F.A.Q

Real Vault Shipping/Security is a private custodian and specialist logistics operator for gold and other precious metals, based in Warsaw-Wawer, Poland. We provide two things under one roof: allocated, segregated vault storage in a bonded high-security facility, and insured transport of bullion by armoured vehicle, air, sea and road.

Most custodians outsource one half of that chain. We run both, which means the same accountable team that receives your bars at intake is the team that seals them for transport, hands them over at destination and documents every step in your client portal. There is no vendor-to-vendor handoff where responsibility can blur.

We work with private holders, family offices, bullion dealers, refiners and corporate treasuries. Whether you are storing a single kilobar or moving a consolidated shipment between Warsaw, Frankfurt, Zürich, London and Dubai, the process, the paperwork and the insurance are the same.

Every bar you deposit is stored on an allocated and segregated basis. Allocated means specific, identified bars — recorded by serial number, refinery, fineness, form and weight — are held under your name as your property. They never appear on Real Vault's balance sheet and are never lent, pooled, leased or rehypothecated.

Segregated means your bars are physically kept apart from other clients' holdings in a dedicated, tagged position within the vault. At intake, each bar is weighed on calibrated scales, photographed, checked against its refinery certificate and assigned to your position. The record appears in your portal, usually within minutes.

This is the opposite of unallocated storage, where you hold a claim on a pool of metal and become an unsecured creditor of the institution. Real Vault does not offer unallocated storage.

Our facility is at ul. Międzyosiedlowa 8 in Warsaw-Wawer, Poland. Following the 2026 expansion it operates as a bonded high-security site with a dedicated intake and weighing room, two separate armoured loading bays so inbound and outbound movements never share a door, and segregated storage for private and institutional clients.

Access to the vault floor requires dual biometric authentication and is monitored around the clock by an armed security team, with CCTV retained under our records policy. Movements inside the facility are always performed by two officers, and every handover is signed by both parties.

The facility is inspected by our insurers and by independent auditors. For security reasons we do not publish floor plans or the full specification, but institutional clients can request a site visit and a summary of our controls under NDA.

Yes. Every client receives secure access to the Real Vault client portal. The overview shows the number of bars currently in the vault, the total gross weight in kilograms, the fine-gold content in troy ounces, an indicative valuation in USD, EUR or PLN based on the live spot price, and the vault location and status of your holdings.

The deposits section lists every intake under your name with the date, who delivered the metal, which Real Vault officer received it, the bar count and weight, and a bar-by-bar breakdown including serial numbers, refinery, fineness, form and certificate numbers. Documents such as deposit receipts, assay and refinery certificates, storage agreements and insurance confirmations are available to download.

You can also submit shipment or withdrawal requests, exchange secure messages with our team, and view the next-of-kin record we hold for you. Access is created by Real Vault after identity verification; you cannot self-register.

Yes. All metal in our custody is covered by full-value specie insurance placed with an A-rated international underwriter. Cover applies while your holdings are in the vault, during intake and weighing, and while in transit on movements operated by Real Vault or by our vetted carrier partners.

Cover is at full replacement value on the day of loss, not at the value on the day of deposit, so it tracks the market. The insurance confirmation letter for the current period is available in the Documents section of your portal, and institutional clients can request a named-interest certificate.

Insurance is included in our storage and transport fees; there is no separate premium for standard holdings. Unusually large single consignments may require pre-notification so that limits can be adjusted.

You can deliver bullion in person, or authorise a representative — for example a dealer, courier, refiner or a member of your family office. Representatives must be pre-registered with us and verified against identity documents before we will accept metal in your name.

Every deposit record shows two names: the person who delivered the metal and the Real Vault officer who received it. Both sign the intake receipt, and both appear in your portal. This is part of the chain-of-custody documentation that protects the provenance and resale value of your bars.

If you would like Real Vault to collect bullion from a refinery, dealer or another vault, we can arrange an armoured pickup so that the metal is in our insured custody from the moment it leaves the seller.

