Duty Free for UK travel

mydiscworld · 04-01-2021 3:11pm #1

As a result of Brexit, you can now get duty free travelling to/from UK

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/brexit-duty-free-makes-a-come-back-for-travellers-returning-from-britain-1.4446548

NI is excluded

blastman · 04-01-2021 3:37pm

And maybe we aren't....

beachhead · 04-01-2021 4:43pm

i would love to see a post here from someone who has actually travelled(when covid permits)and gotten duty free purchases back in their mits into the Republic.I read in early December or before the Pascal D and his UK counterpart want to stop duty free.Yet I read in the Sun Indo that Irish Continental Group(ferry company have duty free shops ready on their ships.

IrishHomer · 04-01-2021 5:24pm

Anyone know how much the fags will cost duty free?

I used to get cartons for my father when in Spain €56 per carton

Tabnabs · 04-01-2021 5:38pm

Have heard, anecdotally, that all high value whiskey has been snapped up from the Irish Ferries Duty Free, and some can now be found on online markets...

04-01-2021 5:40pm

There are restrictions on what you can bring in duty free to the EU, and they are tiny!
Far better off buying cheap from an EU country.

Atlantic Dawn · 04-01-2021 5:42pm

IrishHomer wrote: »

I used to get cartons for my father when in Spain €56 per carton

Did you buy them in a Spanish airport because price pre Covid was about €50 at the Official Tabacs, oddly the airport's throw on €6-€8 extra, always buy before getting to the airport in Spain.

Fr_Dougal · 04-01-2021 5:43pm

IrishHomer wrote: »

Anyone know how much the fags will cost duty free?

I used to get cartons for my father when in Spain €56 per carton

€15-€20 duty free

flanzer · 04-01-2021 5:54pm

Tabnabs wrote: »

Have heard, anecdotally, that all high value whiskey has been snapped up from the Irish Ferries Duty Free, and some can now be found on online markets...

I suspected this might happen. Back when we had Duty Free, there wasn't any sort online sales. The internet was still in it's infancy

jimmycrackcorm · 04-01-2021 5:56pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote:

Did you buy them in a Spanish airport because price pre Covid was about â‚¬50 at the Official Tabacs, oddly the airport's throw on â‚¬6-â‚¬8 extra, always buy before getting to the airport in Spain.

Last year I was getting Bailey's litre bottles for 12 Euro in Madrid airport. Marveling at how it was basically half price compared to home where it is produced.

The ferry also reminded me of the old days of UK duty free. One journey I made was so rough that nobody visited the duty free shop because everyone was up top getting seasick. I took one look in the shop and the noise of bottles clanging made me run out and back up on deck.

mydiscworld · 04-01-2021 6:31pm

I cannot see any website online with the current duty free prices for alcohol or cigarettes in UK airports!

Surely it must be online...

mydiscworld · 04-01-2021 6:34pm

mydiscworld wrote: »

I cannot see any website online with the current duty free prices for alcohol or cigarettes in UK airports!

Surely it must be online...

Partly answering my own question here:

it is against the law to advertise cigarettes (Which includes publicising prices)

Muahahaha · 04-01-2021 6:53pm

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

The ferry also reminded me of the old days of UK duty free. One journey I made was so rough that nobody visited the duty free shop because everyone was up top getting seasick. I took one look in the shop and the noise of bottles clanging made me run out and back up on deck.

haha that brings back memories, a rough crossing with hundreds of bottles of spirits rattling on the metal shelves in the duty free, it was like something out of a horror movie

Fann Linn · 04-01-2021 7:07pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

haha that brings back memories, a rough crossing with hundreds of bottles of spirits rattling on the metal shelves in the duty free, it was like something out of a horror movie

Think about all those poor divils who had to stock them every 3.5 hours.

All joking aside, I worked in a cash office on one of those ferries back in the 90's and it wasn't unusual to be sending of between £40k to £60k in a 24 hour period from our ship from DF, bars and restaurant. Last job before I turned in every morning was to meet Securicor on the car deck and hand over the cash.

All currencies were accepted and I can recall balancing CHF, Aussie, US and CDN dollars, Francs, guilders etc and converting all to punts or sterling.

Ferry companies lost major revenue went duty free was abolished.

Quackster · 05-01-2021 12:22am

OmegaGene wrote: »

It’s already been knocked on the head from the U.K. side of things

No, duty free when traveling from the UK to the EU is back, as it is in the other direction (except for travel between NI & ROI).

What they've banned is the ability of non-residents to claim back VAT on purchases made while visiting GB. In a similar vein, the Irish Government is substantially increasing the minimum transaction value eligible for VAT refunds too (from €50 to €175) and NI residents are excluded.

