Papua New Guinea [industrial] → Hong Kong (China SAR) → Australia · Sale and settlement of refined gold

Where the goods start

Doré bar - unstamped → Doré bar - stamped/exporter-sealed

• Export duty on gold

  None found (administrative fees only)

  UnverifiedAmount not confirmed

• Gold Export Licence application fee

  K5,000 per application (annual)

  Official guidanceAmount not confirmed

• Mineral royalty

  2% Mined product incl. doré and concentrate

  Official guidanceAmount not confirmed

  • Mining Act 1992, s.148

• Alluvial Mining Lease application fee

  PGK 250

  Official guidanceAmount not confirmed

• MRA production levy

  0.25% (2014) - 0.5% (statutory maximum; reported current rate 2025)

  Official guidanceAmount not confirmed

  • Mineral Resources Authority Act, s.30(3)-(4) per DMPGM 2014

• Travellers may take PNG or foreign currency up to K20,000; more needs BPNG authority on Form-C1 (with tax clearance, passport, ticket). Customs currency declaration system being rolled out, most advanced at Jacksons International Airport (APG 2024).

  K20,000

  Official guidanceAmount not confirmed

  • FE Manual FE Notice 8; Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulation 1963, 8.5; item 13A

• Dealers in precious metals are DNFBPs: risk-based CDD, enhanced CDD for PEPs, SMR within 5 working days, Threshold Transaction Report for cash or bearer instruments of K20,000 or more within 10 working days, international funds transfer reports of K20,000 or more, records for 7 years. FASU is the su…

  K20,000 cash (TTR)

  Official guidanceAmount not confirmed

  • AMLCTF Act 2015, ss.5, 20-29, 39, 47-50

• Alluvial mining is reserved to PNG citizens (AML only for citizens/land groups; alluvial mining leases need 51% national ownership). The 2021 Alluvial Mining Policy extends the reservation to buying and exporting alluvial gold, with existing foreign operators exempted. Confirmed by the Mining Minist…

  Official guidance

  • Mining Act 1992 s.48; Alluvial Mining Policy 2021

• No person may take or send gold out of (or bring into) PNG without BPNG's written consent; alluvial gold, concentrates and gold compounds are a restricted export under Customs item 13B. In practice: annual Gold Export Licence plus a per-shipment authorisation (Form G) for consignments above K5,000; …

  K5,000 per consignment

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • Central Banking (Foreign Exchange and Gold) Regulation 2000; Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulation 1963, s.24; item 13B

• Refining agreement must reference LBMA spot with a discount of no more than 2%; export sales in USD at LBMA spot.

  Official guidance

  • BPNG Requirements and Operational Requirements for Gold Export Licence (2015)

• All export proceeds must be received through an authorised dealer, repatriated and converted into kina: within 2 weeks of export for alluvial Gold Export Licence holders; within 3 months of shipment under FE Notice 6. Sales abroad in USD at LBMA spot. Mineral exporters may not use forward exchange c…

  2 weeks (alluvial GEL); 3 months (general)

  Official guidanceAmount not confirmed

  • BPNG Operational Requirements (2015); FE Manual, FE 6.5, 17.5; FX Operational Guidelines 9.9.5

• A person holding gold (other than for professional use) must sell it within one month to BPNG, an authorised dealer, or with written consent to a person outside PNG; only BPNG and authorised dealers may buy gold (s.26). BPNG's FE Manual nonetheless states domestic resident-to-resident gold trade is …

  1 month from possession

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • Central Banking (Foreign Exchange and Gold) Regulation 2000, ss.25-26

On the way

• Customs duty on gold

  Nil All gold imports and exports; the Ordinance applies only to alcoholic liquors, tobacco, aircraft spirit, light diesel oil, motor spirit, kerosene and methyl alcohol (s.3(1))

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109), ss. 3(1), 4(1)

• Profits tax on gold trading profits

  Corporations: 8.25% on the first HK$2,000,000 of assessable profits and 16.5% above (Sch. 8B s.2(a)); unincorporated businesses: 7.5% and 15% (Sch. 8A s.2); years of assessment from 1 April 2018 Trading profits of Hong Kong gold dealers; not a transaction tax

