Buy Certified African Gold in the USA

Bars for investors, raw gold for refiners

Our three products reach US buyers by different routes. 99.99% bars are finished bullion that an investor can hold. Natural nuggets and gold dust are raw gold. In a regulated market like the United States they usually go to a refiner, which melts, refines and recasts them into its own branded product. Nugget specimens sold as collectibles are the exception.

This matters for pricing and expectations. A refiner pays for the fine gold content of raw material, less its refining costs, so the assay certificate is what drives the price. An investor buying bars, by contrast, will want to know how easily those bars can be resold to a US dealer. Bars from a well-known refinery brand are generally the easiest to resell, while bars from smaller producers may be re-tested first. Our independent assay certificate is there to make that check easier.

Origin due diligence for African gold in the US

Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act requires US-listed companies that use gold, tin, tantalum or tungsten in their products to carry out a reasonable country-of-origin inquiry. Where the minerals may come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or an adjoining country, they must also carry out due diligence and report it to the SEC. The adjoining countries include Uganda and Tanzania. Our bars are sourced from Uganda and Tanzania, and some of our nuggets come from the DRC, so any US manufacturer or refiner that supplies listed companies will ask detailed questions about origin. We expect those questions and answer them.

US buyers should also screen counterparties against US Treasury sanctions lists, because individuals and companies in the region’s gold trade have been designated in the past. Our ethical sourcing process explains how we document each stage from the mining area to export.

Sales tax and gold IRAs

The United States has no federal VAT. Sales tax on gold is set state by state: some states exempt investment bullion completely, some exempt it only above a purchase threshold, and others tax it. Check the rules in your own state before you buy.

IRS rules allow gold bullion of at least 99.5% fineness to be held in a self-directed IRA, provided a qualified trustee or approved depository holds it. IRA custodians also keep their own lists of acceptable products and often require bars from specific accredited refiners. If you are buying for an IRA, confirm with your custodian that a particular bar is acceptable before you order. Our page for gold investors covers how physical gold fits into a wider portfolio.

Dealer regulation and anti-money-laundering rules

Under the Bank Secrecy Act, US dealers in precious metals above certain thresholds must run an anti-money-laundering programme. Businesses that receive more than $10,000 in cash in a transaction must report it to the IRS. In practice, any US counterparty will carry out know-your-customer checks on its suppliers, and our compliance documentation is set up to support them.

Importing gold into the United States

Commercial shipments of gold must be entered with US Customs and Border Protection, normally through a licensed customs broker. The documents below accompany every YNM shipment. Customs classification, entry procedures and any applicable duties depend on the form of the gold and can change, so confirm the current requirements with a US customs broker 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