Importing cheap cigarettes to belfast

Djdukey · 08-02-2010 8:09pm #1

**please move if not in right forum**

Quick question. Im planning on going to poland to get cigarettes. If I fly from Dublin Im allowed to bring in 800 by customs, but in the UK your allowed 3200. Im wondering:

a) Because im Irish and from ROI, can customs at Belfast take the 3200 off me? Do I have to be a british resident?

b) Does this rule even cover Belfast?

c) If I bring in more the 800 through Dublin airport, can they take the off me? Even If I bought them in a supermarket in poland with receipt?

I see people saying "you'll have to prove there for you". How do I do this? Open them all?

I don't want them taken off me if i choose Belfast.

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_InfoGuides&propertyType=document&id=HMCE_PROD_010221

Thanks.

drunkmonkey · 08-02-2010 8:13pm

how much are you saving on 2400 cigs if bought from poland, nice way round the 800 limit, well spotted, can't see the uk customs at the airport stopping you as your entering the uk not ireland. The irish border patrol could probably stop you on the way back but i'd say the odds are slim.

catching_streams · 08-02-2010 8:21pm

I was in Poland a few weeks back and while the cigarettes are very cheap, the selection of brands is very poor. You cannot get B&H, Silk Cut Purple amongst others. Great idea though.

Djdukey · 08-02-2010 8:25pm

The flights with easyjet work out about 110euro return. I went a few months ago through Dublin (not for cigs just for visit) and brought back West cigs are Marlboro (B&H were at airport I think they were €29) purely because they worked out about €22 per sleeve. So I brought back 5 sleeves.

So if I can bring back 3200 through Belfast legallay thats 16 sleeves. So €22x16 is €352 euro. And if I bought the same quantity here (I know brands are different but meh) it would be €1416. So with flights for €110 return and hotel @ €50 and fuel at €50) Im still saving just under €1000.

I wonder do they stop many cars crossing from the north to the south? I have never been stopped and I go up north every few weeks. They can only stop me once I go past the border they cant stop my in the north can they?

Djdukey · 08-02-2010 8:29pm

totalfreeloader wrote: »

I was in Poland a few weeks back and while the cigarettes are very cheap, the selection of brands is very poor. You cannot get B&H, Silk Cut Purple amongst others. Great idea though.

Ye they dont have many of the same brands we have. I asked about it and was told they B&H and silk cut pulled the licience to sell them in poland due to UK people going over and filling up, hence the sales went down.

They had got B&H at Warsaw airport although it was on the bottom shelf and they looked more like the american ones (Different anyway). But they only had a few packs left. There was NONE in any shops/supermarkets.

Marlboro and West are the ones I bought. I smoke silk cut and West are similar enough to them.

But with prices the way they are I would rather smoke a foreign brand than pay the €8.50. I know i should give up but we all have our vices.

Another thing is... can Ireland legally say 800 is your limit. Is the EU not all about free movement?

Atlantic Dawn · 08-02-2010 8:36pm

Ireland has a limit of 800, the UK has a guide amount of 3200 where if you were to bring back anymore than this they may ask questions. Yes sounds like a good idea. Spain could be another option, you will get Irish/UK brands there but they are around €35 a sleeve.

DublinWriter · 08-02-2010 8:42pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Ireland has a limit of 800, the UK has a guide amount of 3200 where if you were to bring back anymore than this they may ask questions. Yes sounds like a good idea. Spain could be another option, you will get Irish/UK brands there but they are around €35 a sleeve.

Funny, I thought we were all members of the EU and the personal EU zone limit is 3,600 cigs?

Cheap Ryanair flight to Spain/Portugal FTW.

Djdukey · 08-02-2010 8:42pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Ireland has a limit of 800, the UK has a guide amount of 3200 where if you were to bring back anymore than this they may ask questions. Yes sounds like a good idea. Spain could be another option, you will get Irish/UK brands there but they are around €35 a sleeve.

Thanks for that. Yes I looked into Spain and was trying to get some prices. Found a site called day-tripper.net but it hasnt been updated in a while. Ill look into Spain. The perk about Poland is that its generally cheaper for many things (Keep the girlfriend happy with her clothes shops).

If I get her to bring back some thats 16 boxes each. But I think thats pushing it. lol

gigawatt · 08-02-2010 8:43pm

does any one know how much tobacco you can bring back through uk? i think its a kilo per person for ireland, just hadnt thought of goin through belfast!!

Djdukey · 08-02-2010 8:45pm

DublinWriter wrote: »

Funny, I thought we were all members of the EU and the personal EU zone limit is 3,600 cigs?

