Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.
Hi all, please see this major site announcement: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058427594/boards-ie-2026

Cigarette alcochol allowance personal consumption duty free

  • 17-11-2011 10:29AM
    #1
    Ned_led16
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 329 ✭✭


    If a person went to the Canaries> tenerife and brought back a suitcase of cigarettes and a load of booze for "personal consumption," could customs in Cork airport confiscate them from them?

    I heard someone b4 mention that a letter from a Doctor to say that you smoke a lot is sufficient. But surely you couldnt go over and purchase 10 suit cases and fill them and bring them home? lol - i suppose would it be what is reasonable for a fixed period such as a year. For example if x smoked 60 a day (fool) that would be:
    420 p/w
    1680 p/m
    20160 p/y = 1,008 packets

    Where is the line drawn between a heavy smoker for personal consumption and a person trying to make a few euro selling to his mates?

    I suppose the question is where is the line drawn between personal use and selling. This would apply to wine and champagne in france - if its for a wedding its ok to bring an arctic lorry back if you can afford to invite 1,000 chronic alcoholics!! (i know ridiculous examples)


Comments

  • #2
    ScouseMouse
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,070 ✭✭✭ScouseMouse


    Ned_led16 wrote: »
    If a person went to the Canaries> tenerife and brought back a suitcase of cigarettes and a load of booze for "personal consumption," could customs in Cork airport confiscate them from them?

    I heard someone b4 mention that a letter from a Doctor to say that you smoke a lot is sufficient. But surely you couldnt go over and purchase 10 suit cases and fill them and bring them home? lol - i suppose would it be what is reasonable for a fixed period such as a year. For example if x smoked 60 a day (fool) that would be:
    420 p/w
    1680 p/m
    20160 p/y = 1,008 packets

    Where is the line drawn between a heavy smoker for personal consumption and a person trying to make a few euro selling to his mates?

    I suppose the question is where is the line drawn between personal use and selling. This would apply to wine and champagne in france - if its for a wedding its ok to bring an arctic lorry back if you can afford to invite 1,000 chronic alcoholics!! (i know ridiculous examples)



    If you buy in the EU, you can bring back what you like "within reason". If you get off the boat from cherbourg with 5,000 smokes and 200 cases of wine, you will be asked to explain what its for.

    If its for a wedding in a fortnight, with a marque and hundreds of guests, you may get away with, but be expected to provide proof. They do have guidelines about what is reasonable personal consumption so to exceed these, you need proof - like a wedding.

    If you buy OUTSIDE the EU - this includes the canaries as it has special tax free status, you are legally only allowed to bring in 200 cigs and a 1L of spirits. If stopped with more than this, they can charge you duty or seize it.

    However, I think that nobody comes back from the canaries with that little. Customs know what they are looking for and if you take the mickey, they can and will seize them.


  • #3
    Ned_led16
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 329 ✭✭Ned_led16


    So technically speaking 200 cigarettes is the limit and 1 litre of spirits?
    Is it legal for marlboro to market double boxes of 400 in the duty free section?

    Is the mimimum 200 or is the rule personal consumption - where is the rule - what is the governing act..... is it under Irish law or ???

    I wonder what the max a customs guy can let through? the rule is grey


  • #4
    ScouseMouse
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,070 ✭✭✭ScouseMouse


    I know about the 400 packs of marlboro, they do the same for Carrolls (which the mother in law smokes.)

    I was xrayed coming back from Tenerife and I may have been over the limit - cannot remember off hand. The customs officer looked at the screen and told me to head on.

    I guess its who you get and if they judge you are taking the mickey.

    The official limits are HERE.


  • #5
    BrianD
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,221 ✭✭✭BrianD


    Ned_led16 wrote: »
    So technically speaking 200 cigarettes is the limit and 1 litre of spirits?
    Is it legal for marlboro to market double boxes of 400 in the duty free section?

    Is the mimimum 200 or is the rule personal consumption - where is the rule - what is the governing act..... is it under Irish law or ???

    I wonder what the max a customs guy can let through? the rule is grey

    How is it grey? They have the quantity listed as the other poster detailed. there isn't a grey area. That is the legal limit at those must be for personal consumption only.

    Fair point about the 400 pack cigarettes but is it a possibility that you are buying them at non-duty free prices i.e tax paid but cheaper than on the main st?

    Would a doctor write you a letter saying that you smoke a lot???


  • #6
    ScouseMouse
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,070 ✭✭✭ScouseMouse


    BrianD wrote: »
    How is it grey? They have the quantity listed as the other poster detailed. there isn't a grey area. That is the legal limit at those must be for personal consumption only.

    Fair point about the 400 pack cigarettes but is it a possibility that you are buying them at non-duty free prices i.e tax paid but cheaper than on the main st?

    Would a doctor write you a letter saying that you smoke a lot???

    The 400's I bought still had for duty free sale only on the wrapper, so I cannot see how the could be sold at tax paid prices, although I guess its possible.


  • Advertisement
  • #7
    Greenmachine
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,063 ✭✭✭Greenmachine


    They Could be there where two people both want to buy a carton each and save a few euro. I know the ferry between finland and sweden which stops in Oland offered a discount on 3 cartons of tax free cigs.

    Myself and two other I was travelling with split it.

    May not be what people normally do. Who's to say.


  • #8
    BrianD
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,221 ✭✭✭BrianD


    Greenmachine wrote: »
    They Could be there where two people both want to buy a carton each and save a few euro. I know the ferry between finland and sweden which stops in Oland offered a discount on 3 cartons of tax free cigs.

    Myself and two other I was travelling with split it.

    May not be what people normally do. Who's to say.

    According to the rules, you can't pool allowances. However, there is nothing to stop you splitting the 400 pack into two packs. Handy way of putting peer pressure by a smoker onto a fellow traveller.


Advertisement
Advertisement