Cheaper Cigarettes

ThunderBolt78

Apologies if this is in the wrong place, this seemed like the most logical place for this post.

I smoke a lot, and I've heard duty free outside the EU sometimes seems to be one of the best answers to save money. However I don't fully understand the duty free rules. Is it possible to fly into lets say Belarus, a country outside the EU, buy around 30 cartons of cigarettes of choice (6000 cigarettes) in duty free and get the benefit of the duty free reductions since I'm travelling outside the EU? Is there a limit of how much cigarettes I can bring back into an EU country?

Has anybody else any thoughts on this or any experience of doing this or could they suggest a better place in the EU for cheaper cigarettes?

Thanks

pablo128

The Canary islands are very cheap for smokes. I'm not sure of the limit though.

Whosthis

ThunderBolt78 wrote: »

Apologies if this is in the wrong place, this seemed like the most logical place for this post.

I smoke a lot, and I've heard duty free outside the EU sometimes seems to be one of the best answers to save money. However I don't fully understand the duty free rules. Is it possible to fly into lets say Belarus, a country outside the EU, buy around 30 cartons of cigarettes of choice (6000 cigarettes) in duty free and get the benefit of the duty free reductions since I'm travelling outside the EU? Is there a limit of how much cigarettes I can bring back into an EU country?

Has anybody else any thoughts on this or any experience of doing this or could they suggest a better place in the EU for cheaper cigarettes?

Thanks

You can only bring in 400 cigarettes duty free. AFAIK anything above that you'll have to pay the duty. Considering a pack of cigarettes costs about 50c, thats a lot of duty.

iuil1999

You have a duty free allowance of 200 cigarettes from outside the EU and 800 within the EU.
6,000 seems a bit excessive for 1 person.

Graham

From outside the EU you can bring in 200 cigarettes duty free

http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1878a.html

scudzilla

iuil1999 wrote: »

You have a duty free allowance of 200 cigarettes from outside the EU and 800 within the EU.
6,000 seems a bit excessive for 1 person.

Wrong, it's only a 'guideline' of 800, you can, AFAIK, bring in 3,200 so long as they're the same brand

iuil1999

scudzilla wrote: »

Wrong, it's only a 'guideline' of 800, you can, AFAIK, bring in 3,200 so long as they're the same brand

Where does it say that on the Revenue website?

jonerkinsella

As above. The 800 rule is a bluff. If you buy them in the EU and have a receipt to show you paid tax ,you can bring in as many as you like ,once they are for personal use.

Graham

iuil1999 wrote: »

Where does it say that on the Revenue website?

It doesn't. Importing to Ireland from within the EU upto 800 duty paid cigarettes are considered personal use.

http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1878.html

iuil1999

jonerkinsella wrote: »

As above. The 800 rule is a bluff. If you buy them in the EU and have a receipt to show you paid tax ,you can bring in as many as you like ,once they are for personal use.

So you're saying that I could fly to Spain tomorrow and fill my suitcase with cigarettes and once I have the receipt Customs can't take them off me if I say they're for myself?

antodeco

Revenue site says 800 are for personal use. Anything above that must be declared and additional duties/taxes must be paid.

http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1878.html

jonerkinsella

iuil1999 wrote: »

So you're saying that I could fly to Spain tomorrow and fill my suitcase with cigarettes and once I have the receipt Customs can't take them off me if I say they're for myself?

Yes.

There is a thread on here somewhere where this was discussed ...

here,
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=70678093&postcount=11

and here's the thread ,
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056181464


Knock yourself out if your staying in the EU mate.

I don't smoke ,but I came back from Portugal earlier this year with over 2000 fags. There was no way I was gonna let anyone take them off me as I researched the law first.

i was actually hoping to get a cheap one day flight to Portugal after the holidays to pick up some very cheap medicines ,fags and booze for my parents and family.

whiterebel

antodeco wrote: »

Revenue site says 800 are for personal use. Anything above that must be declared and additional duties/taxes must be paid.

http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1878.html

You would wonder what "additional Duties/taxes" would have to be paid?
They have already been paid in the EU country, I'd say the EU would be interested to know what we would be looking to charge.

Davy

Moved to requests

ThunderBolt78

I don't smoke ,but I came back from Portugal earlier this year with over 2000 fags. There was no way I was gonna let anyone take them off me as I researched the law first.

i was actually hoping to get a cheap one day flight to Portugal after the holidays to pick up some very cheap medicines ,fags and booze for my parents and family.[/QUOTE]


Did you buy the fags around the country or in the duty free? And if so did you have to pay the tax and VAT?

Wanderer78

i know a fella that regularly brings back a couple of thousand fags from spain. no questions asked by customs.

simdan

ThunderBolt78 wrote:

Did you buy the fags around the country or in the duty free? And if so did you have to pay the tax and VAT?

Smokes are more expensive in the duty free shops than they are in the tobacco shops in Spain and Portugal.

Just an FYI..

Rackstar

Bruce will get you

jonerkinsella

ThunderBolt78 wrote: »

I don't smoke ,but I came back from Portugal earlier this year with over 2000 fags. There was no way I was gonna let anyone take them off me as I researched the law first.

i was actually hoping to get a cheap one day flight to Portugal after the holidays to pick up some very cheap medicines ,fags and booze for my parents and family.

Did you buy the fags around the country or in the duty free? And if so did you have to pay the tax and VAT?[/QUOTE]


I bought the fags in a tobacconist outside my hotel. It was a legit shop that issued a receipt. You can buy them in any shop that you pay vat in in the EU .

muffler

Im at a loss here in a way. I have a mate (non smoker) who was going to Holland earlier in the year and I asked him to get me a couple of cartons of Major which can only be got at the duty free ship at Dublin airport or on the plane.

When he went to get them in the duty fre shop the girl told him that she could sell them but there was a chance he could be stopped by customs going into Holland or alternatively by customs here on the way back so he didn't chance it. On the flight back he asked again and was given the same answer by the stewardess.

I dont know what happened but he is a non smoker and wouldnt be used flying. Perhaps he asked for 10 cartons instead of 10 packets but in any event I didnt get any cheap puffs. :mad:

moleyv

Be aware the Canaries aren't considered within the EU.

pablo128

moleyv wrote: »

Be aware the Canaries aren't considered within the EU.

Really? They are Spanish islands, are they not? And the currency is in euros.

Graham

pablo128 wrote: »

Really? They are Spanish islands, are they not? And the currency is in euros.

The Canaries has some sort of special tax status which means limited duty/vat is paid on the islands.

Sam Kade

moleyv wrote: »

Be aware the Canaries aren't considered within the EU.

Since when?

moleyv

Not sure since when, a long time anyway.

To clarify, they are part of the EU as the are spanish.

But for the topic at hand, the are subject to the same rules as countries outside the EU due to some special tax arrangement (I believe VAT related).

Michael D Not Higgins

moleyv wrote: »

Not sure since when, a long time anyway.

To clarify, they are part of the EU as the are spanish.

But for the topic at hand, the are subject to the same rules as countries outside the EU due to some special tax arrangement (I believe VAT related).

Similarly, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar are also included.

See here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1878a.html

dave1982

http://www.independent.ie/incoming/article31494179.ece/ALTERNATES/h342/stop%20search%20sieze%202.jpg