Duty Free from Dublin Airport to Gran Canaria

jonny_b

Okay this may be a stupid question. I was convinced that you could purchase duty free prices when traveling to Gran Canaria through Dublin Airport however a friend said they were told by a sales rep in the airport last summer that this was not the case when they tried to purchase vodka. Did they just get shafted or can I really not buy anything at duty free price?

Sheldons Brain

There has been no duty free in the EU for a decade or more.

jonny_b

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

There has been no duty free in the EU for a decade or more.

Yes but I thought the Canary Islands and Gibralter were an exception

Eponymous

Nope, they're part of the EU and as such it means you can't purchase duty free en route.

Besides, it's far cheaper to buy your booze there anyway... Even when there was proper Duty Free here, it was always cheaper to wait til you got there to buy tobacco and alcohol. I could never understand why folks would lug all that stuff over from here...

pajor

jonny_b wrote: »

Okay this may be a stupid question. I was convinced that you could purchase duty free prices when traveling to Gran Canaria through Dublin Airport however a friend said they were told by a sales rep in the airport last summer that this was not the case when they tried to purchase vodka. Did they just get shafted or can I really not buy anything at duty free price?

I'm pretty sure your friend got shafted; there's an exception to Gibraltar, the Channel Islands and The Canaries.

Ganymede Glow

We went to Gran Canaria about 4 years ago and the girlfriend was able to avail of the duty free no problem at all. Don't know if it's changed now though but she was definitely able to get her smokes and that there. It's a strange one because it is in the EU but as someone said there is an exception. Or at lease there definitely was when we last went to that part of the world.

hfallada

Gran Canaria is duty free zone and outside the EU for customs. Thats why customs love to xray bags from Gran Canaria as they are full of duty free cigarettes

corkonion

you cannot purchase duty free when travelling within the EU, Gibraltar and the canary islands are duty free on items such as cigarettes, perfumes and alcohol which allows you to buy items when there cheaper than anywhere else in Europe, however as no duty has been paid they are subject to the normal duty free limits when arriving home.

Stheno

jonny_b wrote: »

Yes but I thought the Canary Islands and Gibralter were an exception

Yep, see this link from Revenue

2. Information Notes

Goods imported under the travellers' duty free allowances must be transported and accompanied by you.
These goods cannot be for commercial purposes. They must be for your own use or as gifts. If you intend to sell or accept any kind of payment for the goods you bring in, this is classified as commercial use.
Goods imported for commercial purposes must be declared to Customs.
A group of people travelling together cannot pool their individual allowances to buy goods.
Travellers under 17 are not entitled to tobacco or alcohol allowances.
The Member States of the EU are:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain*, Sweden and the United Kingdom*.

*Although Gibraltar, the Canary Islands and the Channel Islands are part of the EU, they are subject to special provisions and therefore the duty free allowances for outside the EU apply.

However this then means the following limits are imposed

(ii) Tobacco Products
Tobacco Products Maximum Quantities Goods
200 Cigarettes, or
100 Cigarillos, or
50 Cigars, or
250 grammes Tobacco

Apportionment of the above allowances is allowed on a fractional basis e.g. 100 cigarettes plus 50 cigarillos.

(iii) Alcohol Products
Alcohol Products Maximum Quantities Goods
1 litre Spirits (whiskey, gin, vodka etc.) OR
2 litres Intermediate Alcoholic Products not exceeding 22% vol. (e.g. port, sherry,sparkling wine, some liqueurs, etc.)

Apportionment of the above allowances is allowed on a fractional basis e.g. ½ litre of spirits plus 1 litre of port.

You see it being imposed on those border control programmes in the UK where people don't realise they can only bring back 200 fags from Gran Canaria. And the limits include anything you bring back that you bought in Dublin, if you are stopped.

I remember being in Malta and bringing back 3200 legally once I'd a receipt to prove I'd bought them there. At a fiver a pack in the shops there I saved a fortune

jonny_b

Stheno wrote: »

Yep, see this link from Revenue




However this then means the following limits are imposed



You see it being imposed on those border control programmes in the UK where people don't realise they can only bring back 200 fags from Gran Canaria. And the limits include anything you bring back that you bought in Dublin, if you are stopped.

I remember being in Malta and bringing back 3200 legally once I'd a receipt to prove I'd bought them there. At a fiver a pack in the shops there I saved a fortune

That's grand I only want to buy vodka to drink over there before we head out.

Stheno

jonny_b wrote: »

That's grand I only want to buy vodka to drink over there before we head out.

It's probably cheaper in the shops there than it is in the Duty free here

jonny_b

Hi All,

So we went to Gran Canaria and I can Confirm that we could indeed buy alcohol at the Duty free prices. It worked out a better deal to buy it on the way out as all the tourist spots were not that cheap on spirits. However we had a car and visited El Tablero shopping centre outside Maspalomas which was cheap in a supermarket called HyperDino.