Skip to content
Move to Germany

Bringing Gold and Cash into Germany 2026: The €10,000 Rule, Wedding Gold and What to Declare

Marwan, founder of Move to GermanyBy Marwan · moved to Germany in 2023 · facts verified November 2026

Share:

You're flying to Germany with savings in cash, a few gold coins, or the family's wedding gold, and you want to know whether any of it will get you stopped at the airport.

The short answer: there's no limit on how much cash or gold you bring into Germany. What there is, is a declaration line. If one person carries €10,000 or more in cash, and since 2021 that includes gold coins and bars, they must declare it in writing. Jewellery you own and wear is a separate question with an easier answer, and new gold you bought abroad is a third. Here's which one applies to you.

€10,000
Declare at or above this, per person
90%+
Gold coins that count as cash
€430
New goods duty-free by air
€1,000,000
Maximum fine for not declaring

Your Route Through Customs in 5 Steps

1

Add up what each person carries: banknotes in any currency, gold coins and bars, cheques. Jewellery doesn't go in this sum.

2

If one person is at €10,000 or more, declare it in writing before you walk through customs. It's free and it isn't a tax.

3

Check your jewellery: gold you own and wear is personal belongings; new gold you bought abroad uses up your €430 allowance.

4

Moving here or getting married? Put your gold on the customs relief form instead of paying on it.

5

Already living here? Before a trip home, keep proof of the jewellery you take, so it comes back in as yours.

Step 1: Check Whether You Reach €10,000 (What Counts as Cash)

The rule comes from an EU regulation, so it's the same at every EU border. It's about what each traveller physically carries, added together. Foreign currency is converted at the rate on the day you travel, so dollars, riyals or pounds that are "under 10,000" in your head can be over it in euros.

  • Counts: Banknotes and coins, any currency (converted at the day's rate)
  • Counts: Gold coins with at least 90% gold (most bullion coins, such as the Krugerrand or Maple Leaf)
  • Counts: Gold bars, nuggets or lumps with at least 99.5% gold
  • Counts: Cheques, traveller's cheques and other bearer instruments
  • Doesn't count: Gold jewellery: rings, bracelets, necklaces, sets
  • Doesn't count: Money on your bank card or in your account

What to do: add your banknotes, coins and bars together. Under €10,000? Walk through the green exit. At €10,000 or above, even by one euro, go to Step 2.

Step 2: How to Declare Cash at a German Airport

You declare on your own initiative, in writing, at the moment you enter or leave. Nobody will ask you first, and saying it afterwards is too late. There's no fee and no tax: the federal service page is clear that this is a control, not a charge.

1

Before you fly: declare online

Register once on the Zoll-Portal and fill in the cash declaration (Anmeldung von Barmitteln). You get a code. It's the calmest option, especially with children and luggage.

2

At the airport: red exit, not green

After baggage claim, take the red exit and show the code, or ask for the paper form there and fill it in on the spot.

3

Have the origin ready

Customs can ask who owns the money, where it came from and what it's for. A bank withdrawal slip, a sale contract or a letter from the person sending it ends the conversation quickly.

The same applies on the way out: leaving Germany for a country outside the EU with €10,000 or more, you declare at departure. Inside the EU (driving to the Netherlands, flying to Spain) there's no form, but under § 12a ZollVG German customs can ask, and then you must say how much you carry and why.

What Happens If You Don't Declare

Not declaring is an administrative offence with a fine of up to €1,000,000 under § 31 ZollVG. In practice the fine is set by the amount and the circumstances, but the bigger problem is usually the money itself: if officers have doubts about where it comes from, they can hold it while they check, and that can take a long time.

The honest risk ranking

Declaring costs you a few minutes, sometimes longer if they have questions. Not declaring risks a fine and your savings sitting with customs. Splitting the cash across family members so nobody reaches €10,000 is explicitly not allowed, and it's the kind of thing that turns a routine check into a suspicious one. If I were carrying a family's savings, I'd declare every time.

Step 3: Your Jewellery: Worn, Gifted or Newly Bought

Gold jewellery isn't "cash" under the €10,000 rule, however much it's worth. The question for jewellery is a different one: is it yours, or is it goods you're bringing in? That decides whether you pay anything.

Your situationThe ruleWhat to do
Gold you own and wear or carry for yourselfPersonal belongings. No duty, nothing to declare.Wear it or keep it in your hand luggage. For valuable pieces, carry photos or old receipts.
Gold gifts for family in Germany, or new gold for yourselfCounts as goods. Free up to €430 per traveller by air (€175 under 15), once per journey.Go to the red exit with the invoice if the total is above the allowance.
Above the allowance, total under €700A flat 17.5% on the value, paid at the airport.Declare it and pay. It's predictable and quick.
Above €700Customs duty plus import VAT, calculated on the item at the normal tariff.Declare with the invoice; without one, customs sets the value.
Gold to sell, or several identical new setsCommercial goods, not traveller's goods. The allowance doesn't apply.This needs a proper customs import, not a suitcase.

The allowance is per traveller and can be used once per journey, for things meant for your own use or as gifts (customs allowances). Coming by land, it's €300.

