Duty Free Allowances from Spain To Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Duty Free allowances from Spain to UK
Arriving in Great Britain, England Wales or Scotland
If you’re travelling to Great Britain (England, Wales or Scotland) from outside the UK, your personal allowances mean you can bring in a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty.
When you’re bringing in goods you must: - transport them yourself - use them yourself or give them away as a gift
If you go over your allowances you must declare all your goods and pay tax and duty on all the goods of the same type in that category.
You cannot combine allowances with other people to bring in more than your individual allowance.
Customs checks
If a customs officer thinks you may be bringing in goods to sell, they may stop you to make checks and ask:
- the type and quantity of goods you’ve bought
- why you bought them
- how you paid for them
- how often you travel
- how much you normally smoke or drink
How to Handle customs
The best way to get through customs is to be friendly and polite, answer any questions truthfully, if in doubt ask a customs officer for assistance. paying tax will always work out cheaper than getting caught for smuggling.
From January 2021, there will be changes to duty free shopping.
The UK has left the EU. The information below will be updated if there is any new information about the UK’s deal with the EU
Previously there were no limits on the value of goods you could bring in from European Union nations. From the start of 2021, the European Union will be treated the same as the rest of the world – which means that there are now restrictions.
Allowances mean you can bring in a certain amount of goods for your own use from outside the UK into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) without paying duty or tax.
Tax FREE - Reclaim VAT from purchases in Spain
*One of the great things about post-Brexit travelling in Europe is that British travellers can now claim a VAT refund on purchases made in the EU! you can reclaim your VAT on clothes, gifts, items, electrical wares, etc, NOT flights, hotels, car hire. You simply need to fill in the Tax-Free form in the shops where you buy your purchases. Then, get the form validated at Customs within 3 months of the purchase date.
The refund process - on your return trip, remember to always carry:
- Your passport.
- Receipts or DIVA form for your purchases.
- The goods you purchased.
- Your boarding pass.
There are two ways to reclaim VAT after getting the form validated at Customs:
Through the Tax Free management body located where you are departing (a fee will be charged). The refund will be in euros, in cash, to your credit card, by cheque, or by bank transfer.
Directly through the shop where you made the purchases. They will refund the entire amount within 15 days by cheque, bank transfer, or to your credit card.
Also, remember that if your next destination is another country in the European Union, you will not be able to reclaim VAT in Spain, but in the last airport before leaving the EU.
Duty Free Allowances
Find out what stores are available at Alicante Airport
When you’re bringing in goods you must:
Transport them yourself
Use them yourself or give them away as a gift
You cannot combine allowances with other people to bring in more than your individual allowance. If you go over an allowance, you must make a declaration for all the goods in that category. Your goods could be seized if you do not declare them.
For alcohol
How much you can bring depends on the type of drink. You can bring in both:
Beer - 42 litres
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.
Wine (not sparkling) - 18 litres
You can also bring in either:
spirits and other liquors over 22% alcohol - 4 litres
fortified wine (for example port, sherry), sparkling wine and alcoholic drinks up to 22% alcohol - 9 litres
You can split this last allowance, for example you could bring 4.5 litres of fortified wine and 2 litres of spirits (both half of your allowance).
You will have to pay excise duty and VAT on alcohol you declare. You may also have to pay customs duty.
Tobacco allowance
Prices at the airport will be slightly cheaper, than the Tabacs in Spain, but stocks will often be limited and not all brands will be available. Find current prices for tobacco and cigarettes in SPAIN here.
You can bring in one from the following:
200 cigarettes
100 cigarillos
50 cigars
250g tobacco
200 sticks of tobacco for heating
You can split this allowance - for example you could bring in 100 cigarettes and 25 cigars (both half of your allowance).
You will have to pay excise duty, VAT and customs duty on tobacco you declare
Alcohol and tobacco allowances if you’re under 17
There are no duty-free allowances for tobacco or alcohol if you’re under 17. You can bring alcohol and tobacco to the UK for your own use but you’ll have to pay duty or tax on them when you get to customs.
Allowance for other goods
You can bring in other goods worth up to £390 (or up to £270 if you arrive by private plane or boat).
If you go over your allowance you pay tax and duty on the total value of the goods, not just the value above the allowance.
You may have to pay import VAT and customs duty if you exceed your allowance.
