Gold Bar Price in Dubai Today – 1 g to 1 kg Bars and Biscuits

How the gold bar price in Dubai is built up

Every bar in the UAE, whether it says PAMP, Emirates Gold or Al Etihad on the front, is priced from the same starting point: the international spot price in US dollars per troy ounce, converted into dirhams at 3.6725 and divided by 31.1035 to get a gram rate. A 24K bar is 999 or 999.9 fine, so its metal value is the gram rate times its weight with no karat deduction. That is why bars are the simplest gold product to price and the easiest to compare across shops.

On top of the metal value sits the premium, which covers the refiner's cost of casting or minting, the assay, the sealed card and the dealer's margin. The premium is quoted either as a few dirhams per gram or as a percentage over the 24K gold rate. The smaller the bar, the bigger the premium as a share of the price, because a 1 g minted bar costs almost as much to package as a 100 g one. Our gold calculator gives you the raw metal value for any weight; the gap between that and the dealer's quote is the premium you are paying.

Unlike jewellery, there are no making charges, no stone weight and, for bars of 99% purity or more, no VAT. The quote is the price. Prices on this page are indicative and move with the market during the day.

1 g, 5 g, 10 g, 20 g, 50 g and 100 g gold bars: what each size is for

Dubai dealers stock the full ladder of sizes, and each one suits a different purpose:

The 10 gram gold bar, which many Indian and Pakistani customers still call a biscuit, is the most traded retail size in Dubai because it is big enough to carry a sensible premium and small enough to sell in one visit. The 100 gram gold bar is the sweet spot for residents who save a lump sum from an end-of-service payment or a bonus. A 1 kg gold bar is priced closest to spot but needs a buyer with the cash to take the whole bar, so it is less liquid for an individual.

The percentages above are a general guide from what dealers typically quote, not a promise; premiums widen when demand spikes, for instance during a sharp price fall when everyone wants to buy at once.

PAMP Suisse, Emirates Gold, Al Etihad and Valcambi: brands you will see

Walk along the bullion counters of the Deira Gold Souk and the same few names repeat. PAMP Suisse minted bars, with the Lady Fortuna design and a sealed assay card, are the most recognised internationally and carry a slightly higher premium because of that recognition. Valcambi, also Swiss, is known for its CombiBar that snaps into 1 g pieces, which some residents like for gifting. Both are LBMA-accredited refiners, which matters if you ever sell the bar outside the UAE.

Emirates Gold and Al Etihad Gold are Dubai-based refiners whose bars are produced locally and are everywhere in the souk. Their premiums are usually a little lower than the Swiss brands for the same weight, and they are readily bought back by Dubai dealers because the dealers know the product. For a resident who plans to sell in the UAE, a local brand is a perfectly sensible choice; for someone who may carry the bar to Europe or Asia later, a PAMP or Valcambi bar is easier to liquidate abroad.

Other names you may meet include Al Rayyan, Sam Precious Metals and various bank-branded bars. What matters more than the logo is that the bar is 999.9 fine, comes in tamper-evident packaging with a serial number, and is sold with an invoice. The purity check guide explains how to read the stamps.

Zero VAT on 24K gold bars in the UAE

This is the detail that makes Dubai a bar-buyer's market. Since VAT was introduced on 1 January 2018, jewellery has carried 5% on the whole invoice, but investment-grade gold, meaning gold of 99% purity or more that is tradable on the bullion market, is zero-rated. A 999.9 bar from any recognised refiner qualifies. You pay the metal value plus premium and nothing else, and the invoice should show VAT at 0%.

Two practical consequences follow. First, there is nothing to reclaim at the airport, so tourists buying bars do not need the Planet refund process that applies to jewellery. Second, a 22K coin or an ornamental 21K bar does not qualify, because it is below 99% purity, so check the fineness before assuming the price is tax-free. Our page on VAT on gold in the UAE sets out the rules in full, including the reverse-charge mechanism that applies when businesses trade bars with each other.

Where to buy gold bars in Dubai

There are four main routes, and the right one depends on how much you are buying and how much hand-holding you want.

