ID and Cash Limits for Buying Silver in Egypt

Egypt has no legal cap on paying cash for silver as a private buyer. Tax rules require any shop receipt to show your national ID number once it exceeds EGP 150,000, and precious metal dealers, silver included, fall under anti-money-laundering rules (customer checks and suspicious-transaction reports) for cash deals of US$15,000 or the pound equivalent.

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

At a glance

Situation	Rule	Notes
Buying	National ID number on the receipt above EGP 150,000.	Foreigners give a passport number. Below that, your name goes on the receipt.
Paying cash	No legal cap for individuals.	The 2019 non-cash payments law sets cash limits for companies' payments, not for consumer purchases.
Selling	No published ID threshold found.	Shops may still ask for your national ID.
Reported	Suspicious transactions to the EMLCU.	Dealers' AML duties apply to cash deals of US$15,000 or more, including linked ones.

The rules in detail

Receipts: under Article 37 of the Unified Tax Procedures Law, receipts to consumers must show the buyer's name and, when the value exceeds EGP 150,000, the buyer's national ID number (passport for foreigners). This applies to any goods, silver included. The Tax Authority restated it in July 2024.
Anti-money laundering: the executive regulations of AML Law 80/2002 make precious metal and stone dealers obliged businesses when they carry out cash transactions with a customer of US$15,000 or more (or the equivalent in pounds or another currency), including linked transactions that reach that total. The earlier threshold was EGP 200,000.
For those deals the dealer must identify you and report any suspicion to the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Combating Unit (EMLCU). No fixed-amount cash report for dealers was found.
Cash law: Law 18/2019 on non-cash payments caps cash for certain payments by companies (for example EGP 5,000 to suppliers), but doesn't limit what an individual can pay in cash for jewellery or bullion.

When you sell

No legal ID threshold for selling was found; shops may still ask for your national ID.
Payment in cash is allowed.
Cash deals of US$15,000 or more bring the dealer's AML checks into play.

Gold and travel

The same receipt and AML rules apply to gold.
Travel: carrying precious metals in or out of Egypt is a customs matter; our travel-allowance page covers gold.

These points come from the AML executive regulations (as published by the FRA), Andersen's summary of the non-cash payments law and Tax Authority statements reported in the press. No Egyptian rule specific to cash payments for silver or other precious metals was found up to October 2026.

ID and cash limits for silver in other countries: United States · Canada · Mexico · Brazil · United Kingdom · Ireland · Germany · France · Italy · Netherlands · Switzerland · Turkey · UAE · Saudi Arabia · Kuwait · Qatar · Bahrain · Oman · South Africa · India · Pakistan · Bangladesh · Nepal · Sri Lanka · China · Hong Kong · Japan · South Korea · Singapore · Malaysia · Thailand · Vietnam · Indonesia · Philippines · Australia · New Zealand · all countries

Silver ID and Cash Limits in Egypt: FAQ

Do I need ID to buy silver in Egypt?

For receipts above EGP 150,000, the shop must write your national ID number (or passport number) on the receipt. Below that, your name is enough.

Is there a cash limit for buying silver in Egypt?

No. Egypt's non-cash payments law limits cash for certain company payments, not purchases by individuals. Cash deals of US$15,000 or more bring the dealer's anti-money-laundering checks into play.

Do I need ID to sell silver in Egypt?

No published rule sets an amount, but shops may ask for your national ID, and cash deals of US$15,000 or more trigger the dealer's customer checks.

Sources (4)

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.