"But I'm wearing it" doesn't make it old

A set bought in Dubai or Cairo last week is a purchase, even if it's on your wrist when you land. The honest line is: your own jewellery that you had before the trip, relax; anything new above €430, declare it and pay the flat rate. It's a known amount, and far cheaper than being caught at the green exit.

Step 4: Moving to Germany With Your Gold and Savings

If you're moving here for good, your belongings can come in free of customs duty as relocation goods. According to German customs, the conditions are:

  • You've lived outside the EU for at least 12 months (or can show you meant to).
  • The things are yours or your family's, and you've used them for at least 6 months.
  • You declare them within 12 months of the move, in writing, on form 0350. There's no online version.
  • You don't sell, lend or give them away for 12 months afterwards.

Jewellery you've owned for years fits that description, so if you're bringing more than you'd normally wear, put it on your 0350 list. Gold coins and bars are a separate check: they still count toward the €10,000 cash declaration on the day you arrive.

For savings, I'd skip the cash. A bank transfer leaves the paper trail a German bank will want anyway, and if you need a blocked account for your visa, it has to be a transfer. If you do arrive with cash, keep the customs declaration: it's the easiest answer when your new bank asks where a large deposit came from.

Getting Married and Moving? The Wedding Gold Rule

There's a separate relief for people who move to Germany because they're getting married, and it covers the trousseau, household things and wedding presents. The customs rules are specific:

What's covered

Presents customarily given at a wedding, up to €1,000 each, and your trousseau and household effects. You must have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months.

When to declare

From 2 months before the wedding to 4 months after it. Declaring before the wedding means leaving a security with customs until it happens.

The catch is the €1,000 cap per present. A full bridal gold set is often worth more than that, and a present above the cap isn't covered by this relief. If the bride has owned and worn it for 6 months before the move, the relocation route above may fit better; if not, ask the customs office before you fly rather than at the counter.

Step 5: Travelling Out and Back With Valuable Jewellery

Once you live here, the rules flip: gold you take on holiday and bring back is yours, but on the way home you're the one who has to show that. Frankfurt Airport advises preparing proof for valuable personal items before you leave the EU.

What to do: before a trip home, photograph your main pieces and keep the receipts or valuations in your phone. If you're bringing back new gold from a family wedding, that's a purchase or a gift, and the €430 allowance applies to it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much cash can I bring into Germany?
There's no upper limit. If you carry €10,000 or more (per person, cash and its equivalents together), you must declare it in writing to customs when you enter or leave the EU. Gold coins with at least 90% gold and bars with at least 99.5% count toward that €10,000. Declaring is free and isn't a tax; not declaring can mean a fine of up to €1,000,000 and the money being held.
Do I have to declare my gold jewellery when entering Germany?
Not if it's your own jewellery that you wear or carry for personal use: that's personal belongings, and jewellery isn't counted in the €10,000 cash rule. New jewellery you bought abroad, or gold you bring as a gift, counts as goods: it's free up to €430 per traveller by air, and above that you declare it and pay.
Can my family split the cash between us so nobody reaches the limit?
The €10,000 applies to what each person carries. But splitting money between travellers in order to avoid declaring is not allowed, and customs can still question you below the limit if something looks off. If the family together carries €10,000 or more, the clean way is for whoever carries it to declare.
How much gold can I bring from Dubai to Germany?
Your own worn jewellery: no limit. New gold you bought in Dubai: free up to €430 per traveller by air, then a flat 17.5% if the extra stays under €700, and above that customs duty plus import VAT at the normal rates. Gold coins and bars also count toward the €10,000 cash declaration. Keep the shop invoice; without it customs sets the value.
Do I need to declare cash when travelling within the EU?
There's no written declaration at internal EU borders, but German customs can ask you, and if you carry €10,000 or more you must then say so and explain where it comes from and what it's for (§ 12a ZollVG). Answer truthfully; the fine applies to false answers too.
I'm moving to Germany. Do I pay customs on my wedding gold?
Usually not. Belongings you've owned and used for at least 6 months can come in duty-free as relocation goods if you've lived outside the EU for at least 12 months; list them on form 0350 within 12 months of the move. If you're moving because you're getting married, wedding presents up to €1,000 each are also exempt. Gold coins and bars still count toward the €10,000 cash declaration.

Get Your Personalized Checklist

Customs is one afternoon of a move that has dozens of steps. Get a checklist built around your situation, from the visa to your first bank account, in the order that saves you trouble.

Get Your Personalized Checklist

Sources

The figures and requirements on this page are based on the following official sources. Rules change, so always confirm with the German embassy or authority responsible for your case.

Facts and figures last verified: November 2026

Related Guides

Bringing Food Into Germany

Meat and dairy banned, mango out, dates and honey in: what you can actually pack, plus cash, gold and customs limits.

Read guide

Opening a Bank Account (Girokonto)

Neobank vs traditional bank, the myth about opening before you arrive, the legal right to a Basiskonto, and the bank to avoid first.

Read guide

Leaving Germany Checklist

The Abmeldung deadline, which contracts actually let you cancel early, the pension refund most people never claim, and the tax return worth filing.

Read guide

Browse all guides →