Gold: buying, refining and export
Trading-house licence, processing approval and export licence, where these activities are open to foreign operators.
Updated on 29 October 2026 · Published under the responsibility of Jason Pivron, director · Who we are
What the service covers
- Buying licence, with compliant premises and weighing instruments.
- Processing or refining approval, according to installed capacity.
- Export licence, applicable quotas and customs regime.
- Documented chain of custody, from the mine of origin to shipment.
In practice
The gold chain breaks down into stages, each with its own authorisation: buying from producers, processing or refining, then export. At each stage, the authorities ask for proof of the metal's origin and of where the funds come from. International buyers and refiners apply their own supply-chain due diligence, often stricter than local law. Export goes through customs, with a declaration of weight and fineness, and sometimes an export tax or royalty. International refiners apply the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals. One company does not necessarily hold all these authorisations: a buying house may export under its own licence or through a licensed exporter. In Ghana, under the Gold Board Act 2025 (Act 1140), the GoldBod is the sole buyer, assayer and exporter of small-scale gold, and local trading there is closed to foreigners.
Framework and documents
In Sierra Leone, the National Minerals Agency issues trading and export licences for precious minerals; in Guinea, the ministry in charge of mines and the Bureau national d'expertise (BNE) act before export. Documents usually requested: articles of the local company, origin of funds, purchase contracts, declarations of the metal's origin.
Recorded on 1 October 2026; to be checked for each file.
What we tell you before we start
Gold trading is among the sectors most exposed to money laundering. We apply enhanced due diligence to the source of both funds and metal, and decline files whose traceability does not hold. A licence does not open a bank account: banks treat this sector separately.
Gold: buying, refining and export: frequently asked questions
Gold: buying, refining and export: how much does it cost?
On quote, after the scoping call.