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About us

The Government Diamond Office

Who we are

Diamonds (Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)The Government Diamond Office is the UK issuing authority for Kimberley Certificates. We work closely with HM Revenue & Customs, the UK diamond industry, the EC and civil society groups to implement the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) to combat the trade in illicit ‘conflict diamonds’.

What is the KPCS?

The KPCS is a set of standards that regulates the trade in rough diamonds. It sets out the way in which each participating country handles the imports and exports of rough diamonds, as well as its internal controls for ensuring that domestic trading and processing are not contaminated by illicit sales.

Do I need a Certificate?

Every rough diamond entering the UK or being exported outside of the EU must be accompanied by a Kimberly Certificate. There are no exceptions and the certificate must be acquired in advance. We recommend that exporters do not arrange transfer of diamonds until a certificate has been obtained.

Rough diamonds can only be imported from and exported to KPCS participating countries. A list of participating countries can be found at
www.kimberleyprocess.com.


If you would like to apply for a Kimberley Certificate to export rough diamonds out of the EU, please contact the Government Diamond Office on:

Tel: 020-7008-6903/5797
Fax: 020-7008-3905
Email: Gdo@gtnet.gov.uk

Or you can write to us at:

Government Diamond Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Room W3.135
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH

CHARGES

We charge a small fee for producing and issuing Kimberly Certificates. This is a flat fee based on the total value of diamonds being exported:

$0 - $10,000 = £10
$10,001 - $100,000 = £15
$100,001 and above = £25

OPENING HOURS

The GDO is open between 09:30 and 15:30 Monday - Friday

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a walk in service.

LINKS

HMRC Guide to importing and exporting: Breaking down the barriers

Further details on the KPCS can be found at www.kimberleyprocess.com.

Further details of KPCS implementation in the EU are available from the European Commission website.

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