Many people who travel to the UAE to invest, buy property or take up residence carry cash, gold or jewellery. The UAE has a clear rule for these assets: more than AED 60,000 must be declared. This article is based on the "Declaring Money Procedure" page of Dubai Customs and the Dubai Customs "Passenger Customs Guide" (version 6, 2025), checked on 25 October 2026.
What has to be declared?
The Passenger Customs Guide says arriving and departing passengers aged 18 and over must fill in the customs declaration form for these assets if their value exceeds AED 60,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency:
| Asset | Must it be declared? |
|---|---|
| Cash, in dirhams or foreign currency | Yes, if the total exceeds AED 60,000 |
| Cheques and travellers' cheques | Yes |
| Promissory notes and payment orders | Yes |
| Precious metals, such as gold | Yes |
| Precious stones | Yes |
The threshold applies to the total of these assets, not to each separately. Declaration is required both on entry and on exit.
Children and teenagers
The Dubai Customs guide says that for passengers under 18, the amount they carry is added to the permitted limit of their parent, guardian or companion. The Declaring Money Procedure page also says any excess held by an accompanied child is added to the parent's or guardian's limit. So a family travelling with several children cannot split money among the children to avoid declaring.
How to declare
| Route | What Dubai Customs says |
|---|---|
| Customs declaration form | Fill in the designated declaration form |
| iDeclare app | The passenger guide says declaration can also be made through the iDeclare app |
| Red and green channels | A verbal, written or electronic declaration, or passing through the green or red channel, counts as the passenger's customs declaration |
Not declaring
The Dubai Customs Declaring Money Procedure page says failing to declare these assets is treated as smuggling, a violation punishable by law. The rule makes declaration mandatory; so if you carry more than the threshold, declare it. For later use of the money, such as depositing it in a bank or paying for property, also have the documents of its source ready; the article "Proving the source of funds" explains those documents.
Passengers' customs allowances
The Passenger Customs Guide exempts these items from customs duty:
| Item | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Gifts accompanying the passenger | Value up to AED 3,000 |
| Tobacco | In total 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 500 grams of tobacco or hookah molasses; customs duty is charged on excess |
| Alcoholic drinks | Up to 4 litres or 2 cartons of beer; the excess is confiscated |
| Commercial samples | Value up to AED 5,000 |
Conditions for the exemption
- baggage and gifts must be personal, not in commercial quantities;
- the passenger must not be someone who frequently visits the same customs centre or trades in the items carried;
- crew of the means of transport and airport ground staff do not benefit from this exemption;
- tobacco and alcoholic drinks are not permitted for passengers under 18 and have no exemption.
Customs duty is charged on quantities and values above these limits, and value added tax may also apply. Goods in commercial quantities follow all the procedures for importing goods. The guide also names several groups of goods that need a permit from the relevant authority to enter, including medicines and medical equipment, pets, plants and seedlings, drones and wireless devices.
Commercial quantities and prohibited goods
The Passenger Customs Guide has a few notes on accompanying goods that matter to people travelling for work or trade:
| Subject | What the Dubai Customs guide says |
|---|---|
| Food in commercial quantities | Not accepted with a passenger in the names of individuals |
| Consumer goods in commercial quantities | Not accepted with a passenger in the names of individuals |
| Agricultural seedlings with soil | Not accepted with a passenger |
| Examples of prohibited goods | Narcotics of all kinds, and indecent and obscene material of any kind |
If you carry goods for an exhibition or business, keep them to personal quantities or use the formal import route. When travelling with medicines, carry the medicine list and the doctor's prescription and check the health authority's conditions, because medicines are in the group of goods that need a permit.
Two examples
These examples are hypothetical and only apply the official rules above.
**Example 1: an investor with cash and gold.** A man enters Dubai with AED 45,000 in cash and a gold bar worth AED 25,000 to pay a property deposit.
| Line | Value |
|---|---|
| Cash | AED 45,000 |
| Gold | AED 25,000 |
| Total | AED 70,000 |
| Declaration threshold | AED 60,000 |
The total exceeds the threshold, so he must declare, even though the cash alone is below AED 60,000.
**Example 2: a family of four.** The father carries AED 40,000 and two children under 18 carry AED 15,000 each in cash. The children's money is added to the father's limit: 40,000 + 15,000 + 15,000 = AED 70,000. This total exceeds the threshold and must be declared.
Practical points
- Before travelling, add up the value of all cash, cheques, gold and jewellery you carry.
- If the total is close to AED 60,000, declaring carries less risk than a violation.
- Keep the declaration receipt and the source-of-funds documents until your banking and purchase steps are complete.
- If you plan to open an account and make bank transfers, see the article "Bank accounts in the UAE".
- Keep gifts to personal quantities; above AED 3,000 customs duty applies.
Royal Golden does not give legal, customs or financial advice. This article is general information, and the decision on any passenger and any goods rests with customs and the official UAE authorities.
Sources
- Dubai Customs, Declaring Money Procedure — https://www.dubaicustoms.gov.ae/en/eServices/ServicesForIndividuals/ViewCustomsProcedure/Pages/DeclaringMoneyProcedure.aspx (checked on 25 October 2026)
- Dubai Customs, Passenger Customs Guide, version 6, 2025 — https://www.dubaicustoms.gov.ae/en/OpenData/Publications/PassengerCustomsGuide.pdf (checked on 25 October 2026)