Travelers are permitted to bring in personal and household
items and gifts without paying any customs duties, provided
that the quantities and values involved do not exceed certain
limits, or duty-free allowances. There are also other rules
that even experienced travelers should keep in mind.
Here is a summarized list of the allowances for alcoholic beverages,
tobacco and other goods:
Alcohol und alcoholic beverages:
These limits apply to persons 17 years of age and older:
1 liter of strong drink (spirits) containing more than 22% of alcohol
by volume, or
1 liter of undenatured ethyl alcohol with 80% of alcohol by volume, or
2 liters of alcoholic beverages such as wine- or alcohol-based aperitifs,
taffia, sake or similar drinks with up to 22% of alcohol by volume, or
2 liters of sparkling wine or fortified wine, or
a combination of these goods and
2 liters of non-sparkling wines.
Coffee:
500 grams of roasted coffee or
200 grams of soluble coffee.
Perfume and eau de toilette:
50 grams of perfume and 0.25 liter of eau de toilette.
Medications :
The quantities of medications required to meet your personal needs.
Tobacco goods:
200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams of loose
tobacco or a combination of these goods.
Other goods:
Other goods are permitted, except for gold alloys and gold plate,
which may not exceed a value of 178.95 euros.
What you should also know:
All of these rules apply only when there are no other prohibitions or
restrictions on taking goods across national borders.
When value limits are exceeded:
If, for example, you want to import a piece of jewelry or a dress — these
are examples of "indivisible" goods — and its value exceeds the stipulated
allowance, then an import duty is charged on the entire value of the object.
Goods imported for commercial purposes:
If you import goods whose nature or quantity is judged by the customs
authorities to indicate that they are intended for commercial purposes,
they are subject to the payment of duties.
T
hree special cases in the European Union:
If you import goods from the Canary Islands, overseas French territories
or the British Channel Islands, a special rule applies: Although these
belong to the customs zone of the European Union (EU), they are
excluded from excise duties and value-added taxes. You may therefore
only import goods from these areas up to the indicated quantities and values.
This also applies to goods that you purchase in a duty free shop of the EU or
on board an aircraft traveling within the EU, and to goods that you have
acquired tax-exempt.
Tip on personal property:
If you take a valuable piece of equipment owned by you on a trip,
you should make sure in advance that you will be able to bring it back
with you without any problems. The customs authorities will issue an
export certificate to you free of charge as proof that the equipment
has not been purchased outside the country and is therefore not subject to import duties.
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