Again another topic that seems to have cropped up recently, now we all like to get our cheap cigarettes and Alcohol when we travel abroad, but do you know exactly how much you can bring back to the UK?
It seems there are many confused people out there who are really not sure what the legal rule actually is.
So for all those of you that are confused, please see below
Duty and tax free allowances – arrivals from non EU countries
The allowances below cover the most common items that you can bring into the UK duty and/or tax-free from outside the EU.
You must also meet certain conditions listed in the section ‘Additional conditions when bringing goods into the UK’. If you don’t meet these conditions or you go over your allowance you’ll have to pay any Customs Duty, Excise Duty and/or Import VAT due (VAT will also be due on any duties that may be charged).
For passengers who are in transit and changing flights in an EU airport there are set conditions that apply regarding liquids, including any duty-free purchases you’ve made.
Alcohol allowances
You can bring in either, but not both, of the following:
- 1 litre of spirits or strong liqueurs over 22 per cent volume
- 2 litres of fortified wine (such as port or sherry), sparkling wine or any other alcoholic drink that’s less than 22 per cent volume
Or you can combine these allowances. For example, if you bring in one litre of fortified wine (half your full allowance) you can also bring in half a litre of spirits (half your full allowance). This would make up your full allowance. You can’t go over your total alcohol allowance.
In addition you may also bring back both of the following:
- 16 litres of beer
- 4 litres of still wine
Tobacco allowances
You can bring in one from the following list:
- 200 cigarettes
- 100 cigarillos
- 50 cigars
- 250g of tobacco
Duty and tax free allowances – arrivals from EU countries
Although there are no limits on the amount of alcohol and tobacco you can bring in from EU countries, customs officials are more likely to ask you questions if you have more than the following:
| Goods brought to the UK from the European Union | Until 30 September 2011 | From 1 October 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Cigarettes | 3,200 | 800 |
| Cigars | 200 | 200 |
| Cigarillos | 400 | 400 |
| Tobacco | 3 kilograms | 1 kilogram |
| Beer | 110 litres | 110 litres |
| Wine | 90 litres | 90 litres |
| Spirits | 10 litres | 10 litres |
| Fortified wine (for example port or sherry) | 20 litres | 20 litres |