How to Verify a Uganda Gold Dealer Licence: A Step-by-Step Buyer Guide

In cross-border gold deals, a licence is often the first document a seller shows and the first one a fraudster copies. A licence copy sent as a PDF or photo proves very little on its own. What matters is whether the licence is real, current, held by the same legal entity you are contracting with, and valid for the activity being offered.

This guide explains how to check those points independently. It is general information about the verification process. Licensing categories, requirements and procedures are set by Ugandan authorities and can change, so confirm current rules with the competent authority and your own advisers before acting.

Ask the seller for the full legal name of the company, its registration details, its physical address, and a copy of each licence it relies on, showing the licence type, number, holder, issue date and expiry date. Ask which licence covers which activity in your transaction, for example buying, dealing, refining or exporting.

Treat the copy as a lead to verify, not as proof. A genuine seller will expect you to check it and will not object to independent confirmation.

Do not rely on contact details printed on the document or supplied by the seller. Find the competent authority through its official website or published channels and use those details to confirm the licence. Uganda publishes mineral licence information through its Mining Cadastre, and the active dealer and refining licence list is a useful starting point for cross-checking a name and licence number.

Compare each detail: the exact company name, the licence number, the licence type, the status and the expiry date. If the register does not show the licence, shows a different holder, or shows it as expired or inactive, pause and ask the seller to explain in writing. A register that is incomplete or temporarily unavailable is not proof either way, so ask the authority to confirm directly.

The company that holds the licence must be the same legal entity that signs the contract, issues the invoice and receives or sends payment. A licence held by a sister company, a "partner", an agent or an individual does not automatically cover the party in front of you.

Also check that the licence type fits the activity. A licence for one activity, such as mining or buying from small-scale miners, is not automatically authority to refine, export or sell refined bars. Ask in writing which licences and permits apply to your specific shipment, and confirm export requirements with the relevant authorities and your customs or logistics provider.

Confirm the company's registration with the national business registry, and check its directors or beneficial owners, registered address and signatory authority. Visit or arrange an inspection of the stated business premises where practical, or use a verified local agent.

Check that the person you are speaking to is actually authorised to act for the company. Call the company on a number you found independently and ask for that person by name. Cloned identities and fake mandates are common, so a matching name on a licence is not enough if the contact is not who they claim to be.

Pause and verify further if you see any of the following: a licence shown only as a photo or low-quality scan; a name that is similar to, but not exactly the same as, the contracting company; an expired or "renewal pending" licence presented as current; a licence number that does not appear on any official source; a seller who relies on a third party's licence; pressure to skip checks because "the buyer is waiting"; or reluctance to let you contact the authority.

A red flag is a reason to verify, not proof of fraud. But no commercial promise is worth sending money or documents before the licence and the entity are confirmed.

A valid licence does not prove that a particular lot exists, is lawfully sourced, or matches the paperwork. After the licence check, still confirm provenance and chain of custody, agree independent sampling and assay, match lot identifiers across documents, confirm payment instructions directly with your own bank, and have your lawyer and compliance team review the contract.

Responsible-sourcing frameworks such as the OECD Due Diligence Guidance expect buyers to assess the supply chain, not just the seller's paperwork.

Diamond Capital Africa is a licensed gold dealer and exporter based at Plot 42, Nakasero Road, Kampala. We encourage buyers to confirm a dealer's licence details with the authority directly rather than rely on any website.

DCA's refinery and assay laboratory are in development and are not operating production facilities. Buyers should treat any seller's claim of in-house refining, including ours, as something to verify against documents and an inspection. If you are considering a seller other than DCA, we can discuss a scoped review of the seller and the proposed transaction. DCA also sells gold, so we disclose that commercial interest, and a review does not require you to buy from us. It is not a legal opinion, assay, bank confirmation, regulatory approval or guarantee.