HMRC & Cigarettes

FH_Brit

See above link for restrictions. But the main thing if you take them back to UK and sell, or even just cover your cost (you don't have to earn a profit for it to be illegal.
Unlimited = FOR YOUR PERSONAL USE.

FH_Brit

alanrowell wrote: »

Goods imported from the EU have to be for personal use only. If you turn up with a suitcase full of ciggies then UK customs will become VERY interested in you.

The 200 limit applies to DUTY FREE - ie bought after security or on a flight FROM OUTSIDE THE EU. You do not get any duty free allowance for flights within the EU

Not quite so Alan - "FROM OUTSIDE THE EU" - actually from ANYWHERE

You are confusing Duty Free with foreign bought. At the air/sea ports, on the plane it is sold DUTY FREE. In any other country it is bought with local taxes & duty paid.

Please see my above link - it does explain very well - look .......

Travelling within the
European Union (EU)

You can bring an unlimited amount of most
goods into the UK, for example, you can bring in
any alcohol, tobacco, meat and dairy products
– as long as they are for your own use and
transported by you. ‘Own use’ means for your
own consumption or gifts. If you intend to
sell or accept any kind of payment for alcohol
or tobacco products you bring in then this is
classed as commercial use. Please contact our

advice service (back page) for more information.

FH_Brit

DUTY FREE = sold in "international waters/airspace" that is why on a "booze cruise" accross the channel - they did not open the "DUTY FREE shops" until they pass the "territorial waters" limit

pompeyrich

FH_Brit wrote: »

DUTY FREE = sold in "international waters/airspace" that is why on a "booze cruise" accross the channel - they do not open the "DUTY FREE shops" until they pass the "territorial waters" limit

On a "booze cruise" across the Channel, I assume you mean the English Channel, there is no longer a "duty free" shop, the shop selling booze and tobacco goods is priced at the price of the cheapest destination, for the England France crossing that is currently, just about, France.

Strangely you can buy proper "duty free" cigarettes from the bar onboard, supposedly for consumption on board, but these are restricted to 1 or 2 packs of 20. You could go from bar to bar and get a few packs if you thought it was worth it. They were around £3 last time I went but that was over a year ago.

FH_Brit

OK - Geez - talk about splitting hairs!

When they had duty free shops on board the cross channel ferries, then that is why they had to wait until they passed the three-mile limit. Who knows maybe they will reintroduce it some day. And then again I won't have to waffle on for pages giving EVERY POSSIBLE SCENARIO AND LIST EVERY COUNTRY'S LAWS JUST TO KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY.

You know I tried to be brief but it seems someone HAS TO pick holes! ! !

LOOK AT THE REGULATIONS FROM THE CUSTOMS = they are the people that will allow or not allow you to bring in whatever you may be brining in.

FH_Brit

proper "duty free" = According to P&O the're not, they are just cheap! Per P&O website

"You might still call it duty free - sadly we’re not allowed to call it that - but the good news is that you will still enjoy fabulous discounted shopping onboard all of our ships."

pompeyrich

FH_Brit wrote: »

OK - Geez - talk about splitting hairs!

When they had duty free shops on board the cross channel ferries, then that is why they had to wait until they passed the three-mile limit. Who knows maybe they will reintroduce it some day. And then again I won't have to waffle on for pages giving EVERY POSSIBLE SCENARIO AND LIST EVERY COUNTRY'S LAWS JUST TO KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY.

You know I tried to be brief but it seems someone HAS TO pick holes! ! !

LOOK AT THE REGULATIONS FROM THE CUSTOMS = they are the people that will allow or not allow you to bring in whatever you may be brining in.

FH Brit, I'm not trying to knock your posts and appreciate the advice given from your experience relating to travel insurance. However you have stated that you can bring unlimited amounts of duty paid goods from "ANYWHERE" and then claimed "anywhere" meant Spain, you then said duty free shops open on cross channel ferries, then edited to used to open or might open in the future. I would/do not offer advice that I don't think is/was accurate or that I have had experience of

HMRC run a very tight ship here, although as you say there is no legal "limit", for personal use, from a full E.U. member state they have made up a guideline amount of 3,200 cigs. My experience is that if you come close to that amount they ask lots of questions, they take your passport for "checks", they warn you that if you travel again they will most likely confiscate your goodsand generally make you feel very uncomfortable for a perfectly legal activity.

Back to the original question, cigs (JPS black) were £12.50 for 200 in Gibralter last week and £26 in Spain. We were stopped at the border back into Spain and the boot checked.

pompeyrich

FH_Brit wrote: »

proper "duty free" = According to P&O the're not, they are just cheap! Per P&O website

"You might still call it duty free - sadly we’re not allowed to call it that - but the good news is that you will still enjoy fabulous discounted shopping onboard all of our ships."

Proper duty free, marked on the packet "For duty free use only" from the bar.

phatbear

pompeyrich wrote: »

My experience is that if you come close to that amount they ask lots of questions, they take your passport for "checks", they warn you that if you travel again they will most likely confiscate your goodsand generally make you feel very uncomfortable for a perfectly legal activity.

Really?? Blimey I wouldnt want to mess with them!

pompeyrich

phatbear wrote: »

Really?? Blimey I wouldnt want to mess with them!

LOL just hoping you would turn up. I was made to feel uncomfortable as was my wife and kids, not been abroad since the experience so guess the tactics worked.