Buying jewellery in Dubai as a visitor: tax refunds, purity and getting it home
Jewellery in the UAE carries 5% VAT. Visitors aged 18 or over can reclaim most of it through the UAE's tax-free shopping scheme, run by Planet: 87% of the VAT paid, minus a fee of AED 3.60 per transaction, on purchases of at least AED 250 from participating shops, validated before you leave. Or you can skip VAT altogether by having the piece shipped abroad.
This guide covers the refund, what to check before you pay, and the options for getting fine jewellery home.
How the UAE tourist VAT refund works
The UAE has run a VAT refund scheme for tourists since 18 November 2018 (Federal Tax Authority). It is operated by Planet. According to Planet's tourist FAQ:
- Who qualifies: overseas tourists aged 18 or over. Crew members and residents of the "implementing states" (the GCC countries that apply VAT, the UAE included) are excluded.
- Minimum spend: AED 250.
- What you get back: 87% of the VAT paid, minus AED 3.60 per tax-free transaction.
- Time limit: validate the goods within 90 days of the tax invoice date, and leave the UAE within 6 hours of validating.
- Where: at Planet validation points at the airport, or at City Validation Kiosks in leading malls and hotels if you leave within 24 hours and have a valid boarding pass.
- What to show: your original passport (copies and photos aren't accepted), the original tax invoices and the goods themselves. Keep the piece where you can reach it until you've validated.
- How you're paid: to a card, in cash or to a digital wallet. Planet states a cash maximum of AED 35,000.
- Not eligible: goods you don't take with you ("unaccompanied goods"), services, and goods consumed in the UAE.
The shop must take part. Ask before you pay whether it can issue a tax-free tag for your purchase, and give your passport details at the till.
What the refund is worth
On a piece priced at AED 3,350 including VAT (our Wishbone Ring), the VAT is AED 159.52. 87% of that is AED 138.79. After the AED 3.60 fee, the refund is AED 135.19. On AED 9,250 (the Hidden Orbit Ring), the VAT is AED 440.48 and the refund AED 379.61.
Or have it shipped home: no UAE VAT at all
Exported goods aren't charged UAE VAT. On caleums.com, VAT is calculated at checkout from your shipping and billing addresses (shipping policy). Prices shown in the UAE include 5% VAT, and catalogue orders delivered outside the UAE are charged without it. That saves the full 5%, not 87% of it, with no queue at the airport. (Bespoke commissions are quoted at one AED price wherever they're delivered.) The trade-off is that your own country's import duties and taxes are paid on delivery (see below).
What to check before you buy
- Karat and purity. Most Dubai souk gold is 22K or 21K, priced by weight at the day's gold rate plus a making charge. Designer and gem-set jewellery is usually 18K. Our guide to 18K, 21K and 22K explains the difference.
- Marks. Look for the fineness stamp inside the piece: 750 for 18K, 875 for 21K, 916 for 22K, 950 for platinum, 925 for sterling silver.
- Diamonds: natural or lab-grown? Both are real diamonds, but the price difference is large. Make sure the invoice says which one it is. Ask for the grading certificate for any significant stone (our guide).
- An itemised invoice: metal and karat, weight, stones, making charge, VAT. You need it for the refund and for customs at home.
- Sizing and aftercare once you've gone home. Who resizes or repairs, and how?
Bringing it home: customs allowances
Your home country, not the UAE, decides what you pay on arrival. As one example, in Great Britain you can bring in "other goods" worth up to £390 without paying tax and duty. If you go over, you pay tax and duty on the total value, not just the part above the allowance, and you must declare the goods (GOV.UK). Other countries set their own limits. Check before you fly, and keep the invoice with the piece.
Made to order? Plan around your trip
Much fine jewellery in Dubai, ours included, is made to order. Our made-to-order catalogue pieces typically take about 7 days to produce. If you're visiting for a week:
- Order before you fly and have it delivered to your hotel: UAE delivery is next-day (free over AED 2,000, AED 25 below). Same-day delivery (AED 50, order by 1 pm) covers Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman.
- Or order from home and have it shipped by insured DHL Express (free over AED 5,000 to the GCC and over AED 10,000 worldwide).
Buying from Caleums as a visitor
Caleums is a Dubai fine-jewellery house founded by Emirati designer Omran AlAmeri. Our partner workshop Goldencraft makes every piece in Dubai, mostly in 18K gold and sterling silver, with natural or lab-grown diamonds. Each piece is stamped with its purity mark, for example 750 for 18K. Selected pieces are on display at JOOLS, Ground Floor, City Centre Mirdif.
- We aren't part of the tax-free scheme. If you live outside the UAE, the cheapest way to buy from us is to order online for delivery to your home address, which removes the full 5% VAT.
- Message us on WhatsApp with your travel dates, and we'll tell you what can be ready in time.
Start with rings, earrings, necklaces or the Serenity 33 prayer beads, a gift that's made in the UAE.
Frequently asked questions
Can tourists get VAT back on jewellery in Dubai?
Yes, from participating shops. Tourists aged 18 or over get 87% of the 5% VAT back, minus AED 3.60 per transaction, on purchases of at least AED 250. The goods must be validated with Planet within 90 days, before leaving the UAE.
Where do I claim the tourist VAT refund?
At Planet validation points at the airport, or at City Validation Kiosks in malls and hotels if you leave within 24 hours. Bring your original passport, the tax invoices and the goods.
Do GCC residents get the tourist VAT refund?
No. Planet's rules exclude residents of the GCC states that apply VAT, as well as crew members.
Is it cheaper to have jewellery shipped home from Dubai?
Often, yes. Orders delivered outside the UAE are charged without UAE VAT, but your own country's import duty and taxes are paid on delivery.
What should a jewellery invoice in Dubai show?
The metal and karat, the weight, any stones (and whether diamonds are natural or lab-grown), the making charge and the VAT.
