magaluf2011

This has been so difficult to find, not only am i new to british expats but new to the internet as well and not sure how i will read any replys yet, but here goes with my question anyway.

I now have my spanish residencia and want to check the amount of cigarretes i can bring home from magaluf. I know the allowance for holidaymakers has just changed to 8 cartons, but my friend is under the impression i can bring back as many as i want now that i have my residencia.

Any information would be helpful and appreciated. My e mail add is <<snip>>. Just in case i can't find this site again for a while, ha ha.

Sue

Hi and welcome to BE,

Please don't worry about being new to online communities, we have lots of people like yourself are not familiar with theme so don't worry about it.

When someone replies to a thread (like I"m doing) you will receive a little email. You just click on the link in the email and it will bring you straight to the thread.

If you are unsure of anything at all to do with the site please don't hesitate to ask myself, or the Moderators or Concierges. The moderators for the Spain forum are Mitzyboy and Fred James and the Concierges are The Oddities. Once you've been a member for a another day (and have made 3+ posts) you will be able to access the Private Message system. So if you want to send a private message you just click on the member's name. In the meantime you are very welcome to post any questions in the Site Feedback forum. We've also got a great Frequently Asked Question section, that explains many things like how to start new topics, contact other members and report posts etc. So check it out.

I don't know the answer to your question, so I've moved your thread to the Spain forum for you, and I'm sure others will be along soon to give you some pointers.

Once again welcome to BritishExpats and I hope you will enjoy being part of our community.

PS I've also taken the liberty of removing the email address from you post so it doesn't get picked up from spam bots.

pwwm

do you mean take to UK or bring back here? you say home, but I assume home is now Spain? anyway a smoker will come along and being resident make no difference what so ever, EU or Uk rules are what apply

Rosemary

As Concierges for the Spanish section of BE we would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.
Cannot help with your question as neither of us smoke but there are many travellers to and fro the UK on here who I am sure will be able to help you.

Please let us know if you need any further help.

Rosemary and Graham

Domino

you may find
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving/arrivingeu.htm
of use on this.

so if you bring in 10,000 ciggies and only smoke 10 a day ............

if you bring in 16 bottles of brandy and only drink vodka ...........

hope this helps

Lorna at Vicenza

Handy that Domino.

In the past I've always taken as much as I liked and could carry, spread out in more than one suitcase.

When some members of my family were still smokers and cigs were a lot cheaper here, I used to take back cigs for everyone at Xmas. It saved me hours of wondering what to buy people and saved them a small fortune.

Now I take back nice wines and big blocks of Parmesan cheese.

Domino

I used to get 200 duty free per month when i was in the navy, and I never smoked.
Dad got some cigs out of it so I was happy and even better when he changed to a pipe. Mum found them too strong, seem to remember the manufacturers were Gallagher and Sobrani, identified by a single letter on the back of the packet.

obviously you go back by land to take bottles, if you are coming this way then a grappa would be nice

you may be interested in banned items at
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/banned-restricted.htm

Lorna at Vicenza

Nope, we fly. Wrap the bottles in bubble wrap, then a plastic bag and then just make sure they're packed tight in the middle of the case with winter jumpers etc. packed around them. Usually manage about 3 bottles in each case. So far no broken bottles when unpacking at destination

Sorry about that grappa.

jurdyr

law was change across EU on the 1 oct 2011

Cigarettes 800 , Cigars 200 , Cigarillos 400 , Tobacco 1 kg , Beer 110 litres ,
Wine 90 litres , Spirits 10 litres , Fortified wine (for example port or sherry)
20 litres , UKBA is satisfied that the goods are for a commercial purpose it may seize them and any vehicle used to transport them, and may not return them to you. You can find out more in the guide 'What to do if your goods are seized by customs' http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving/arrivingeu.htm and see the links , house moving get in touch with them aswell

Lorna at Vicenza

Yes but - those amounts are NOT STRICTLY law because the website actually says:


When arriving into the UK from an EU country you can bring in an unlimited amount of most goods.
For excise goods such as alcohol and tobacco, there are no restrictions. However you must meet the conditions below:
•You transport the goods yourself.
•The goods are for your own use or as a gift. If the person you give the goods to pays you in any way (including reimbursing you for any expenses or payment in kind), then it's not a gift and the goods may be seized.
•The goods are duty and tax paid in the EU country where they were acquired.
If you don't meet these conditions, the goods (and any vehicle that transported them) may be seized.

Domino

The airports have these Duty Free shops full of nice stuff, but its cheaper down the local supermarket, the shop between Border Control and the final exit at Stansted has one or two people looking but never seen anyone buy anything
Even the basic Soberano brandy from Spain is €8.50 against the DF €11.99
airside at Malaga.
But then airside is another world, with a 80p bottle of water selling at £2.75.

magaluf2011

Thanks for the replys everyone, but i rang customs and excise and got the information. Can bring back as many as i want as long as its for my own personal use, might have to be interviewed to prove this if i have more than 800. As i smoke 40 a day and wil be in uk til feb/march i am allowed 4,000.

jdr

But you don`t take into account the Spanish side of the customs.
Lets hope the guy on the scanner had a good previous night.