowance.

Visitors from India who bring their own jewellery to wear and take home again are not buying it in the UK and are not normally charged, but should carry proof of ownership. Get an Indian export certificate before departure if you will bring the jewellery back to India.

Practical tips

Keep invoices showing the weight, karat and price, and carry gold in your hand baggage. The allowance applies per person and cannot be pooled, so you cannot split one expensive piece between two travellers. Commercial quantities are imports for business and need a customs declaration. Check GOV.UK before you travel, as allowances and rates change.