Taking Gold and Jewellery Out of Pakistan: Limits and Rules (2026)

Many families buy gold in Pakistan and want to take it abroad. It might be wedding jewellery, a gift for a daughter, or savings. But gold leaving Pakistan is tightly controlled. The rules are old, strict and easy to break by mistake.

This guide explains what the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Pakistan Customs allow. We used only official texts. Some rules date back to the 1980s, and a few points are unclear. We flag those plainly.

The rules at a glance

The SBP manual counts jewellery as items made wholly or mainly of gold, platinum, diamonds, precious or semi-precious stones and pearls. "Gold" on its own means coins, bullion and ingots.

Gold bars and coins: a flat no

This part is simple. Chapter 18 of the SBP Foreign Exchange Manual says: "The State Bank, however, does not allow the export of gold." It defines gold as coin, bullion or ingot.

So do not pack a gold biscuit or a sovereign coin for your trip back to Dubai, Riyadh or London. It is not a matter of paying duty. It is not allowed at all.

The US$10,000 rule for overseas Pakistanis

This is the main route for most readers. Two official texts say the same thing:

• SBP FE Manual, Chapter 18, para 14(i): foreign nationals and overseas Pakistanis can take out gold, jewellery and precious or semi-precious stones "up to the value of $10,000/- in all", if they were "purchased against encashment of foreign exchange brought by them from abroad".
• S.R.O. 760(I)/2013, para 7 (Ministry of Commerce): foreign nationals and overseas Pakistanis may take out jewellery or gemstones as accompanied baggage up to US$10,000, "against foreign currency encashment certificate, with itemized purchased receipt".

In plain words, three things must line up:

1. You brought foreign currency (dollars, dirhams, riyals, pounds) into Pakistan.
2. You exchanged it at a bank or exchange company and got an encashment certificate.
3. You bought the jewellery with that money and have an itemised receipt from the jeweller.

The US$10,000 is a total, not per item. Work out the value in dollars at the rate on your receipts.

What about gold you already own or wear?

This is the grey area. Think of a wedding ring, a few bangles, or jewellery your mother gave you years ago.

The written rules do not clearly cover gold jewellery that a Pakistani already owns and did not buy with exchanged foreign currency. The Rs2,000 general limit only covers items that are not mainly gold. The "declared on arrival, no limit" rule is written for people not domiciled in Pakistan.

We could not find an official text that sets a limit for everyday gold worn by Pakistani travellers. We also could not confirm how Customs handle it in practice. So, to stay safe:

• Declare all gold jewellery you carry, even what you are wearing.
• Carry any receipts you have, including old ones.
• If you brought the jewellery into Pakistan, keep the arrival declaration and any tax receipt. Our guide to bringing gold into Pakistan explains that side.
• If you carry a lot, ask Customs at the departure airport before your flight day, or apply to SBP for a licence.

How to declare jewellery when you leave

There are two declaration rules on paper:

• Form 'CD' (SBP Notification FE.4/91-SB, 1991). Anyone taking jewellery or precious stones out under SBP's general permission must declare them to Customs on this form before leaving. It asks for a description and approximate value of each item.
• Appendix-C passenger declaration (S.R.O. 2201(I)/2022). Anyone taking foreign currency or a restricted item out must file it. Item (b) on the form is "Gold and precious metals, jewelry, precious or semi-precious stones". You can file it online (WeBOC or PassTrack) or on paper at the airport.

We could not confirm whether Form CD is still handed out as a separate paper, or whether Appendix-C now covers it. Our advice: file Appendix-C, and ask the Customs desk if they also want Form CD.

Taking cash as well? The foreign currency limits are in our cash and currency limits guide. You declare cash on the same Appendix-C.

Documents to carry

• Passport, and proof you live abroad (visa, iqama or residence card) if you rely on the overseas Pakistani rule
• Bank or exchange company encashment certificate(s)
• Itemised jeweller receipts showing item, weight, karat and price
• Your Appendix-C declaration (printout or screenshot)
• Any SBP licence, if you have one

Above the limit: the SBP Form J licence

If you want to take out more than the limits, SBP says you must apply to it on Form 'J', in duplicate. The steps in the FE Manual are:

1. Apply to SBP with an undertaking that you will bring the jewellery back within a set period.
2. If SBP agrees, it issues a licence in two copies.
3. You hand the original to Customs when you leave and keep the duplicate.
4. When you return, declare the jewellery to Customs. They endorse your duplicate copy.
5. Show the endorsed copy to SBP within the given time.

So this route is for jewellery that will come back, like a set worn at a wedding abroad. It is not a way to move gold savings out permanently. Apply well before travel; we found no official processing time.

Taking jewellery abroad and bringing it back

Rule 12 of the Baggage Rules, 2006 helps here. Goods taken out against an export certificate, or an endorsement on your passport certified by the Assistant Collector at departure, can be brought back free of duty.

That record can save you from paying tax on your own jewellery when you return. We could not confirm how airports issue these certificates for jewellery today, so ask the Customs desk at departure.

Do not hide it

Section 139(3) of the Customs Act, 1969 says that taking gold, precious metals or stones "in any form" out of Pakistan through concealment in baggage, or by getting around customs controls, is smuggling.

Smuggling also covers taking out gold bullion, or gold items worth more than Rs500,000, in breach of a restriction (section 2(s)). Penalties under section 156 include confiscation, fines that can be several times the value, and prison in serious cases. Failing to declare baggage correctly is a separate offence under section 139(2).

Honest declaration is your best protection, even if you are not sure an item is allowed.

The country you fly to has rules too

Your destination may ask you to declare gold when you land. Two common examples, from our gold limits guide:

Selling jewellery abroad as a business

Commercial export of jewellery is a different system. It runs under S.R.O. 760(I)/2013 through registered exporters and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). A traveller cannot use personal baggage to export jewellery for sale.

What we could not confirm

• Gold you already own. No clear written limit for gold jewellery worn or owned by Pakistani travellers that was not bought with exchanged foreign currency.
• The rupee limits. Rs1,000 and Rs2,000 were set in 1985. We found no later change, but we could not confirm they are still applied at airports.
• How current the SBP manual is. The FE Manual says it is updated to 14 March 2020. An archived copy of its notifications appendix from February 2026 shows no replacement of FE.3/85-SB or FE.4/91-SB.
• The 2025 changes to S.R.O. 760. The Ministry of Commerce amended and renamed this order on 21 November 2025 (S.R.O. 2198(I)/2025). We could not read the amended text, so we cannot confirm para 7 is unchanged.
• Form CD. Whether it is still used separately or now part of Appendix-C.
• Export certificates under Rule 12. How they are issued for jewellery in practice.

Check with Pakistan Customs or SBP before you fly with valuable jewellery.

Related: Bringing gold into Pakistan · Cash and currency limits · Prohibited and restricted items · Red and green channels