Buy Certified African Gold in France

The EU VAT exemption for investment gold

The EU VAT Directive contains a special scheme for investment gold, which France applies. Gold bars or wafers of at least 995 thousandths purity, in weights accepted by the bullion markets, and certain gold coins are exempt from VAT. Our 99.99% bars are the YNM product most likely to meet that definition.

Other gold, including jewellery, nuggets and dust, is generally subject to VAT at the standard French rate, although special rules such as the reverse charge can apply to some supplies between businesses. Confirm how your purchase will be treated with a French tax adviser before you order.

EU Conflict Minerals Regulation: due diligence for gold imports

Since 1 January 2021, Regulation (EU) 2017/821, the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, has required EU importers of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold above annual volume thresholds to carry out supply-chain due diligence in line with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance. Importers must identify where their gold comes from, assess the risks in conflict-affected and high-risk areas, and report on what they did.

Gold from the Great Lakes region, including the DRC, Uganda and Tanzania, falls squarely within the scope of these checks. Even importers below the threshold are increasingly expected by banks and customers to show the same diligence. Our ethical sourcing process sets out how we document origin and every handover from the mining area to export.

Raw gold, refining and the French jewellery trade

As in other regulated Western markets, raw gold in France is mainly refined before it is used. Natural nuggets go to a refiner, while high-purity dust can go either to a refiner or directly to a workshop that alloys its own metal.

France has a long-standing official hallmarking system. Gold articles are marked to certify their fineness, with the eagle’s head mark used for 18K gold, and the hallmarking service sits within French customs. For a manufacturer, the purity of incoming metal therefore matters a great deal, and an independent assay on each lot is the starting point.

Taxes when you sell gold in France

France has a specific tax regime for private individuals who sell precious metals. In broad terms, there is a flat-rate tax on the sale price, with an alternative capital-gains regime available in some cases when the seller can document the purchase. Rates and conditions change, so take advice from a French tax adviser. Whatever regime applies, keep the invoice and assay certificate from your purchase, because they document what you bought and when.

Importing gold into France

Gold entering France from outside the EU is declared to French customs under EU customs rules. The importer needs an EORI number and usually works through a customs broker. The documents below accompany every YNM shipment, and our compliance documentation page describes our licences and checks. The UK is no longer in the EU customs territory, so UK buyers should see our page on buying gold in the UK. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements with a customs broker in France before each shipment.

• Commercial invoice and packing list with weights and purity
• Independent third-party assay certificate
• Certificate of origin and chain-of-custody records
• Kenyan export permit and export declaration
• Insurance certificate and air waybill