Gold Buying FAQ: VAT on Gold in UAE, Purity and More

Bullion (bars and coins) is valued by weight and purity. Jewellery adds design and making charges, and carries 5% VAT.

Retail bars start at 1 gram and go up to 1 kilo. Multi-kilo orders go through dealers’ wholesale desks.

Gold weight × purity × live gold price in AED, plus the dealer’s premium. The premium depends on size and brand.

Some dealers hold a price for a short time; others fix it only at payment. Ask how long a quote is valid.

Your Emirates ID or passport. Larger purchases may require information on the source of funds. Companies provide a trade licence.

Bank transfer, card and payment links are common. Cash is accepted by many shops but is subject to anti-money-laundering rules.

Yes. UAE dealers in precious metals must report transactions of AED 55,000 or more made in cash or by wire transfer, and keep a record of the buyer’s identity.

Gold jewellery carries the standard 5% VAT. Investment gold, meaning bars and coins of at least 99% purity of the kind traded on global bullion markets, is generally zero-rated, so the buyer pays no VAT.

The UAE does not levy personal income tax, and investment-grade bars are generally zero-rated for VAT. If you are tax resident in another country, its rules may apply to gains.

Coins below 99% purity, such as 22K coins, do not meet the investment gold condition and are generally charged VAT. Ask whether the price includes it.

When both buyer and seller are VAT-registered in the UAE and the gold is for resale or manufacturing, a reverse-charge mechanism applies: the buyer accounts for the VAT in its own return.

An invoice showing the product, weight, purity, serial number and price, and the refiner’s certificate where the brand provides one.

Buy from an identifiable dealer, check the refiner mark, weight, fineness and serial number, and make sure the serial matches the certificate and invoice.

Professionals use XRF spectrometers, which read the surface composition in seconds, and ultrasound or conductivity testers, which check the inside of a bar. Fire assay, which melts a sample, is the most precise but destroys part of the metal.

99.5% pure gold. It is still 24K and is the minimum fineness for the large bars traded between banks. Retail bars are usually 999.9 (99.99%).

999.9. Some cast bars, such as certain TT bars, are 999.0. Purity is always stamped on the bar.

On the fineness stamped by the refiner. Bars from refiners meeting the UAE Good Delivery or LBMA standards are the most widely accepted.

Some dealers offer insured delivery within the UAE. Collection in person lets you check the bar before you take it.

A home safe, a bank safe deposit box or a professional vault. Whatever you choose, check the insurance cover.

Yes. Dealers and buying desks buy bars and coins at the live rate minus a margin. See how to sell gold in Dubai.

A recognised brand, a sealed card, the original certificate and your invoice.