ID and Cash Limits for Buying or Selling Silver, by Country

Dealer ID and cash rules usually cover all precious metals, so silver is treated like gold in most countries: India needs your PAN for a bill over ₹2 lakh and bans cash of ₹2 lakh or more; in the US a dealer files Form 8300 for cash over $10,000; the UAE reports cash of AED 55,000; Germany checks ID for cash from €2,000. Cash caps apply too: France €1,000, Netherlands €3,000, Italy €5,000, and the EU €10,000 from July 2027. A few rules are gold-only and don't touch silver: Vietnam's bank-transfer rule for gold, Japan's tax report on gold and platinum bars, Italy's gold declaration and Thailand's gold-dealer reporting. Selling to a dealer or second-hand shop usually needs ID at any amount.

Facts checked 31 October 2026 · Not financial, legal or tax advice

Choose a country

United StatesCash over $10,000 reported on Form 8300 CanadaDealer reports cash of C$10,000 or more MexicoID from 805 UMA; no cash from 3,210 UMA BrazilCPF from R$10,000; cash R$30,000+ reported United KingdomID for cash £10,000+; no cash cap IrelandID for cash €10,000+; no cash cap yet GermanyID for cash from €2,000 (precious metals)FranceCash max €1,000; no cash when you sell ItalyCash under €5,000; ID always when selling NetherlandsCash ban from €3,000 since Jan 2026 SwitzerlandDealers check ID for cash over CHF 15,000 TurkeyID from 370,000 TL; bank above 30,000 TL UAEID and report for cash AED 55,000+Saudi ArabiaID checked for cash SAR 50,000+KuwaitNo cash at all for silver; ID checks QatarNo cash above QAR 50,000 BahrainNo cash for jewellery deals of BD 3,000+OmanID for every sale; no cash OMR 5,000+EgyptNo cash cap; ID on receipts over EGP 150k South AfricaCash R50,000+ reported; ID always to sell IndiaPAN over ₹2 lakh; cash under ₹2 lakh PakistanNo cash cap; silver AML cover unclear BangladeshNo set ID threshold; NID when you sell NepalID from NPR 1 lakh cash; no cash 5 lakh+Sri LankaNIC for cash of US$15,000 or more ChinaID for cash of RMB100,000+ a day Hong KongID for cash deals of HK$120,000+JapanID for cash over ¥2m; no tax report South KoreaNo fixed ID rule; banks report ₩10m cash SingaporeID and report for cash over S$20,000 MalaysiaID for cash deals of RM50,000+ThailandSilver not named in gold-shop AML rules VietnamGold cash rules don't cover silver IndonesiaDealer reports deals of Rp500 million+PhilippinesDealers report deals over ₱1 million AustraliaID and AUSTRAC report for cash A$10,000+New ZealandCash ban at NZ$10,000+; ID when selling

