Flights back to the UK end with travellers passing through customs at the airport. If you have been on holiday outside the European Union (EU) you have a duty free allowance. This means you can bring in a certain amount of goods for your own use without paying duty or tax. However, it’s vital you follow travel advice and declare any goods over your allowance as they could be seized if you do not do so.
Many people have very little idea of what the duty-free allowance actually is.
According to a poll of Britons carried out by flight-comparison site Jetcost, 47 per cent of Britons quizzed didn’t realise there was any restriction on the amount of what you could bring back.
The survey showed that 90 per cent of respondents don’t know how much spirits they are allowed to bring in.
The answer is just one litre of spirits and other liquors over 22 per cent alcohol.
You must not pack more than this in your luggage with declaring it and paying excise duty.
Travellers have to pay £28.74 of Spirit Duty per litre of pure alcohol as well as standard rate VAT at 20 per cent on alcohol and tobacco products.
For beer, the allowance is 16 litres and for wine (not sparkling) it’s four litres.
The limit for fortified wine (for example port, sherry), sparkling wine and alcoholic drinks up to 22 per cent alcohol is two litres.
The duty for both wine and beer depends on their strength.
Gov.uk explains that travellers should “use the red channel at customs if [they] have something to declare.
“If there’s no red channel, use the red-point phone to declare goods to customs.”
The site adds that “you and your baggage can be checked for anything that must be declared.”
Not declaring goods over the duty-free allowance could land you in trouble.
“If you do not do what you’re asked, your goods and any vehicle you use to transport them may be seized,” explained Gov.uk.
There are no limits on the alcohol you can bring in from EU countries. However, you’re more likely to be asked questions if you have over 10 litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine, 20 litres of fortified wine or 110 litres of beer.
Commenting on the findings of their study, a spokesperson for Jetcost.co.uk, said: “It’s a habit for many savvy people to make purchases from duty free either before or after a holiday in order to stock up on whatever it is they need.
“However, you need to be aware of the restrictions that are applied, because you may end up having to pay the excess tax at the airport for breaking the rules, something that is going to make a dent in your wallet.”
Earlier this year it was revealed that, under new measures, any alcohol purchased at airport duty free will need to be packed into a sealed plastic bag ahead of a flight. These special bags are branded with the instruction: “Do not open alcohol purchases until your final destination.”