Cheap Ryanair flight to Spain/Portugal FTW.

Ye so did I but I think were the poor relations. I looked into it and Ireland is one of the only countrys with this limit. (UK also but its only a guide). If I buy them in Poland/Spain and have a receipt to prove I paid VAT I should be able to take as many as I want but... this is Ireland. Sure its the same story with cars and VRT... but thats another story.

I thought Lisbon was meant to get rid of all these limits etc... but I think that only happened in other countries.

Atlantic Dawn · 08-02-2010 8:47pm

gigawatt wrote: »

does any one know how much tobacco you can bring back through uk? i think its a kilo per person for ireland, just hadnt thought of goin through belfast!!

3KG

3,200 cigarettes
200 cigars
400 cigarillos
3kg of tobacco
110 litres of beer
90 litres of wine
10 litres of spirits
20 litres of fortified wine (for example port or sherry)

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving/arrivingeu.htm

Djdukey · 08-02-2010 8:47pm

gigawatt wrote: »

does any one know how much tobacco you can bring back through uk? i think its a kilo per person for ireland, just hadnt thought of goin through belfast!!

Its 3KG to the UK. But thats a guide and you can bring in more if you have receipts and prove its just for you (not for partner or family). Heres the info from the hmrc.gov.uk website:

Alcohol or tobacco
If you are bringing in alcohol or tobacco goods and we have reason to suspect they may be for a commercial purpose, a Customs officer may ask you questions and make checks, for example about:

the type and quantity of goods you have bought
why you bought them
how you paid for them
whether all your goods are openly displayed or concealed
how often you travel
how much you normally smoke or drink or
any other relevant circumstances.
You are particularly likely to be asked questions if you have more than:

3200 cigarettes, 200 cigars, 400 cigarillos, 3kg tobacco, 110 litres of beer, 90 litres of wine, 10 litres of spirits, 20 litres of fortified wine (such as port or sherry).

The officer will take into account all the factors of the situation and your explanation.

If we are satisfied that the goods are for a commercial purpose we may seize them and any vehicle used to transport them, and may not return them to you.

If you are caught selling alcohol or tobacco goods they may be seized, and for a serious offence you could get up to seven years in prison.

The country where you buy tobacco goods may have its own laws on how much you can buy or have in your possession, and what documents you need. If in doubt, check with that country’s authorities before you buy.

If you let a coach, ferry or aircraft store your goods while travelling back to the UK you must make sure when you arrive in the UK that you collect the exact goods you bought.

catching_streams · 09-02-2010 1:18am

Poland is probably more expensive than Dublin for clothes shopping believe it or not. I found it incredibly expensive and although I was warned beforehand by some Polish friends, I was genuinely shocked. Lots of designer and high street outlets that were all empty when I ventured in. The profit margins must be huge for them to stay in business with so little trade! Alcohol on the other hand is an absolute steal over there.

Djdukey · 28-02-2010 4:10pm

just back last night from the trip and sitting here with the cigs that will last me for next few months

Marlboro worked out about €2.90 a pack and west worked out at €2.70.

Left Dublin and it took about 2 hours to get to the airport in belfast. (took a wrong road).

Bought my cigs in shops (carrefour, metro) as afraid airport wouldnt have large selection. Flew with easyjet who were grand, a few other people from dublin on the flight too.

Picked up my case in belfast and walked on through customs. One officer there but he wasn't stopping anyone. The airport was dead. I was one of the last and was afraid he'd stop me. Just walked through.

Good thing about easyjet is the weights limit. With ryanair its 15kg. with Easyjet its 20 kg, but we only booked in 1 case between us so we were allowed 32kg.

Def worth the trip

Kotek Besar · 08-03-2010 4:37pm

Djdukey wrote: »

can Ireland legally say 800 is your limit. Is the EU not all about free movement?

No they cannot. You are correct. Unfortunately, Ireland does not have a great track record of adhering to EC law, but that's another story..

kazzer · 12-03-2010 10:55am

Interesting article here....

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/no-limit-for-cheap-holiday-cigarettes-and-drink-2096877.html

Stacey.x · 12-03-2010 10:59am

we

Belfast

drunkmonkey · 18-03-2010 10:54am

kazzer wrote: »

Interesting article here....

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/no-limit-for-cheap-holiday-cigarettes-and-drink-2096877.html

I'll be printing that out and sticking it to my passport;)

MagicSean · 18-03-2010 11:59am

drunkmonkey wrote: »

I'll be printing that out and sticking it to my passport;)

I wouldn't bother. Public Servents in general seem to despise the independent and dont believe a word it says.

