Buying or selling gold bars in Strasbourg: what English speakers should know

Strasbourg is one of the most international cities in France. It hosts the official seat of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, and it sits on the Rhine, with Kehl and the rest of Germany a tram ride away. That brings in a steady population of diplomats, officials, researchers, students and cross-border workers, many of whom arrive with savings habits formed elsewhere. Some of them hold gold bars, or want to.

Buying or selling a bar in Strasbourg is not complicated, but French rules differ from those in the UK, the US or even neighbouring Germany on a few points that matter: identification, how you are paid, and above all tax. This page sets them out. It is general information, not tax or investment advice.

Why the French rules are worth reading first

Many international residents in Strasbourg keep one foot in another tax system. A German cross-border worker, a British official on secondment or an American researcher may each have a different tax residence, and that changes what applies when they sell. The French rules below are written for people who are tax resident in France. If you are not, or if you are unsure, check with a tax adviser before a significant sale. The same caution applies to anyone planning to move bars across the Rhine: customs rules on carrying gold can apply even inside the EU, so look them up before you travel rather than after.

Buying a gold bar: what to expect

Investment gold bought in France is exempt from VAT, as it is across the European Union. The price of a bar is the value of its gold plus the dealer’s premium, which covers refining, packaging and margin. Our guide to buying gold bars in France explains bar sizes and premiums in more detail; the short version is that the premium per gram falls as the bar gets heavier.

Three documents and habits make a later sale much easier:

1. An invoice in your name. It should show the date, the weight and fineness of the bar, its serial number if it has one, and the price paid.
2. The bar’s certificate or sealed card, kept with the invoice. A bar that leaves its packaging is still gold, but it may be checked more closely when you sell it.
3. Payment from an account in your name. French dealers are subject to anti-money-laundering rules and will ask for identification; for larger amounts, they may also ask where the money comes from.

In Strasbourg, a dealer such as Maison Or & Bijoux in Strasbourg sells gold and silver bars from small ingots up to the kilo bar, with prices based on the day’s gold price, less transaction fees and margin. Its site states that the premium is shown before the sale, which makes it easier to compare offers on the same basis.

Selling a bar: identification and payment

When a private individual sells gold to a professional in France, expect to show a valid photo ID: a passport, national identity card or residence permit. Professionals who buy second-hand precious goods must keep a register of their purchases, so your identity and the details of the bar are recorded.

Payment is made by bank transfer or cheque. French law does not allow a professional to pay a private seller in cash for precious metals, whatever the amount. For an international resident, this means a bank account in your own name, in France or elsewhere in Europe, is the simplest way to receive the money.

French consumer law also gives a private seller a short withdrawal period after signing a contract to sell gold to a professional: 48 hours, during which the sale can still be cancelled. The written contract you sign should mention it.

How an estimate works

An estimate at a French gold counter is usually quick, and it should happen in front of you. For a bar, the steps are simple:

• Identification of the bar. The refiner’s stamp, the weight, the fineness (999.9 for most modern gold bars) and the serial number are read and compared with the certificate.
• Physical checks. The bar is weighed, its dimensions are compared with the refiner’s specification, and the dealer may run a non-destructive test if anything looks unusual. Our page on fake gold bars explains which checks catch which kinds of counterfeit.
• The price. The value of the gold is calculated from the day’s price, then the dealer’s buying spread is applied. Ask for the figure in euros and as a percentage of the gold value; that is the number to compare between dealers.

A bar in its sealed card, from a well-known refiner, with an invoice, is the easiest case. A loose bar with no paperwork can still be sold, but the dealer will want to check it more carefully, and you lose the option described below for the tax.

Maison Or & Bijoux in Strasbourg offers free estimates in store and online, and its site also lists home estimates, by appointment. Its shop is in the Neudorf district, open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm.

French tax on selling gold bars

This is where French rules differ most from what many English speakers expect. According to the French Ministry of the Economy’s guide to the tax on precious metals and precious objects, a person resident in France who sells precious metals owes a flat tax of 11 % of the sale price, plus 0.5 % of social debt contribution (CRDS), whatever the amount sold. Gold bars are precious metals for this purpose, and so are gold and silver coins struck after 1800.

There is an alternative. Instead of the flat tax on the full price, the seller can opt for the capital-gains regime for movable property, which taxes only the gain. To do so, you must be able to prove the date and price of purchase, or prove that you have held the metal for more than twenty-two years. After twenty-two years of ownership, the gain can be exempt.

In practice:

The flat tax is declared within the month of the sale, on form 2091; the capital-gains option uses form 2092. When you sell to a professional, ask how the tax will be handled on the purchase document, so you know exactly what you will receive. Tax rates and rules change over time, so check the current version before a significant sale.

Strasbourg practicalities

• Book ahead for larger amounts. A dealer may need to check stock for a kilo bar or prepare funds for a large purchase.
• Bring the paperwork in one envelope. ID, invoice, certificate and your bank details (IBAN) for the transfer.
• Think about storage before you buy. French home insurance often caps cover for valuables. Bank safe deposit boxes exist in Strasbourg, but availability varies by branch.
• Plan for a move. International residents often leave after a posting ends. Selling and rebuying elsewhere has a cost; so does carrying bars across a border without checking the rules.

With an invoice in your name, a sealed bar and a clear view of the tax, buying or selling gold in Strasbourg is straightforward, whichever side of the Rhine you came from.

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