Edit: As the customs limit on purchases of general goods brought into the country from outside the EU is €430 per adult, you could end up paying both UK & Irish VAT if you make higher value purchases when visiting GB (given you now can't claim back UK VAT).

Cloudio9 · 05-01-2021 12:45am

Back when the ferries on the Irish Sea were duty free it wasn’t just in the duty free shop, The bars were also duty free so pints were cheap on the crossing. There was some funny rule that they had to be a certain distance from land before they could open the bar.

The tobacco companies used to have girls in the bar wearing branded sashes and walking around giving out samples of smokes on a silver tray.

Quackster · 05-01-2021 12:50am

Cloudio9 wrote: »

Back when the ferries on the Irish Sea were duty free it wasn’t just in the duty free shop, The bars were also duty free so pints were cheap on the crossing. There was some funny rule that they had to be a certain distance from land before they could open the bar.

The tobacco companies used to have girls in the bar wearing branded sashes and walking around giving out samples of smokes on a silver tray.

Whatever way they're set up, Irish Ferries has always had 'duty-free' pricing on alcohol and tobacco in my experience. In recent years I've picked up Midleton VR on Irish Sea crossings for about €120. Other whiskies at similar levels of discount. Packets of cigarettes for €5/€6 or thereabouts.

By contrast, Stena Line had normal pricing.

L1011 · 05-01-2021 12:53am

Irish Ferries only open the shop when further out - some theory of International Waters I think; although I've no idea how that's actually legal - the boats have Irish liquor licences for the bars so I would have assumed Revenue could get their claws in.

With the volume you're allowed have and the duty element basically being fixed on spirits, the saving on premium products is not as huge as you might think when you compare to the 14 quid litres of Jameson etc. Bit different on smokes where its a huge portion of the price for everything.

Meeoow · 05-01-2021 12:54am

Myself and a friend had a wee day out, Dún Laoghaire tó Holyhead same Day return. A few scoops in the bar, bought our duty free, and back home. The good old days, when I used to smoke.

Fann Linn · 05-01-2021 12:59am

Cloudio9 wrote: »

Back when the ferries on the Irish Sea were duty free it wasn’t just in the duty free shop, The bars were also duty free so pints were cheap on the crossing. There was some funny rule that they had to be a certain distance from land before they could open the bar.

The tobacco companies used to have girls in the bar wearing branded sashes and walking around giving out samples of smokes on a silver tray.

You're right. We used to pull the shutters on the bars and DF at the Kish lighthouse on our way into Ireland and just off the South Stack in Holyhead. We would then do a quick customs count of all cigs, cigars beers and spirits which were sold and pass them up to the Purser before we docked so he could pass them to either Irish or UK customs if required.

We were also obliged to put seals on all of the shutters and keep note of their numbers. Sometimes customs would come on and just do a quick check on the seal numbers to see if they'd tally with what we declared.
If they didn't that's when the **** would hit the fan.

Happy days with good wages and conditions.

Quackster · 05-01-2021 1:00am

L1011 wrote: »

Irish Ferries only open the shop when further out - some theory of International Waters I think; although I've no idea how that's actually legal - the boats have Irish liquor licences for the bars so I would have assumed Revenue could get their claws in.

With the volume you're allowed have and the duty element basically being fixed on spirits, the saving on premium products is not as huge as you might think when you compare to the 14 quid litres of Jameson etc. Bit different on smokes where its a huge portion of the price for everything.

Yeah, I could never figure out the legality of it. And not sure how the mark down on MVR was so significant either, much more than the excise duty element as you say.

Just checked there and the most recent price I was charged for MVR on the Inishmore in late 2019 was €118.

beachhead · 05-01-2021 3:01am

L1011 wrote: »

Irish Ferries only open the shop when further out - some theory of International Waters I think; although I've no idea how that's actually legal - the boats have Irish liquor licences for the bars so I would have assumed Revenue could get their claws in.

With the volume you're allowed have and the duty element basically being fixed on spirits, the saving on premium products is not as huge as you might think when you compare to the 14 quid litres of Jameson etc. Bit different on smokes where its a huge portion of the price for everything.

The rule is 3 miles or 4.8km out from land on either side of the journey.As far as I am aware that is international.Ask the Swedes going to Denmark by ferry.They know about dee drink

beachhead · 05-01-2021 3:07am

IrishHomer wrote: »

Anyone know how much the fags will cost duty free?

I used to get cartons for my father when in Spain €56 per carton

10 packs in a carton.Shop price here say e140.2Duty free" and seller's expenses.Go for e85(e70+15)and round up to e90 to save the fivers.

joeysoap · 05-01-2021 3:21am

bubblypop wrote: »

There are restrictions on what you can bring in duty free to the EU, and they are tiny!
Far better off buying cheap from an EU country.

