Can You Fly With Gold? TSA and Customs Rules for Bullion

Yes. TSA has no rule on gold or silver. Its jewelry guidance, the closest thing it has, allows valuables in carry-on and checked bags, and it doesn't publish a quantity limit. International trips are where it gets stricter: when you land back in the US, Customs wants every gold coin and bar declared, even though there's no duty on any of it, and gold coins worth more than $10,000 also need a FinCEN 105 report.

Domestic trips are simple. A trip home from Europe with a few coins from a shop in Vienna needs a little more care at the border.

TSA doesn't have a gold rule

You won't find coins, bars or bullion anywhere on TSA's "What Can I Bring?" list. The nearest entry is jewelry, allowed in both carry-on and checked bags. For valuables, TSA says to keep them with you and out of checked baggage, and you can ask to be screened in private if you'd prefer not to open a tube of Eagles at the belt. The officer at the checkpoint still makes the final call on any item.

Cash is the one area TSA does write about. Its screening directive says carrying a lot of currency isn't illegal, but officers will report it when the amount, the packaging or the way it's hidden points to a crime. That directive is about currency and doesn't mention gold.

Bring the receipt anyway. It answers the question of where the metal came from faster than anything you could say.

Coming home: declare it, even though it's duty-free

US Customs has a short article on bringing gold coins and bullion into the country. Gold coins, medals and bullion are allowed in, there's no duty on them, and they must be declared to a CBP officer. It gives no cap on the amount.

The $800 personal exemption is where people trip up. It's a duty allowance. The customs declaration form asks US residents to declare everything they acquired abroad, at any value, and the gold article repeats it for gold specifically. Silver bullion is free of duty in the US tariff schedule too. Gold jewelry isn't. It counts toward your $800, and past that it's dutiable (the tariff rate on a lot of gold jewelry is 5.5%, with a flat rate on the first $1,000 over the exemption).

If you use Mobile Passport Control, CBP says you can submit the declaration in the app.

Gold coins over $10,000 need a FinCEN 105

Anyone carrying more than $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments into or out of the US has to report it, and CBP splits gold into two groups for this rule:

• Gold coins: CBP's guidance counts them as currency here. More than $10,000 worth means filing FinCEN Form 105 when you enter.

• Gold bars: not a monetary instrument for this purpose. They still go on your declaration.

• Not sure which applies? CBP says to declare them and ask the officer, so you don't end up making a false declaration.

The regulation defines currency as legal tender that circulates and is customarily used as money. CBP's guidance puts gold coins in that group, and following it costs you one form. Families and groups traveling together count toward a single $10,000 threshold.

Gold you can't bring in at all

• Russian-origin gold. Banned from import since June 28, 2022, under an OFAC determination issued under Executive Order 14068. Gold that was already outside Russia before that date is excluded from the ban.

• Cuba, Iran and North Korea. Sanctions block gold from these countries. CBP's article also still names Sudan, so check OFAC's current list for anything with an unusual origin.

• Unmarked copies and counterfeits. CBP prohibits copies of gold coins that aren't properly marked, and counterfeit coins outright. US rules require a replica brought in for sale to be plainly stamped "COPY". If a deal on an old gold coin looks too good, check how to tell if gold is real.

Buying coins in Europe before the flight home

Europe has its own border rule, and it catches gold. Under EU Regulation 2018/1672, anyone entering or leaving the EU with €10,000 or more in "cash" has to declare it, and gold counts: coins at least 90% gold and bars at least 99.5%. A 22-karat Sovereign or Krugerrand is 91.67%, over the line. Silver isn't on the list. The UK is split. Great Britain's cash list leaves gold off, while Northern Ireland's includes it.

Then there's the price. EU law exempts qualifying gold coins and bars from VAT, so a 1 oz Krugerrand in a Paris shop window carries none. Silver has no such exemption. A new silver coin is charged the standard rate, 19% in Germany, 20% in France and Austria, 22% in Italy, although in some countries a secondhand coin can be sold under a margin scheme that taxes only the dealer's markup.

Visitors from outside the EU can claim that VAT back on goods they take home within three months. The shop doesn't have to offer it, though, and the minimum spend varies by country (France wants more than €100 at one shop). The UK dropped tourist VAT refunds for Great Britain at the end of 2020. There's more on how each country handles it in our guide to buying gold and silver in Europe.

Or don't carry it

A few coins in a jacket pocket is easy. If what you want is metal at home, though, you don't need it in your luggage at all.

You can buy on Pure and have it shipped to your US address. Every Pure order ships insured, with the insurance included in the shipping price, we test every item ourselves, and buyers pay no marketplace fee. Browse the marketplace.

Questions travelers ask

Is there a limit on how much gold you can bring into the US?

No limit appears in CBP's guidance. The amount only changes the paperwork: everything gets declared, and gold coins over $10,000 add a FinCEN 105.

Can you fly with silver?

Yes, under the same TSA rules. Silver bullion is duty-free coming into the US and still gets declared if you bought it abroad. CBP's gold article only addresses gold coins. If you're carrying more than $10,000 in silver coins, declare them and ask the officer whether a FinCEN 105 applies.

Do I pay duty on gold jewelry bought in Europe?

Possibly. Jewelry counts toward your $800 personal exemption, and anything over it is dutiable: CBP applies a flat rate to the first $1,000 over the exemption and the tariff rate after that. Gold coins and bullion carry no duty, though they still go on the declaration. CBP's duty page has the current figures.