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112), s. 14; Schs. 8A, 8B

    “Subject to the provisions of this Ordinance, profits tax shall be charged for each year of assessment on every person carrying on a trade, profession or business in Hong Kong in respect of his assessable profits arising in or derived from Hong Kong for that year from such trade, profession or business (excluding profits arising from the sale of capital assets)”

• VAT / GST on gold

  None (Hong Kong has no VAT or GST) Import and sale of gold

  UnverifiedAmount not confirmed

• Import/export declaration charge

  Nil on declarations relating to gold bars (reg. 8(4)); C&SD defines these as gold bars of fineness 995.0 or above, HKHS codes 7108 1210 and 7108 2010, declared on Forms 1B/2B. Other gold (e.g. dore below 995.0): HK$0.20 for value up to HK$46,000, then 12.5 cents per additional HK$1,000 or part, rounded up to 10 cents, capped at HK$200 per declaration (reg. 8(1)(b)-(d), (1AA)) Each import and export declaration

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • Import and Export (Registration) Regulations (Cap. 60E), reg. 8(1), (1AA), (4); reg. 7

    “No charge shall be payable under paragraph (1)(b), (c) or (d) in respect of a declaration relating to gold bars within the meaning of the Imports and Exports Classification List”

• A Category B registrant must, before a specified cash transaction (cash of HK$120,000 or more) with a customer, identify and verify the customer and any beneficial owner, obtain the purpose of a business relationship and verify anyone acting for the customer (Sch. 2 ss.2, 3(1)(b)); obtain senior-man…

  Cash payment of HK$120,000 or more

  Primary law

  • AMLO (Cap. 615) s. 5A and Sch. 2; C&ED Guideline for Category B registrants, s. 5A(5A)-(5B); Sch. 2 ss. 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 19, 20; s. 53ZVF

    “for a period of at least 5 years beginning on the date on which the transaction is completed”

• A non-Hong Kong dealer (an individual not ordinarily resident, or a foreign legal person that is neither a registered non-Hong Kong company nor a re-domiciled company; no place of business in Hong Kong; business in Hong Kong on no more than 60 days a year) is outside registration but must report eac…

  HK$120,000 cash

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • AMLO (Cap. 615) Part 5C, ss. 53ZTZ, 53ZUA(2), 53ZVK; Sch. 3J

• Any person who knows or suspects that property represents proceeds of, or was or is intended to be used in connection with, an indictable offence (OSCO s.25A(1)) or drug trafficking (DTROP s.25A(1)), or that property is terrorist property (UNATMO s.12(1)), must disclose it to an authorized officer (…

  Primary law

  • OSCO (Cap. 455), DTROP (Cap. 405), UNATMO (Cap. 575), Cap. 455 s. 25A; Cap. 405 s. 25A; Cap. 575 s. 12

    “Where a person knows or suspects that any property— (a) in whole or in part directly or indirectly represents any person’s proceeds of; (b) was used in connection with; or (c) is intended to be used in connection with, an indictable offence, he shall as soon as it is reasonable for him to do so disclose that knowledge or suspicion … to an authorized officer”

• Hong Kong applies only UN Security Council sanctions, through regulations the Chief Executive makes under Cap. 537 on instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ss.2-3); dealing with funds or economic resources of designated persons without a licence is an offence under those regulations (C&…

  Primary law

  • United Nations Sanctions Ordinance (Cap. 537), ss. 2-3

    “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China”

• Currency and bearer negotiable instruments above HK$120,000 (Sch. 4) must be declared by arriving travellers (s.4), disclosed on request by other arrivals and by departing travellers (ss.5-6), and declared in advance electronically when moved as cargo in one batch (ss.9-11). "CBNI" means notes or co…

  HK$120,000 of CBNIs

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • Cap. 629, ss. 2, 4-6, 9-11; Sch. 4

• The central clearing system accepts only about-400-oz bars meeting international standards (in effect LBMA Good Delivery) into designated vaults, held unallocated and commingled.