All 37 countries at a glance

Country	ID needed when buying from	Cash you can pay	Reported automatically
United States	No federal rule; $10,000+ cash	No legal cap	Cash over $10,000 (Form 8300)
Canada	C$10,000 cash	No legal cap	Cash C$10,000+ in 24 hours (LCTR)
Mexico	805 UMA (MX$94,435)	Under 3,210 UMA (MX$376,565)	Aviso from 1,605 UMA (MX$188,283)
Brazil	R$10,000 (CPF and ID)	No legal cap	Cash R$30,000+ (Coaf and DME)
United Kingdom	£10,000 in cash (HVDs)	No legal cap	Suspicious only (SAR to the NCA)
Ireland	€10,000 in cash	No cap (€10,000 from July 2027)	Suspicious only (FIU and Revenue)
Germany	€2,000 in cash	No cap (€10,000 from July 2027)	Suspicious only (FIU)
France	€10,000 (dealer AML checks)	€1,000 (€15,000 non-residents)	Suspicious only (Tracfin)
Italy	Always when selling (compro oro)	Under €5,000	Suspicious only (UIF)
Netherlands	No fixed rule	Under €3,000	No FIU duty for traders since 2026
Switzerland	Over CHF 15,000 in cash	No legal cap	Suspicious only
Turkey	370,000 TL (from 7 Oct 2026)	Up to 30,000 TL	Suspicious only (MASAK)
UAE	AED 55,000 in cash	No legal cap	Cash AED 55,000+ (DPMSR via goAML)
Saudi Arabia	SAR 50,000 in cash	No legal cap	Suspicious only
Kuwait	Any sale; extra above KWD 3,000	No cash at any amount	Suspicious only (to Kuwait FIU)
Qatar	QAR 50,000 (full checks)	Up to QAR 50,000	Suspicious only (to the FIU)
Bahrain	Any sale (ID copy)	Under BD 3,000	Suspicious only (STR)
Oman	Any amount	Under OMR 5,000	Suspicious only
Egypt	EGP 150,000 (national ID)	No legal cap	Suspicious only (EMLCU)
South Africa	R100,000 (registered dealers)	No legal cap	Cash over R49,999.99 (s28 CTR)
India	Over ₹2 lakh (PAN)	Under ₹2 lakh	Cash sales over ₹2 lakh (SFT)
Pakistan	PKR 2m cash, if dealer covered	No legal cap for buyers	Cash PKR 2m+ if covered (CTR)
Bangladesh	No fixed amount found	No legal cap found	Suspicious only (to BFIU)
Nepal	NPR 1 lakh cash a day	Under NPR 5 lakh	NPR 10 lakh+ a day (TTR to FIU)
Sri Lanka	US$15,000 cash (NIC)	No legal cap found	Suspicious transactions
China	RMB 100,000 in cash (a day)	No legal cap	Cash ≥ RMB 100k (dealer), 50k (bank)
Hong Kong	Cash of HK$120,000+	No legal cap	Suspicious only
Japan	Over ¥2 million in cash	No legal cap	Suspicious only (no payment report)
South Korea	No fixed rule	No legal cap	Bank cash ₩10m+ (CTR); receipt ₩100k+
Singapore	Cash over S$20,000	No legal cap	Cash over S$20,000 (CTR to STRO)
Malaysia	Cash of RM50,000+	No legal cap	Suspicious only (no dealer CTR)
Thailand	No fixed public threshold	No legal cap	Unclear: rules name gold and gems
Vietnam	No fixed rule found	No silver cap found	Large deals VND 400m+ (AML)
Indonesia	Rp100 million (NIK + NPWP)	No legal cap	Any deal of Rp500 million+ (PPATK)
Philippines	Deals over ₱1 million	No legal cap	Over ₱1 million (CTR to AMLC)
Australia	A$10,000 cash; A$5,000 bullion	No legal cap	Cash of A$10,000+ (TTR)
New Zealand	No fixed rule	Under NZ$10,000	Suspicious only (banks: cash NZ$10k+)

For an individual buying silver from a dealer, jeweller or bullion shop. Dealers can ask for ID at lower amounts, and any purchase can be reported if it looks suspicious. Choose a country for selling, gold-only rules and the details.

European Union: the rules common to all member states

Today (AML directives): traders in goods are covered only where they make or receive cash payments of €10,000 or more, single or linked; national laws can go lower (Germany €2,000 for precious metals, including silver) or cap cash outright (France €1,000, Italy €5,000, Netherlands €3,000).
From 10 July 2027 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1624): traders may accept or make cash payments only up to €10,000, single or linked; lower national caps stay. The Regulation lists silver as a precious metal, so dealers in it become obliged entities whatever the payment method: full checks on occasional transactions of €10,000 or more and ID for cash from €3,000 (not where the national cash cap is €3,000 or lower).
Borders: the EU's €10,000 cash declaration counts gold coins and bars as cash, but not silver. Silver you carry is goods: customs rules and VAT apply instead.

Silver ID and Cash Limits: FAQ

How much silver can I buy without ID?

Usually the same as gold, because dealer rules cover precious metals: cash over ₹2 lakh in India (PAN), €2,000 in Germany, AED 55,000 in the UAE, S$20,000 in Singapore, HK$120,000 in Hong Kong, ¥2 million in Japan, $10,000 in the US (Form 8300) and C$10,000 in Canada. Dealers may ask for ID at lower amounts.

Do the gold rules apply to silver?

Mostly. Anti-money-laundering rules for dealers in precious metals, general cash caps and Form 8300 cover silver. Some rules name gold only: Vietnam's bank-transfer rule for gold trading, Japan's My Number payment report on gold and platinum bullion, Italy's €10,000 gold declaration to the UIF and Thailand's dealer reporting, which names gold and gems.

Can I buy silver with cash?

In most countries, up to any cash cap: France €1,000 for residents, the Netherlands under €3,000, Italy under €5,000, Turkey 30,000 TL, India under ₹2 lakh, Qatar QAR 50,000 and New Zealand NZ$10,000. Kuwait bans cash for precious metals. From July 2027 the EU caps cash payments to traders at €10,000.

Does silver count as cash at the border?

Not in the EU, the UK or most countries: the EU's €10,000 cash declaration counts gold coins and bars, not silver. Silver is declared as goods under customs rules. The UAE is an exception: its AED 60,000 declaration covers precious metals including silver.

Sources (5)

General information for individuals buying or selling silver, checked October 2026. Rules change and dealers may ask for more than the legal minimum; check with the dealer or the regulator. Not legal advice.