Silver Allowance for Travellers to the EU
Silver is not "cash" under the EU cash controls: the €10,000 declaration covers gold coins and gold bullion only, so silver bars and coins do not count towards it. Silver bought outside the EU counts towards the traveller allowance of €430 (air and sea) or €300 (other travellers), and an item worth more cannot be split. Customs duty on silver bullion is 0%, but there is no VAT exemption for silver, so import VAT at the arrival country's rate is due on silver above the allowance.
Reviewed October 2026 from official sources (listed below). Rules change — check with customs before you travel.
Estimate
Values the silver at today's international price; customs use the price you paid. VAT depends on the country you enter. An estimate, not a customs assessment.
Duty-Free Silver Allowance in Europe
| Traveller | Duty-free allowance | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Air or sea traveller | €430 of goods | Per person. An item's value cannot be split, so a single piece worth more is taxed in full. |
| Land traveller | €300 of goods | Same rule. |
| Under 15 | €150 in some EU countries | Otherwise the adult limits apply. |
| Anyone: silver bars and coins | No limit; not cash | Import VAT is due above the allowance; no €10,000 cash declaration. |
VAT on silver, not on gold
The EU's investment-gold exemption (Articles 344–356 of the VAT Directive) covers gold only. Silver bars and coins pay import VAT at the arrival country's standard rate, for example 19% in Germany. Customs duty on silver under heading 7106 is 0%. Silver jewellery above the allowance pays the 2.5% flat-rate duty plus VAT.
Above the €430 or €300 allowance, an item is taxed on its full value: a single silver bar worth €600 cannot be counted as €430 free plus €170 taxed.
Silver is not cash
Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1672 lists only two commodities as "cash": coins with a gold content of at least 90% and bullion with a gold content of at least 99.5%. Silver is not listed, so silver bars and coins do not count towards the €10,000 cash declaration. They are declared as goods if they are above your allowance.
Silver price in Europe today
Live rates →| Fine silver (999) | €15.53 / 10 g | €1,553 / kg |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling (925) | €14.38 / 10 g | €1,438 / kg |
Bringing Silver to the euro area: FAQ
How much is 1 kg of silver worth in the euro area today?
About €1,553 for 1 kg of fine (999) silver at the international price converted to EUR (Oct 26, 2026, 15:37 UTC). Customs use their own notified or assessed value, and shops charge more, so treat this as an estimate.
Do I need to declare silver at the EU border as cash?
No. The €10,000 cash declaration covers gold coins (90%+ gold) and gold bullion (99.5%+), not silver.
Is there VAT on silver brought into the EU?
Yes. There is no VAT exemption for silver, so import VAT at the arrival country's rate is due above the €430 (or €300) allowance. Customs duty on silver bullion is 0%.
Silver Travel Allowance in Other Countries
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2018/1672, Annex I (gold only) · Directive 2007/74/EC, Article 7 (thresholds; items not split) · Dutch Customs: paying tax on purchases abroad · Austrian Ministry of Finance: 2.5% flat-rate customs duty for travellers · celna24.pl: EU customs tariff heading 7106 · Trisor: VAT on silver in Germany. Information, not legal advice: customs officers decide on the spot, and rules change. See also: silver price in Europe · gold allowance for Europe · where silver is cheapest.