Log in to your portal and open Requests. Choose whether you want a shipment (metal moved to another location while remaining in insured custody) or a withdrawal (metal released to you or your nominee), select the deposit if relevant, enter the destination, quantity and preferred date, and submit.

Our operations desk confirms every request by phone before anything moves. We verify your identity, agree the route and timing, and update the status in your portal from Pending to Approved, In transit and Delivered. A note from our team accompanies each status change.

Scheduled armoured runs between Warsaw and Frankfurt depart every Thursday with a Tuesday 4 PM cut-off; air freight to the Gulf or Asia should be booked at least three weeks ahead; on-demand armoured collections within Poland can usually be arranged within 48 hours.

For every intake you receive a deposit receipt naming the depositor and the receiving officer, the scale readings, and a bar list with serial numbers, refinery, fineness, form, weight and certificate references. Where bars arrive with refinery or assay certificates we scan and attach them.

You also hold a signed storage agreement, the current insurance confirmation, invoices for storage and transport fees, and — for every movement — a signed handover record at each stage of the route. All of these are uploaded to the Documents section of your portal and remain available for as long as you are a client.

Because the record is complete and continuous, your bars remain fully marketable: refiners, banks and auction houses will accept metal with an unbroken chain of custody without discounting it.

During onboarding we record a verified next of kin for every private client: the person you nominate to receive your holdings under the terms of your storage agreement. The record includes their name, relationship, contact details and the identity document we verified. You can view it in your portal at any time.

Only Real Vault staff can change the record, and only after identity verification, so that it cannot be altered by anyone who gains access to your login. If you wish to change your nominee, contact us and we will guide you through the process.

In the event of death or incapacity, release to your nominee follows the procedure set out in the storage agreement and applicable Polish law, including presentation of the relevant certificates or court orders. We recommend that you also record your Real Vault holdings in your will.

Storage is charged as a percentage of the value of your holdings per year, billed quarterly in arrears, with a minimum monthly fee for small positions. The rate decreases in bands as the value under custody increases. Insurance is included.

Transport is quoted per movement and depends on the route, the mode (armoured road, air or sea), the weight and the level of escort required. Consolidated services such as the weekly Warsaw–Frankfurt run are priced per kilogram. Customs and documentation work is charged per declaration.

There are no intake fees for bars that arrive with recognised refinery certificates, no fee to view or download your documents, and no exit penalty. A full tariff is provided before you sign, and any change is notified at least 60 days in advance.

We accept cast and minted gold bars from LBMA Good Delivery refiners and from other recognised refiners with valid certificates, in weights from 1 gram to 12.5 kilograms, as well as silver, platinum and palladium bars on the same terms. Coins are accepted in sealed original packaging.

Metal without provenance documentation can be accepted after independent assay at your cost; the assay report then becomes part of your record. We do not accept scrap, jewellery or metal of unknown origin.

Every item is checked against dimensions, weight and, where appropriate, ultrasonic testing at intake. Anything that fails verification is not admitted to the vault and is returned or held for further testing with your agreement.

Real Vault operates as an obliged institution under Polish anti-money-laundering legislation implementing the EU AML directives. Every client completes know-your-customer verification before an account is opened, and source-of-funds information may be requested for larger positions.

Our facility is bonded, which allows non-EU metal to be stored without import duty being triggered until it is released into free circulation. Our in-house documentation team handles export and import declarations, transit documents and the certificates required by destination countries.

Personal data is processed in accordance with the GDPR; our privacy policy explains what we collect and why. Records of deposits, movements and identity verification are retained for the periods required by law and by our insurers.

Contact us through the website, by email or by phone. A member of the team will discuss your requirements, provide the tariff and the storage agreement, and arrange identity verification — in person at our Warsaw office or by video for clients abroad.

Once verification is complete we create your portal access and send you a temporary password through a secure channel. You will be asked to choose your own password at first sign-in. Onboarding typically takes two to five business days.

You can then deliver metal in person, authorise a representative, or ask us to collect it. From the moment it is weighed in, you can see it in your portal.