But that’s it, you can buy carton of cigs-200- for €50 in Spain or Portugal - duty paid you have decent allowances+ you can pack them in your bags.

Del2005 · 05-01-2021 3:46am

bubblypop wrote: »

There are restrictions on what you can bring in duty free to the EU, and they are tiny!
Far better off buying cheap from an EU country.

How do you get the booze and smokes past customs since it's only legal to import duty paid from the EU in person?

meathstevie · 05-01-2021 4:03am

L1011 wrote: »

Irish Ferries only open the shop when further out - some theory of International Waters I think; although I've no idea how that's actually legal - the boats have Irish liquor licences for the bars so I would have assumed Revenue could get their claws in.

With the volume you're allowed have and the duty element basically being fixed on spirits, the saving on premium products is not as huge as you might think when you compare to the 14 quid litres of Jameson etc. Bit different on smokes where its a huge portion of the price for everything.

How does that work with Irish liquor licences when it’s a Cypriot vessel ? I’m a bit puzzled, or do they not operate a flag of convenience anymore ?

05-01-2021 8:43am

Del2005 wrote: »

How do you get the booze and smokes past customs since it's only legal to import duty paid from the EU in person?

Er, import them in person?
How do you expect to buy your one carton of fags, one litre of spirits and a bottle of wine duty free?

L1011 · 05-01-2021 8:45am

meathstevie wrote: »

How does that work with Irish liquor licences when it’s a Cypriot vessel ? I’m a bit puzzled, or do they not operate a flag of convenience anymore ?

They're still Limassol registered but each vessel has the appropriate Revenue liquor licence, as do most/all of the Stena passenger vessels. May be down to where they upload product or something

05-01-2021 2:33pm

Del2005 wrote: »

How do you get the booze and smokes past customs since it's only legal to import duty paid from the EU in person?

If there's duty paid on the products in the country of origin, then there's pretty much no limit* on what you can bring with you PROVIDED YOU ARE ALSO TRAVELLING AND BRINGING THEM WITH YOU.

It's when you're trying to import them from an online supplier where you run into trouble. Anyone who has been to Australia will know how scaldy the limits are for bringing duty-free into the country. 1 litre of spirits and 1 carton of smokes when coming into the EU is actually disgraceful.

*Obviously, there are exceptions.....you cannot be bringing stuff with the intent to sell them on. I've seen people being stopped because they had 5 different brands of smokes on them, and heard urban legends of people being asked to prove they smoke pouches of tobacco by being asked to roll one in front of customs officers.

GerardKeating · 05-01-2021 2:51pm

OmegaGene wrote: »

It’s already been knocked on the head from the U.K. side of things

That's something different the "VAT Retail Export Scheme" which allow one to reclaim VAT made in "normal" shops.

CollyFlower · 05-01-2021 10:42pm

Meeoow wrote: »

Myself and a friend had a wee day out, Dún Laoghaire tó Holyhead same Day return. A few scoops in the bar, bought our duty free, and back home. The good old days, when I used to smoke.

I remember those days. You'd get a sailing for 5 pounds, may have been £10, 2 adults and 2 children, and there was no limit when buying in the duty free shop, it's when you disembark then you'd have to worry about being stopped by customs... I used to stuff the lining of my coat with cartons of cigarettes.

Atlantic Dawn · 05-01-2021 11:33pm

I recall back in the late 80's doing foot passenger trips to Holyhead, it was dirt cheap something like £10/£15 return for 2 adults and 2 kids. What the ferry companies did was give you a voucher when you boarded which allowed you to purchase 200 cigarettes and 1 litre of spirits, these were given to each adult passenger. What was happening was when the ferry took to the sea you had 'entrepreneurs' going around asking passengers not using there's could they have them, they then bought up as much cigarettes and alcohol and hoped they wouldn't be stopped coming back in to Dublin.

Here's a video from RTE Archives, lads with their tops off sunbathing on the deck of the B+I ferry, a different time I suppose...

Litre bottles of Irish whiskey for £7.30 a bottle, are a fraction of the supermarket price as well as cigarettes at 66p for a packet of twenty.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2018/0711/977911-duty-free-day-trippers/

Capt'n Midnight · 06-01-2021 10:20pm

Fann Linn wrote: »

Ferry companies lost major revenue went duty free was abolished.

That's what killed off the hovercraft in the channel

silver2020 · 07-01-2021 10:45am

I'm going to put a dampener on this.

"Duty Free" will operate between UK & Ireland, but unfortunately it will no longer be "Tax Free" as vat is now added to all airport / ship purchases.

So the savings will literally be the duty element. (€11-€12 on spirits, €3 on wine)

Considering the airport shops like their margins due to the high cost of operation, you'll find the saving versus the regular offers you get in supermarkets will be fairly small, so only real advantage will be the huge choice.

cavanman.. · 08-01-2021 1:27pm

My aunt went back to England last Sunday. She got 200 benson’s for e55 and a litre of Smirnoff for e13 (purchased at Dublin airport).