MagicSean · 18-03-2010 12:02pm

Djdukey wrote: »

**please move if not in right forum**

Quick question. Im planning on going to poland to get cigarettes. If I fly from Dublin Im allowed to bring in 800 by customs, but in the UK your allowed 3200. Im wondering:

a) Because im Irish and from ROI, can customs at Belfast take the 3200 off me? Do I have to be a british resident?

b) Does this rule even cover Belfast?

c) If I bring in more the 800 through Dublin airport, can they take the off me? Even If I bought them in a supermarket in poland with receipt?

I see people saying "you'll have to prove there for you". How do I do this? Open them all?

I don't want them taken off me if i choose Belfast.

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_InfoGuides&propertyType=document&id=HMCE_PROD_010221

Thanks.

Are they the same brand? If so you might be ok. As regards bringing them through Belfast. You'd be relying on the fact that they dont notify Gardaí that you're smuggling stuff into Ireland. Police on both sides have quite a good relationship since the days of foot and mouth especially when it comes to smuggling.

delllat · 20-03-2010 2:54pm

buy em online and save urself the hassle of going on a cigarette run

fAzI · 21-03-2010 9:00pm

delllat wrote: »

buy em online and save urself the hassle of going on a cigarette run

what you think about this?

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/no-limit-for-cheap-holiday-cigarettes-and-drink-2096877.html

Capt'n Midnight · 23-03-2010 12:45pm

fAzI wrote: »

what you think about this?

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/no-limit-for-cheap-holiday-cigarettes-and-drink-2096877.html

The Independent isn't a paper of record.
Customs can seize your car / enter your house without a warrant
The Irish government needs money. <-- and have a history of changing laws overnight if Joe public finds a loophole.

Look for an SI instead of listening to a journalist, otherwise customs could push this all the way to the high court and you would need to mortgauge your house just to stay in the game.
use this key word in google site:www.irishstatutebook.ie

March 2010 - http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1878.html
The revenue haven't changed their page

Kotek Besar · 23-03-2010 2:04pm

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Look for an SI instead of listening to a journalist

I prefer to look at the relevant EU Directive rather than the Irish transposition, since the latter may or may not be correct.

Ginger83 · 30-03-2010 9:35pm

Anyone know if its possible to get Golden Virginia tobacco in Poland. Is so what price?

Wouldnt mind considering a run myself.

nulabert · 31-03-2010 12:24pm

I prefer to look at the relevant EU Directive rather than the Irish transposition, since the latter may or may not be correct.

Yea, but its the Irish Transposition thats the law in this country!

If you felt like fighting the case in Europe, it would make for expensive ciggs

Kotek Besar · 31-03-2010 12:50pm

nulabert wrote: »

Yea, but its the Irish Transposition thats the law in this country!

If the transposition is otherwise than is intended by the directive, it may be unlawful if ruled so by the ECJ.

Djdukey · 01-04-2010 11:27pm

k_mac wrote: »

Are they the same brand? If so you might be ok. As regards bringing them through Belfast. You'd be relying on the fact that they dont notify Gardaí that you're smuggling stuff into Ireland. Police on both sides have quite a good relationship since the days of foot and mouth especially when it comes to smuggling.

The Marlboro are the same brand you can get here. they dont have benson or silk cut.

I really cant see them notifying the gardai. Im sure they have more things to worry about. If i fly in to Belfast we say at 1, how do they know i wont be stopping off in newry? spending the night in belfast? going home via monaghan etc? I cant see customs or the gardai doing a checkpoint on the M1.

Also I cant see customs in Belfast really stopping many people for cigs. Your allowed bring in as much as you want once you can prove there for yourself, so I doubt they will bother.

It was def worth the trip and its saving me calling into a shop everyday for fags, breaking a note and spending the change on junk.

At the end of the day Im trying to save some money (esp with the prices of things here and wages being cut - another story) and if it means i get a holiday to Poland out of it then thats just the bonus

blossom180 · 03-04-2010 9:39am

hi folks,anybody know how much 200 bensons are in barcelona or france,thanks.

Atlantic Dawn · 03-04-2010 10:17am

blossom180 wrote: »

hi folks,anybody know how much 200 bensons are in barcelona or france,thanks.

About €38 in Barcelona, around €50 in France, give or take a couple of euro.

blossom180 · 03-04-2010 10:36am

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

About €38 in Barcelona, around €50 in France, give or take a couple of euro.

thanks dawn,had more than i was allowed from the canarys last week and customs took them,friend going to barcelona in a couple of weeks goin to get me some.

Importing cheap cigarettes to belfast

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