Gold Price for Jewellers in the UAE

Making charges and pricing

UAE jewellery is priced by weight: the day's gram rate for the karat, plus a making charge quoted per gram or per piece, plus 5% VAT on the total. In Dubai, the Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group publishes retail gram rates several times a day. Making charges vary with design and workmanship and are often negotiated, especially in the souks. Stones are priced separately from the gold.

Hallmarking and purity marks

Under Federal Law No. 11 of 2015, dealing in precious-metal jewellery that has not been hallmarked or certified by an authorised body is an offence, and forging hallmarks or selling jewellery with forged hallmarks is a crime. In Dubai the Dubai Central Laboratory (Dubai Municipality) hallmarks gold. It also makes unannounced inspections of shops, takes samples for testing and checks that scales are calibrated. Hallmarks show the fineness (for example 750, 875, 916 or 999), the manufacturer's mark and a certification mark.

Tax on sales and scrap

Gold jewellery carries 5% VAT on the full price, including making charges. Investment gold of 99% purity or more is zero-rated. Since 25 February 2025, Cabinet Decision No. 127 of 2024 (which replaced the 2018 gold and diamond rule) has applied a reverse charge to sales between VAT-registered businesses. It covers gold, silver, platinum and palladium, certain precious stones, and jewellery whose value comes mainly from them, when the buyer is purchasing for resale or manufacture. The buyer accounts for the VAT and must give the supplier written declarations of its VAT registration and its purpose; without them, the supplier charges VAT in the normal way.

No VAT is involved when you buy old gold from a private individual who is not VAT-registered. Tourists can reclaim VAT on jewellery when they leave the country.

Customer checks and reporting

Dealers in precious metals and stones (DPMS) are designated non-financial businesses supervised by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism. Under Cabinet Decision No. 134 of 2025, the AML rules apply when a dealer carries out single or linked cash transactions of AED 55,000 or more, and customer due diligence is required at that level. A DPMS Report (DPMSR) must be filed on the goAML portal within two weeks for cash transactions of AED 55,000 or more with individuals or companies, and for international wire transfers of that size. Suspicious transactions must be reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit whatever their amount. Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 allows fines of AED 10,000 to AED 5 million, as well as licence suspension.