What can you take with you?

Updated : 06/2012

Alcohol, tobacco, cash

Alcohol and tobacco

When travelling from one EU country to another, you can take tobacco and alcohol products with you for personal use but not for resale.

Under EU law, you do not have to prove the goods are for your personal use if you are carrying fewer than:

800 cigarettes
400 cigarillos
200 cigars
1 kg of tobacco
10 litres of spirits
20 litres of fortified wine
90 litres of wine (including a maximum of 60 litres of sparkling wines)
110 litres of beer.

Some countries allow you to carry more than these limits without proving they are for personal use. Check with the national authorities what their thresholds are.

If you are carrying more tobacco or alcohol than the amounts automatically allowed for personal use, you may be asked:

to prove that they are for your personal use
to produce proof of purchase (receipt or invoice).

If you are travelling with tobacco or alcohol and you stay within the personal-use thresholds, you won't have to pay excise duty in the EU country you are going to.

These rules do not apply for travellers under 17 years old, who are not allowed to carry alcohol or tobacco in any amounts. There is no duty-free shopping for travellers going from one EU country to another.

Cash

If you want to travel between EU countries with 10 000 euros or more in cash or the equivalent in another currency, you must check with the customs authorities in the countries you are leaving, entering and passing through whether you must declare it.

If you plan to enter or leave the EU with 10 000 euros or more in cash (or its equivalent in other currencies) you must declare it to the customs authorities.

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Footnote

In this case, the 27 EU member states + Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

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