Buy Gold in France: What to Know Before You Sell, Not Just Before You Buy

Buy Gold in France: Most guides to buying gold focus entirely on the purchase. In France, that’s the wrong place to focus your attention — because the tax that actually costs French investors money doesn’t apply when you buy at all. It applies when you sell, and it catches people who didn’t plan for it years earlier.

This guide covers French gold from both ends: the purchase side (import rules, VAT, sourcing from Africa) and, more importantly, the sale-side tax that should shape how you document everything from day one.

VAT on Gold in France

The purchase side is simple and follows the same EU rule as everywhere else in the bloc: gold bars and coins at 99.5%+ purity are exempt from VAT under Directive 98/80/EC. Non-investment gold — jewelry, doré, anything below investment grade — isn’t so lucky, and can carry France’s full 20% VAT. So the purity documentation on whatever you buy matters immediately, not just eventually.

Now the part that actually differentiates France: the taxe forfaitaire, a flat 11.5% charge applied to your total sale proceeds when you eventually sell gold — not to your profit, to the whole sale amount.

It applies automatically unless you can prove your original purchase price and date, in which case you can elect into the standard capital gains regime instead, which tapers down to complete exemption after 22 years of ownership.

Nobody in France should sell gold without knowing which of these two regimes they’re actually under, and the only way to have a choice is to have kept your paperwork from the start.

Buying Gold Bars in France from Africa

This is exactly where a documented African purchase earns its keep twice over — once at customs, and again years later at the point of sale. Sourcing 24K bars directly from Uganda, Ghana, or South Africa means paying closer to LBMA spot with a 1–3% premium, versus the 5–8% typical of French négociants en or.

But the invoice and assay certificate that come with the purchase are also exactly the proof you’ll need later to avoid the blind 11.5% forfait tax. Few French buyers think about this until it’s too late to fix. Browse the full catalogue for current stock, and our dedicated buying gold online in France guide for more on the French-specific process.

Gold Import Regulations in France

Standard EU customs rules apply: declare cash or cash-equivalent instruments over €10,000 at the border, either on the standard EU form or through France’s own DALIA online system, which lets you file up to 30 days ahead of travel instead of scrambling at the airport.

Gold moves separately, through the ordinary customs goods process, backed by an assay certificate, certificate of origin, invoice, and export permits — plus compliance with EU Regulation 2017/821 on conflict-gold due diligence.

We prepare the full set and work directly with French customs brokers to keep clearance fast. More detail in our guides on legal requirements from Africa and buying in Europe direct from Africa, and our travelling with gold guide if you’re carrying it yourself.

Shipping Gold to France

Brinks and Malca-Amit move the gold — armored, tracked, insured from Africa to your address in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, or elsewhere, usually within about a week

Everything customs might want travels with the shipment, not separately. For buyers or refiners with larger volumes, doré bars can go directly to partnered refineries in France or on to Switzerland for processing, and vault storage in Paris or Swiss facilities is available for anyone who’d rather not hold gold at home. Full detail in the courier and logistics guide.

Best Investment Gold for French Buyers

Bar size matters less here than record-keeping does. A 1g or 10g bar is a reasonable way to start. A 100g or 1kg bar lowers your premium per gram if you’re already committed.

But whatever you buy, the invoice and certificate that come with it are worth more to a French holder than to almost anyone else in Europe, precisely because of what happens on the other end when you sell.

Current Gold Prices for French Buyers (EUR & USD)

Weight	Buy Gold Bars Africa (EUR)	Buy Gold Bars Africa (USD)	Typical French Dealer Price (EUR, 5–8% premium)
1 gram	~€109	~$120	~€113 – €116
10 grams	~€1,090	~$1,200	~€1,145 – €1,177
1 troy oz (31.1g)	~€3,390	~$3,730	~€3,560 – €3,661
100 grams	~€10,900	~$12,000	~€11,445 – €11,772
1 kilogram	~€109,000	~$120,000	~€114,450 – €117,720

Snapshot pricing, moves daily. Both sourcing routes qualify for the same VAT exemption at purchase; France’s 11.5% flat tax (or capital gains alternative) is a sale-side matter, unrelated to where you bought. Ask for a live quote before ordering.

Why French Buyers Work With Us

Lower premium than a French retail dealer, yes — but the part that actually matters long-term is the paperwork trail we hand over at the point of sale, since that’s what determines whether you’re taxed at 11.5% on the full proceeds or under the far more forgiving capital gains regime.

We also work directly with French tax advisors so nothing about the purchase is structured badly from the start. Have a look at gold in Africa for sale and gold mining in Uganda, or read the safety guide before your first order.

FAQ – Buy Gold in France

Does France tax gold when I buy it? No, if it’s investment-grade — VAT-exempt like the rest of the EU. The 11.5% tax is a sale-side charge, not a purchase-side one.

What’s the taxe forfaitaire, exactly? A flat 11.5% charge on your total sale proceeds, unless you prove your purchase date and price, in which case capital gains rules apply instead — fully exempt after 22 years.

Is African gold actually cheaper than a French dealer? Yes, typically 1–3% premium versus 5–8% domestically.

How long does delivery to France take? About a week via Brinks or Malca-Amit.

What proof should I keep for tax purposes? Your assay certificate, invoice, and certificate of origin — exactly what we provide on every order.