Friends doing duty free trip to Spain returning same day..

scotswarvet

Just a bit of chat. I have three friends doing a trip from London to Salou and returning the same day just to beat the taxes on cigarettes in the UK.

Trip cost: £103.00 for 3 people return.

Spending £2000 on duty free.

Should help them save a few £££ on uk prices.

Anyone else done this?

jonesMUFCforever

There is no duty free between Spain and UK.
Duty free allowances are per person and are for personal use only, so if you are stopped by customs I think the cigs will be taken from you and you may also have to pay the duty on them.
If your intention is to buy them in shops in Spain 'duty paid' then you need to refer to HMCE website who can give accurate guidance.
Friend of mine tried to bring 1000 cigs (ie 5 packs of 200) when limit was 200 and the lot taken off her and she was 'fined the duty'.
Eric

isasmurf

There are no limits on what you can bring back from Spain. However, Customs are likely to be suspicious if you bring back a large number of cigarettes (over 3,000).

As ejones999 says they must be for personal use. Even getting a friend who's going over to get you some and you paying them the face value or not paying them at all is illegal.

budgetflyer

3200 = 16 cartons each @ £19.00 per carton x 3 persons

16x19x3= £912 so they would be bringing over double their reccommended allowance

They would be better to do 2 trips spread over 6 months. They'd still save a fortune

andy88_2

when the cigarettes are half the price, people tend to smoke more

give up smoking - much cheaper

jetboy

Some spanish airports tip off UK customs of this practice. Malaga used to do it if you were carrying more than 8 boxes (but they got the nick because people were buying them in Gibraltar where they are much cheaper and taking them to the UK via Spain). I would suggest buying all the same brand..at least u can try to use the excuse that they are for personal use. 3 suitcases on a daytrip will look VERY suspicious to a check in agent. When x-rayed (and they will be) the contents will be obvious. It all boils down to whether the authorities in Reus can be bothered to tell UK Customs.

Saint_Chris

We have just returned from Tenerife where your allowance is 200

***Edit by MSE Controller2 - Please note, the forums cannot be used to promote potential illegal activity***

silverfoxdude

thanks chris for that tip im going to the canaries next sat and will try out your plan wish me luck

kevinyork

Sorry to sound like a real party pooper but should this site really be used to advise people how to break the law!

I know Cigarette smuggling doesnt seem serious to many but there are more criminals involved in cigarette smuggling than cannabis smuggling now.

Whilst the rules from the EU are that you are allowed to bring back duty paid cigs for personal use provided you can prove they are for personal use, the Canary Islands are not treated as part of the EU therefore the limit is 200 cigarettes. I dont think explaining how to conceal amounts over this from Customs is sensible at all - this is supporting the idea of smuggling.

Id recommend sticking to the Customs limits or just give up smoking!

alared

Guidelines for DUTY PAID inside the EU

H.M. Customs & excise guidelines suggest the following quantities;
Alcohol; Wine OR Champagne - 90 litres (120 bottles), Spirits - 10 litres, Fortified wines - 20 litres, Beer - 110 litres (just over 10 cases).
Tobacco; Cigarettes - 3,200 (800), Cigarillos - 400, Cigars - 200, Smoking tobacco - 3 kg (1 kg). (OLD guidelines in Brackets).

Anyone telling you to ignore these guidelines is described by Customs as very irresponsible and likely to get you into serious trouble (after they've taken your money that is). Anyone whom Customs and Excise deems is smuggling faces severe penalties, usually involving the confiscation of your vehicle.


The above is taken from this website.
http://www.day-tripper.net/shoppingcustomsvat.html#AnchorDutyVAT

alared

Allowances
If you bring back large quantities of alcohol or tobacco goods and are stopped by Customs you may be asked some basic questions about your trip and purchases and the purposes for which you hold the goods. This particularly applies if you have with you more than the following amounts:

Tobacco restrictions for the new Member States

• 3200 cigarettes

• 400 cigarillos

• 200 cigars

• 3kg of smoking tobacco

• 110 litres of beer

• 10 litres of spirits

• 90 litres of wine

• 20 litres of fortified wine (such as port or sherry)

These are only guide levels based on European law and Customs do NOT enforce any absolute limits.

The above is from HM Customs site.
So if you get a cheap day return flight to Spain and go into the local shops you can fill up your suitcase with 3200 fags.

http://www.hmce.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_InfoGuides&propertyType=document&id=HMCE_PROD_009486#P14_689