Import VAT
You may have to pay import VAT on the total value of the goods plus duty. You pay this at the current UK VAT rate.
Rates
| Product | Duty rate |
|---|---|
| Cigarettes | The higher of: 16.5% of retail price plus £244.78 per 1,000 cigarettes or £320.90 per 1,000 cigarettes |
| Cigars | £305.32 per kg |
| Hand-rolling tobacco | £271.40 per kg |
| Tobacco for heating | £251.60 per kg |
| Other smoking tobacco and chewing tobacco | £134.24 per kg |
Declaring goods made or produced in the EU
You do not need to pay any tax or duties on personal goods you bring into Great Britain as long as they are within your personal allowances.
If the goods are over your allowances you will need to:
- declare them
- pay any customs duty due
- pay any excise duty due (for tobacco or alcohol)
- pay any import VAT due
When you declare your goods you need to declare each item you bought. When you declare your items, you may not need to pay customs duty on items where all the following are true:
- they were grown or made in the EU using only EU ingredients or materials
- you bought them in the EU
- you are bringing them in from an EU country
If these are true, you can claim a zero rate of customs duty for each item. You must:
- have evidence these are true for each item you claim these rates for
- be able to show this evidence if asked by a Border Force officer
The level of evidence you need depends on the total value of all the items you claim these rates for.
If the total value is less than £1,000
If the total value of all the items you declare is less than £1,000 the evidence for each item can be:
- a label or packaging showing it was grown or made in the EU
- evidence it was hand-made or grown in the EU (for example, a document or written note from the person or business you bought it from)
A Border Force officer might ask to see this evidence. If you are unable to show this, you will have to pay any customs duty you owe.
If the total value is more than £1,000
If the total value of all the items you declare is over £1,000, you can claim a zero rate of customs duty if you can prove each item was grown or made in the EU.
This proof could be an invoice or document from the person or business you bought the items from which includes the:
- item you are buying
- place and date you bought it
- ‘statement on origin’
The ‘statement on origin’ is formal wording from the person or business you bought the items from which confirms:
- the material used to make the item was from the EU
- their registered exporter number (if the total value of all the items you declare is over £5,500)
You could also prove that you know how the items were made in the EU by using documents or records which show the item meets the rules of origin. The ‘importer’s knowledge’ section of the proof of origin guide) explains how you do this. This applies if you bring in (import) these items for either personal or commercial use.
A Border Force officer might ask to see this evidence. If you are unable to show this, you will have to pay any customs duty you owe.
Arriving in Northern Ireland
The rules and your allowances for Northern Ireland depend on whether you’re travelling from the European Union (EU) or another country.
Travelling from an EU country
You do not need to declare or pay tax or duty on any goods you bring into Northern Ireland from the EU as long as you:
transport them yourself
will use them yourself or give them away as a gift
have paid tax and duty in the country where you bought them
Customs checks
If a customs officer thinks you may be bringing in goods to sell, they may check your goods and ask questions to find out if the goods are for personal use.
Although there are no limits to the alcohol and tobacco you can bring in from EU countries, you’re more likely to be asked questions if you have more than the following amounts.
| Type of goods | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cigarettes | 800 |
| Cigars | 200 |
| Cigarillos | 400 |
| Tobacco | 1kg |
| Sticks of tobacco for electronic heated tobacco devices | 800 |
| Beer | 110 litres |
| Wine | 90 litres |
| Spirits | 10 litres |
| Fortified wine (for example sherry, port) | 20 litres |
Keep up to date with other travel news by checking out this section of the website.
ENTRY into the EU
Bringing meat and dairy products into the EU
You cannot take the following with you into the EU:
Meat or products containing meat. Milk or dairy products
There are some exceptions, for example certain amounts of powdered infant milk, infant food, or pet food required for medical reasons.
Check the rules about taking meat and milk products into the EU on the European Commission website.
Bringing fruits, vegetables, plants and plant products into the EU
You cannot take the following into the EU unless you pay to have them inspected before you leave and get a ‘phytosanitary certificate’:
Fresh fruit (apart from bananas, coconuts, dates, pineapples and durians). Vegetables. Plants. Plant products
Check the rules about taking fruit, vegetables and other plants or plant products into the EU on the European Commission website.