• Deira Gold Souk and the Gold Souk Extension. Dozens of shops sell bars across the counter alongside jewellery, and the Gold Centre and Gold Land buildings nearby house wholesalers who will serve walk-in buyers of 100 g and above. Prices are negotiable on the premium, never on the metal rate.
• Gold & Diamond Park on Sheikh Zayed Road. Air-conditioned, easy parking, and several bullion specialists with a calmer atmosphere than the souk. Good for a first purchase.
• DMCC and JLT bullion dealers. Dubai's commodities free zone is home to refiners and trading houses that sell to the public, often with online ordering and vault storage. The service is more formal: identification is required and larger orders may need a bank transfer.
• Banks and gold savings programmes. Some UAE banks and fintech apps let you buy fractional gold or physical bars through an account. Convenient, but compare the all-in cost with a dealer's counter price before committing.

Whichever route you choose, ask for the price per gram including premium, compare it with the live rate above, and insist on an invoice that states the weight, fineness, serial number and your name. The how to buy gold in Dubai guide covers the paperwork step by step.

Assay certificates, serial numbers and storage

A minted bar from a reputable refiner comes sealed in a card that doubles as its assay certificate. The card shows the refiner, the weight, the fineness (999.9), a serial number and usually the signature of the assayer. Keep the bar sealed: an opened card lowers the resale value because the buyer has to re-test the bar. Cast bars, the heavier 250 g to 1 kg sizes, are stamped directly and sold with a separate certificate rather than a card.

Storage is the question most new buyers forget. A few bars can live in a home safe, but residents with larger holdings typically use a bank safe deposit box or a vault service in the DMCC, which charges an annual fee based on value or volume. Insurance for gold at home is limited under most UAE household policies, so check your cover. If you expect to trade in and out rather than hold for years, the online gold trading options may suit you better than physical bars, because there is nothing to store.

Photograph the bar, the card and the invoice together and keep the images in cloud storage. If you ever need to prove ownership, whether to a buyer, an insurer or a customs officer, this record makes the conversation short.

Selling a gold bar back in Dubai

Buy-back is where the choice of size and brand pays off. Dealers in the souk, the Gold & Diamond Park and the DMCC all buy bars from the public, and a sealed 10 g or 100 g bar from a known refiner is the easiest thing to sell: the dealer checks the card, weighs the bar and quotes the day's buying rate for 24K minus a small spread. That spread is typically narrower than the premium you paid, so the round-trip cost of a bar is lower than for coins and far lower than for jewellery, where the making charges disappear on resale.

Expect a lower offer if the seal is broken, the bar is from an unfamiliar brand, or you cannot show an invoice. Some dealers run buy-back guarantees for bars they sold originally, which is worth asking about at the time of purchase. For a detailed walk-through of testing, documents and how to compare quotes, read our guide to selling gold in Dubai.

Timing matters more than most people think. Because the buy-back rate tracks the live price, a bar bought at a premium of 3% needs the market to rise by roughly that much before you break even. Many residents treat bars as multi-year savings rather than short-term trades for exactly this reason.

Bars or coins, and are Dubai bars cheaper than at home?

Bars win on price per gram; coins win on recognisability and tradition. A sovereign or a Canadian Maple Leaf carries a higher premium than a bar of the same weight, but some buyers prefer the familiar design, especially for gifts. The gold coins in Dubai page compares the two in detail. If your goal is pure savings, most investors lean towards 10 g, 50 g or 100 g bars.

Compared with India, Pakistan or Europe, Dubai's bar prices are usually lower all-in because there is no import duty, no VAT on investment gold and fierce competition among dealers within a few streets. The metal itself costs the same everywhere; the saving is in what is added. Remember that carrying bars across a border has its own rules: Indian customs treat bars and coins differently from jewellery, and the duty-free allowance does not cover them. Check the customs guide for gold from Dubai to India and the is gold cheaper in Dubai comparison before you buy with a trip home in mind. Nothing on this page is investment advice; gold can fall as well as rise.