Check duty-free limits on alcohol, tobacco and other goods before crossing the border.
Choose whether you are arriving by air or by land/sea. The duty-free allowance is €430 for air travellers and €300 for land/sea travellers.
Enter the items you purchased outside the EU, their values, and quantities. Include any alcohol, tobacco, or high-value items like electronics or jewellery.
The calculator checks your items against EU duty-free monetary limits, quantitative limits for alcohol and tobacco, and the €10,000 cash declaration threshold.
If you exceed any allowance, the calculator shows the customs duty and VAT payable on the excess amount, so you know what to declare at the border.
Each adult traveller has their own €430/€300 duty-free allowance. You cannot combine allowances to cover a single expensive item. Children under 15 have a reduced allowance of €150.
If you exceed the allowances, declare your goods at customs using the red channel. Getting caught with undeclared goods can result in seizure, fines, and even criminal prosecution. Honest declaration usually just means paying the duty and VAT.
If you carry €10,000 or more in cash (or equivalent in any currency, cheques, or gold), you must declare it when entering or leaving the EU. Failure to declare can result in the cash being detained and fines.
You fly back from New York with a new laptop ($1,100 / €1,019), a bottle of bourbon (1L), and two cartons of cigarettes (400 pieces). You are an adult air traveller.
| Duty-free allowance (air) | €430.00 |
| Laptop value | €1,019.00 |
| Amount exceeding allowance | €589.00 |
| Flat-rate duty (2.5%) | €14.73 |
| VAT on excess (23%) | €138.86 |
| Bourbon (1L) | Within 1L spirits allowance |
| Cigarettes (400 pcs) | 200 pcs duty-free; 200 pcs dutiable |
| Total payable | ~€153.59 + tobacco duty |
Sets the duty-free and tax-free allowances for travellers entering the EU from third countries: €430 for air/sea travellers, €300 for other modes of travel, and €150 for travellers under 15.
Requires travellers entering or leaving the EU with €10,000 or more in cash (or equivalent) to declare it to customs authorities. Applies to banknotes, coins, cheques, money orders, and gold.
Sets the general framework for excise duty in the EU, including provisions relevant to quantitative limits for alcohol and tobacco products that travellers can bring from third countries (e.g., 1L spirits, 200 cigarettes). Replaced the former Directive 2008/118/EC from 13 February 2023.