Quackster · 08-01-2021 2:01pm

silver2020 wrote: »

I'm going to put a dampener on this.

"Duty Free" will operate between UK & Ireland, but unfortunately it will no longer be "Tax Free" as vat is now added to all airport / ship purchases.

So the savings will literally be the duty element. (€11-€12 on spirits, €3 on wine)

Considering the airport shops like their margins due to the high cost of operation, you'll find the saving versus the regular offers you get in supermarkets will be fairly small, so only real advantage will be the huge choice.

What the UK government has abolished is the selling of goods, including clothes & electronics, VAT-free in airports & ports to overseas travellers on the basis that the savings were not being passed on to consumers and the goods were being bought by UK residents for re-import back into the UK.

Granted, this means VAT now also applies on duty-free goods (alcohol & tobacco) bought when traveling from the UK but when you compared the duty-free & duty-paid prices of these products, it was clear that the VAT saving was only being partially passed on or not at all. There is no impact whatsoever on goods purchased when travelling to the UK (or elsewhere from Ireland).

Also worth noting that the UK government has dramatically increased duty-free allowances for travellers to GB (including from the Republic of Ireland). The new allowances are:

Alcohol
42 litres of beer
18 litres of still wine
4 litres of spirits OR 9 litres of sparkling wine, fortified wine or any alcoholic beverage less than 22% ABV

Tobacco
200 cigarettes OR
100 cigarillos OR
50 cigars OR
250g tobacco OR
200 sticks of tobacco for heating
or any proportional combination of the above

Any other goods
£390 (or £270 if travelling by private plane or boat).
The beer allowance of 42 litres will equate to three crates of 568ml (pint) cans. If passengers prefer to buy 330ml bottles of beer this would equate to five crates.

Doodah7 · 08-01-2021 2:05pm

silver2020 wrote: »

I'm going to put a dampener on this.

"Duty Free" will operate between UK & Ireland, but unfortunately it will no longer be "Tax Free" as vat is now added to all airport / ship purchases.

So the savings will literally be the duty element. (€11-€12 on spirits, €3 on wine)

Considering the airport shops like their margins due to the high cost of operation, you'll find the saving versus the regular offers you get in supermarkets will be fairly small, so only real advantage will be the huge choice.

But there has been a distinction between EU and non-EU passengers in airports all along when purchasing spirits and cigarettes. It is the case that rather than just USA, Switzerland etc. -bound passengers being able to benefit, it now includes UK passengers also.

mydiscworld · 08-01-2021 4:50pm

cavanman.. wrote: »

My aunt went back to England last Sunday. She got 200 benson’s for e55 and a litre of Smirnoff for e13 (purchased at Dublin airport).

55 duty free in Ireland?

I get them for my mother on work trips and it's 53 duty paid in Luxembourg airport...

mydiscworld · 08-01-2021 4:53pm

So if you are travelling via UK from one EU country to another, and have 2 boarding passes, you can get duty free cigarettes but not alcohol.

Cigarettes: Provide UK bound boarding pass in EU airport you depart from.

Doesn't work for alcohol as required to go into a sealed bag if connecting. And if connecting they use your final destination, so no duty free.

whiterebel · 08-01-2021 5:17pm

mydiscworld wrote: »

55 duty free in Ireland?

I get them for my mother on work trips and it's 53 duty paid in Luxembourg airport...

Just shows the amount of tax and duty is paid here.

Darc19 · 08-01-2021 5:29pm

mydiscworld wrote: »

55 duty free in Ireland?

I get them for my mother on work trips and it's 53 duty paid in Luxembourg airport...

https://dfs.lu/fr/shop/tabac
Generally Luxembourg, austria, Italy, Poland and Spain are about €5 for a pack of 20

It would entice you to take a day trip

Asus X540L · 09-01-2021 9:34am

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

The ferry also reminded me of the old days of UK duty free. One journey I made was so rough that nobody visited the duty free shop because everyone was up top getting seasick. I took one look in the shop and the noise of bottles clanging made me run out and back up on deck.

No offense but that sounds like you're a bit of a fanny.

Darc19 · 09-01-2021 12:55pm

Asus X540L wrote: »

No offense but that sounds like you're a bit of a fanny.

No offense, but I would suspect that you are under the age of 50

I remember those journeys from dunlaoghaire to holyhead and on a bad day, the puke was everywhere and trying to stay standing was near impossible.

But feck it, it was worth it

This was before ships had stabilising systems.

TheDriver · 09-01-2021 1:47pm

I'm closing this one down as it's not a bargain alert but rather a point of law now

Duty Free for UK travel

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