Travellers with valuables worth QR50,000 or more need to declare: Qatar Customs

Doha: Travelers will need to fill out a declaration form on entry or departure from Qatar if they possess cash, precious metals, financial bearer negotiable instruments or valuable jewellery equal to or more than fifty thousand Qatari Riyals.

The General Authority of Customs in a statement said that the system has been put in place at the customs offices in all air, sea or land travel entry and exit.

The move comes as part of implementation of the provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law No. 20 of 2019 and Cabinet Resolution No. 41 of 2019.

Customs Declaration
Any natural or legal person who enters or leaves the state and possesses currencies or negotiable instruments or valuable minerals or precious stones equal to or more than QR50,000 or their equivalent in foreign currencies need to complete the approved form and also provide any other additional information required by the customs officer.
Moreover, the authority stressed that the customs declaration system obliges the traveller themselves to initiate the filling of the approval form if they have something equal to or greater than the indicated amount, according to the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law No. 20 of 2019 and its executive regulations.

Articles to be acknowledged
1) Currencies: Qatari currencies or other foreign currencies.
2)  Negotiable instruments like traveller’s cheques, promissory notes, payment orders of all kinds, and incomplete instruments, including cheques and promissory notes and signed payment orders.
3) Precious metals like: Gold, silver, platinum, etc.
4) Precious stones such as: Diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, pearls … and others.

The Commission stressed that refraining from submitting the declaration, submitting false information, or refusing to provide additional information to the customs authorities on the source of the currency, negotiable financial instruments of the bearer, precious metals, or precious stones attracts penalties that may reach imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years or fines that is not less than QR100,000 and not more than QR500,000 or twice the value of the transferred funds, whichever is greater in addition to seizing the funds.