Customs in the EU: allowances for alcohol, cigarettes & coffee

Bringing coffee, alcohol and tobacco from another EU country into Germany duty-free

You have spent your holiday in Denmark, France, Poland or another EU country and are wondering: What customs regulations do I have to comply with when I return to Germany?

First the good news: there are no more customs duties in the European Union. So if you want to import new trousers, shoes, spices or other goods for personal use and consumption into Germany, you can do so without hesitation.

Only luxury goods such as tobacco, alcohol or coffee are subject to quantity limits, which must be strictly adhered to. Otherwise, you may find yourself in trouble at customs.

Travel allowances for cigarettes and other tobacco products imported into Germany from another EU country

• 800 cigarettes and
• 400 cigarillos and
• 200 cigars and
• 1 kg of smoking tobacco, including (water) pipe tobacco and
• 800 pieces/smoking portions of heated tobacco (sticks for inhalation of aerosol/smoke) and
• 1 litre of substitutes, e.g. liquid for e-cigarettes (but no more than 10 retail packs)

Bringing alcohol from another EU country to Germany without customs duty

• 10 liters of spirits (e.g. whisky, rum, vodka) and
• 20 liters of intermediate products (e.g. sherry, port and liqueur wines) and
• 60 liters of sparkling wine (champagne) and
• 110 liters of beer

German customs have not set any quantity limits for wine imported from other EU member states. Therefore, wine can be brought into the country in unlimited quantities as long as it is consumed privately. The wine regulations of individual EU countries may have to be observed for the transportation of wine.

Allowance for coffee imported into Germany from another EU country

• 10 kg of coffee and
• 10 kg of goods containing coffee (products containing between 10 and 900 grams of coffee per kilogram)

Important for Customs

When importing and exporting luxury foods, different regulations must be observed in Europe. This is because the EU only specifies guide values for travel allowances. Each member state can issue stricter regulations that differ from these. You should therefore find out from the national authorities which regulations apply to the purchase, export, etc.

Importing fuel into Germany

If fuels such as petrol or diesel are cheaper in your vacation destination than in Germany, you can fill up your vehicle without worrying. There are no additional costs such as customs duties or taxes when importing to Germany.

The situation is different when carrying fuel in reserve canisters. The respective national regulations must be observed here. For example, if you want to take petrol or diesel to Germany, customs will not object to a quantity of up to 20 liters in the reserve canister.

Depending on the Member State, the amount of fuel allowed in the reserve canister varies between 5 and 25 liters. In France, Italy and Spain it is 10 liters, in Liechtenstein and Switzerland 25 liters.

It is forbidden to take filled canisters with you in Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Romania and Luxembourg. More details at adac.de.

However, the ADAC recommends not carrying more than 10 liters in a canister for safety reasons.

Taking luxury goods from Germany to other EU countries

If you are travelling from Germany to another EU country and want to take a supply of tobacco, coffee or alcohol with you for your holiday, you must comply with the rules of the country you are entering.

This is because the EU only uses the above limits as a guideline. Each member state can impose stricter rules that differ from these. Luxury foods are particularly expensive in Scandinavian countries, for example. However, drivers should not simply fill up their boots as this can be expensive.

For example, the following allowances apply to imports into Sweden and Finland:

• 10 liters of spirits (e.g. whisky, rum, vodka)
• 90 liters of wine (including 60 litres of sparkling wine)
• 20 liters of intermediate products (e.g. sherry, port and liqueur wines)
• 110 liters of beer

For import into Norway:

• max. 1 liter of spirits with an alcoholic strength of between 22% and 60% vol.
• 1.5 liters of wine
• 2 liters of beer/alcopop/cider

The minimum age must also be observed. In Sweden, you must be at least 20 years old to import alcohol. In Finland and Norway, the minimum age is 18, but 20 for strong alcohol (22% or more).

Customs control: Penalties for failure to declare goods

If you exceed the duty-free allowances set by Customs, it will be presumed that the goods are intended for commercial purposes and will therefore be liable to duty. However, you can rebut this presumption by proving that you are using the goods for private purposes.

In addition to fines for non-declaration, criminal proceedings for tax evasion may be initiated in very serious cases.

These allowances apply when entering Germany from third countries

The following allowances apply when you enter the EU from a third country (e.g. Switzerland or the UK).

Exemption quantities for alcohol imported into Germany from third countries

• 4 liters of wine and
• 16 liters of beer and

Spirits:

• 1 liter of spirits with more than 22% by volume (e.g. vodka or gin) or
• 1 liter of ethyl alcohol with an alcohol content of 80% or more by volume or
• 2 liters of alcohol and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of no more than 22% by volume or
• a proportionate combination of these goods.

Duty-free allowances for cigarettes/tobacco products from third countries

The maximum quantities for tobacco are as follows:

• Cigarettes: 200 units or
• Cigarillos: 100 units or
• Cigars: 50 pieces or
• Tobacco: 250 g or
• a proportionate combination of these goods

Bringing other goods into Germany from third countries

Souvenirs, clothing, furniture or similar goods may be imported into the EU from a third country up to a total value of €300, or €430 for air and sea travel. Import duties are payable if these limits are exceeded.

This scheme applies to people aged 15 and over. For those under 15, the exemption is €175.

If you are travelling through the EU via Switzerland

If you are travelling through Switzerland on your way to Europe, you must also comply with Swiss customs regulations.

Goods worth up to 5,000 Swiss francs can pass through Switzerland without being declared.

In terms of allowances for alcohol, tobacco, etc., Swiss regulations are much stricter than EU directives.

For example, a total of 5 liters of beverages with an alcohol content of up to 18% by volume may be imported. Anything over this is taxed at CHF 2 per liter.

Cigarettes can be imported in quantities of up to 250 before a tax of CHF 0.25 per cigarette becomes payable. More details on admin.ch

Species protection rules

Be careful when collecting shells or other natural products (animals and plants). These may be protected species and require an official export permit. So be careful when buying coral jewellery – a certificate from the dealer is not enough!

For example, only up to three specimens of giant clams and fencing snail shells may be taken into Germany. For seahorses, up to four dead specimens are allowed.

Information on this, sorted by holiday country, is available at artenschutz-online.de. Anyone who fails to comply with the regulations will be liable to confiscation and possible fines.

Travelling with cash

Cash, gold and precious stones can be carried within the EU up to a total value of €10,000.

When travelling from Germany to another EU country (or vice versa), higher amounts must be declared verbally to German customs upon request. Different EU countries may have different entry regulations. You should therefore check with the customs authorities in your destination country. Click here for the websites of the Member States.

Please note Many EU countries have cash limits, i.e. you can only bring cash up to a certain amount.

If you are travelling from Germany to a non-EU country (or vice versa), you must declare cash or valuables worth €10,000 or more in writing to German customs. You can find the form on the customs website. There are no further charges for the declaration. You must also comply with the declaration requirements of the third country in question.

Taking medicines abroad

You can take medicines abroad in quantities that do not exceed your requirements for a maximum of three months per medicine. It does not matter whether the medicines are authorised or registered in the other country.

It is forbidden to bring counterfeit medicines and particularly dangerous substances often used in doping. More details here at zoll.de

FAQ: Importing and exporting luxury foods

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