  Official guidance

  • Clearing Rulebook

• No new commodity exchange may be established or operated for gold, silver or the other listed commodities (Cap. 82 s.4 and Schedule items 6, 13; fine HK$500,000 plus HK$50,000 a day), except an exchange "which was in operation on 20 June 1973" (s.3(d)) or a recognized futures market under the Securi…

  Primary law

  • Commodity Exchanges (Prohibition) Ordinance (Cap. 82), ss. 3(d)-(e), 4; Schedule

    “(e) a recognized futures market”

• Anyone who by way of business trades in, imports, exports, manufactures, refines or carries out value-adding work on precious metals (gold "in a manufactured or unmanufactured state"), issues or trades precious-asset-backed instruments, or acts as intermediary (s.53ZU(1)) must be registered before c…

  HK$120,000 per transaction or linked transactions

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • AMLO (Cap. 615) Part 5C, ss. 53ZTZ, 53ZU, 53ZUA, 53ZUE; Schs. 3H, 3I

• Only bars from HKGX authorised minters (13 members) are good delivery on the exchange, by type: 99 gold 5-tael, 999.9 gold kilo, 999.9 gold 5-tael and 999.9 silver 15 kg.

  Industry practice

  • HKGX rules

• A Legislative Council question of May 2026 refers to "the current 50-gram limit" on gold products for personal use carried by Mainland visitors, and asks about "simplifying the tax collection process for amounts exceeding the limit"; the limit is a Mainland rule. The Government replied only that Hon…

  50 g (per LegCo question; Mainland rule not read)

  SecondaryAmount not confirmed

• Gold entering the Mainland from Hong Kong under general trade needs a PBOC Gold and Gold Products Import/Export Permit presented to customs (Art. 3), issued only to qualified importers (Art. 8, e.g. financial-institution members or market makers of the State Council-approved gold exchange); "one bat…

  Primary law

  • PBOC/GACC gold import-export measures (Order [2015] No. 1, amended 2020), Arts. 3, 4, 6, 8, 17, 20

• No import or export licence, permit or duty applies to gold. Licences are needed only for articles listed in the regulations under Cap. 60 (s.6C: Cap. 60A Sch. 1; s.6D: Cap. 60A Sch. 2; s.6A: strategic commodities), and gold is not listed in Cap. 60A Schedules 1-2. The only customs formality is the …

  Primary law

  • Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60) and regulations, Cap. 60 ss. 6A, 6C, 6D; Cap. 60A Schs. 1-2; Cap. 60E regs 3-5

Where the goods arrive

• GST - first supply of precious metal after refining

  GST-free (0%, input credits allowed) First supply of precious metal after its refining by, or on behalf of, the supplier, where the refiner is a "refiner of precious metal" and the recipient a "dealer in precious metal" (each: an entity that satisfies the Commissioner of the activity - s.195-1)

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, s.38-385; s.195-1

• GST on importation of precious metal

  Non-taxable importation (precious metal); otherwise GST 10% of the value of the taxable importation (customs value plus international transport and insurance, s.13-20) Imported gold that meets the precious-metal definition is a non-taxable importation because its supply would be input taxed or GST-free (s.13-10(b)); dore and other gold outside the definition is a taxable importation

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, ss.13-5, 13-10(b), 13-20

• GST - other supplies of precious metal

  Input taxed (no GST charged; no input tax credits) Gold (in an investment form) of at least 99.5% fineness (s.195-1 precious metal); "investment form" is not defined in the Act - the ATO describes it as a coin, wafer, bar or other tradeable form with an internationally accepted hallmark (LBMA-approved for gold)

  Primary law

  • A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, s.40-100; s.195-1

• GST reverse charge on supplies of goods containing valuable metal

  10% of the price, payable by the recipient A taxable supply of goods consisting wholly or partly of valuable metal (gold, silver, platinum) to a recipient registered or required to be registered, where the market value of the goods does not exceed the valuable metal threshold (i.e. is not at least 10% above the value of the metal in them) or the parties agree in writing - e.g. scrap, dore and other non-investment gold

