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

There are no more customs in the EU – except for alcohol, cigarettes and coffee. If you want to import these luxury goods, for example when travelling from another EU country to Germany, you must comply with the duty-free allowances. There are also rules about carrying cash. There are heavy fines for non-compliance.

Are you going on a trip to Denmark, France, Poland or another EU country and wondering what to do at the border when you get back to Germany?

If you want to import goods for personal use, you no longer have to worry within the EU. Except for luxury foods. There are certain allowances for cigarettes, alcohol and coffee. These must be adhered to, otherwise an inspection can be expensive.

The allowances apply per adult person and cannot be transferred to other passengers if one person does not use them up. It is also important to note that the products must be carried in your personal luggage.

• 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)

• 10 litres of spirits (e.g. whisky, rum, vodka) and

• 10 litres of sweet alcoholic beverages (alcopops) and

• 20 litres of intermediate products (e.g. sherry, port and liqueur wines) and

• 60 litres of sparkling wine and

• 110 litres of beer

The German customs authorities have not set a reference quantity for wine from other EU Member States. Therefore, from an excise point of view, unlimited quantities of wine can be brought into the country as long as it is consumed privately. However, this does not affect the provisions of the Wine Law on the transport of wine.

• 10 kg of coffee and

• 10 kg of goods containing coffee (products containing between 10 and 900 g of coffee per kg).

Personally transported fuel, e.g. petrol or diesel, in the vehicle's tank is duty-free within the EU.

The situation is different if you are carrying fuel in spare cans. In this case, national regulations must be observed.

Depending on the Member State, the amount of fuel allowed in canisters varies between 5 and 25 litres. In Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Romania and Luxembourg it is forbidden to carry filled jerrycans. For more information, see adac.de

When importing fuel from the EU to Germany, up to 20 litres in spare cans are not checked.

However, the ADAC recommends never carrying more than 10 litres in a jerrycan for safety reasons.

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. Here are links to national customs authorities.

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

• 10 litres of spirits (e.g. whisky, rum, vodka) 

• 90 litres of wine (including 60 litres of sparkling wine) 

• 20 litres of intermediate products (e.g. sherry, port and liqueur wines)

• 110 litres of beer

For import into Norway:

• max. 1 litre of spirits with an alcoholic strength of between 22% and 60% vol.

• 1.5 litres of wine

• 2 litres 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).

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

• 4 litres of wine and

• 16 litres of beer and

• Spirits: 1 litre of spirits containing more than 22% alcohol by volume (e.g. vodka or gin) or 1 litre of ethyl alcohol containing at least 80% alcohol by volume or 2 litres of fortified wine/sparkling wine (e.g. sherry or port).

For tobacco, the limits (which vary from EU country to EU country) are as follows

• Cigarettes: 40 to 200 items or

• Cigarillos: 20 to 100 items, or

• Cigars: 10 to 50 items or

• Tobacco: 50g to 250g

Souvenirs, clothing, furniture and similar goods may be brought into the EU from a third country up to a total value of €430 (if travelling by air or sea) or €300 (other travellers). If the limits are exceeded, import duties are payable. This scheme applies to people over the age of 15. For those under 15, the exemption limit is €175.

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 litres of beverages with an alcohol content of up to 18% by volume may be imported. Anything over this is taxed at CHF 2 per litre.

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

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

However, if asked, these items must be declared verbally to customs officials.

The same applies to equivalent means of payment such as savings books, precious metals, etc. It may be useful to carry documentation on the origin and purpose of the funds.

For larger amounts, a cash declaration must be submitted. Forms are available at zoll.de.

Remember: Many EU countries have cash limits, i.e. cash payments may only be made up to a certain amount.

If you are travelling to or from a third country, you must also comply with the €10,000 limit on valuables.

For example, if you want to take an engagement ring from the EU to Mexico that exceeds the limit, you must declare it to customs. There is no charge for declaring it. For particularly valuable items, it is advisable to have the invoice or at least a photo of the invoice with you.

If you are importing to a third country, you will also need to comply with their import regulations.

By the way: A rough diamond purchased abroad may not be imported into the EU from a third country without a certificate.