  Primary lawAmount not confirmed

  • A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, Division 86 (ss.86-5, 86-10, 86-25); s.195-1 valuable metal

• Customs duty on gold

  Free HS 7108.11.00, 7108.12.00, 7108.13.00, 7108.20.00 and 7112.91.00 (general rate Free; the rate footnote: FTA originating goods Free unless otherwise shown)

  Official guidanceAmount not confirmed

  • Customs Tariff Act 1995, Schedule 3

• Buying or selling bullion (gold, silver, platinum or palladium as a bar, coin, ingot, plate, wafer or like form, bearing a mark guaranteeing fineness and traded by reference to the spot price) in the course of carrying on a bullion-dealing business is a designated service: enrolment, AML/CTF program…

  Primary law

  • AML/CTF Act 2006, s.5 (bullion); s.6(3) table 2 item 1; ss.39E, 41, 43, 51B

• Buying or selling precious metal (gold, silver, platinum-group metals, or an alloy with at least 2% of them, manufactured or not), precious stones or precious products in the course of carrying on a business, where the purchase involves physical currency and/or virtual assets totalling $10,000 or mo…

  $10,000 in physical currency and/or virtual assets

  Primary law

  • AML/CTF Act 2006 as amended by the AML/CTF Amendment Act 2024, s.5A; s.6(3) table 2 item 2; Amendment Act s.2 and Sch 3 Pt 4 items 11-12

    “buying or selling one or more of the following items in the course of carrying on a business, where the purchase involves the transfer of physical currency or virtual assets (or a combination of physical currency and virtual assets) with a total value of not less than $10,000, whether the purchase is made in a single transaction or in several transactions that are linked or appear to be linked: (a) precious metal; (b) precious stones; (c) precious products”

• Export markets accept Australian bars through the refiner's LBMA Good Delivery listing and exchange accreditations (CME, SGE, OSE, DGCX for the Perth Mint).

  Industry practice

• No economy-wide cap on cash payments was found. Reporting entities must report threshold transactions (transfers of $10,000 or more in physical currency) to AUSTRAC within 10 business days (s.43; s.5). Moving monetary instruments worth $10,000 or more into or out of Australia must be reported (s.53)…

  $10,000 (reporting, not a limit)

  Primary law

  • AML/CTF Act 2006, ss.5, 43, 53

    “monetary instrument means any of the following: (a) physical currency; (b) a bearer negotiable instrument; (c) a thing prescribed by the AML/CTF Rules.”

• No foreign-exchange control or repatriation requirement on gold export proceeds was identified.

  Unverified

• No export permit or licence for gold (it is not a prohibited export). The owner must enter goods for export by an export declaration and may not load them without an authority to deal (export entry advice); consignments with an FOB value of $2,000 or less are exempt unless a permission is required. …

  FOB value above $2,000

  Primary law

  • Customs Act 1901, ss.113(1)-(2A), 113AA, 114, 114C, 116

    “an FOB value not exceeding $2,000 or such other amount as is prescribed”

• Origin and CAHRA due diligence on supplies is imposed on Australian refiners by the LBMA RGG as a Good Delivery condition, not by Australian statute.

  Secondary

• Importing, purchasing or transporting gold (HS 7108) that was exported from Russia after 30 Sep 2022 is a sanctioned import (Designation Sch 1 item 16; AS Regulations reg 4A(1)-(3)) and an offence unless authorised by a permit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs under reg 18(1)(b) (reg 12A); it exte…

  Primary law

  • Autonomous Sanctions (Import Sanctioned Goods-Russia) Designation 2022 Sch 1 item 16; Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011 regs 4A, 12A, 18; Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 s.16

• Supplying, selling or transferring an item of gold, precious metals and diamonds so that it is transferred to the Government of Syria (or its public bodies, agents or controlled entities) is a sanctioned supply, and importing or purchasing such an item from them is a sanctioned import; both are offe…

  Primary law

  • Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011, regs 4(4), 4A(4), 12, 12A, 18

Back in the origin country: the proceeds of the export