kewstokeboy Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 I'm reliably informed that there are severe restrictions on alcohol / tobacco when returning through France to the UK from Spain. (These restrictions are, supposedly, monitored at the Spanish/French border). Can anyone quote me 'chapter & verse' on the French custom restrictions when travelling back from Spain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forester Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 when i came back to blitey through spain & france all they told me was dont worry about us its uk you should worry about & they were correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 There,s always the exeption Subaru and better to stay within your limit than risk having your van confiscated. Only one run in with Customs, and never again. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Have I missed something here? As I understand it, EU rules say there are NO limits to how much stuff you can take from one EU country to another as long as it's not for resale. The only issue is whether Customs believe it IS for your own use - and for that purpose alone there are GUIDLEINES about quantites that will be accepted as personal. On that basis, I'd assume that if you stray a little over those guidelines, no action would be taken, and even if you were well over, the onus would be on the authorities to show why they think you're planning to re-sell - or to catch you when you try to do so. It's never been an issue for us, as we can never afford to bring back enough wine to see us through to Christmas, let alone enough to flog on to anyone else, but if I've got this wrong I'd like to know - with chapter and verse, like David. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Tony- I think you have got it perfectly right, That is how I have always understood it. To get it into perspetive with motorhome payloads you would damage the vehicle if you were to bring in hugh quantities of drink. If you were to just bring in fags you would have to have 1000s packets to run foul of the law. Can you imagine the distress if you tried it and had your motorhome impounded :-( Bring in as much as you can safely carry and theres no problem. chas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Don,t think anyone can quote you chapter and verse on this forum David. There are restrictions in place, but these apply to wether profit is involved. Bit of a grey area and one of the Custom and Excise webs would be advisable first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Has anyone been stopped on the French/Spanish border? We've crossed in two places and there hasn't even been a sign showing where the border was, let alone a checkpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaleg Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 we were stopped near biaritz, but we had just gone into spain and left again 5/6 hours later, i think that he just fancied a look in a english high top conversion. pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewstokeboy Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 Thanks for all the replies, although I'm still a little hazy about the exact regs. The question was asked because a friend was stopped at the border & stripped of all alcohol/tobacco except 1 litre of spirits & 200 cigarettes. Yes, I agree it SHOULD be the same in every EU country, but ............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 kewstokeboy - 2007-06-11 4:37 PM Thanks for all the replies, although I'm still a little hazy about the exact regs. The question was asked because a friend was stopped at the border & stripped of all alcohol/tobacco except 1 litre of spirits & 200 cigarettes. Yes, I agree it SHOULD be the same in every EU country, but ............ Can you find out more about when and exactly where? I can't remember a manned border post between France and Spain, although I read something a while back about the French getting a bit stroppy with some of the Spanish traffic. Can't remember why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 I think there can be problems with duty free goods bought in Andorra and then going into either Spain or France. chas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 I found this link http://www.traveldocs.com/fr/customs.htm 800 cigarettes. This one http://www.frommers.com/destinations/france/0223020032.html personal use. And this one from the French Customs (pdf) http://www.douane.gouv.fr/data/file/4432.pdf which says there is a special excemption for cigarettes, but I can't find what it is!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 The French have introduced a restriction on Cigarettes & tobacco on EU travellers transiting thier country, it is to restrict the amount of cigs the french buy outside thier country as it is ruining the tabac industry, can`t remember what the restriction actually is, but it is low. There was an article in a recent caravan club magazine about an English motorhome being stopped by the police on the French Belgium border they were within the UK guidelines but over the French ones as they did not know there was a restriction. An on the spot fine and confiscation ensued. When they got home they took it up with there MP who investigated and tolld them that the French had indeed introduced restrictions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Another link http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article583712.ece More than 200 and a fine!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewstokeboy Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 Early March 2006. Forgotten motorway number - it's the one that links from San Sebastian through to St Jean de Luz / Biarritz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewstokeboy Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 That article does clear the air as regards tobacco - thanks Derek. Do we know anything on alcohol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 I don't think alcohol is a problem. It's the fact that the French have put the price of cigarettes up so much that people were crossing the borders and stocking up. Much easier to do than a booze cruise. Here in Spain you can get 20 Marlboro for 3.10€ (£2.10) and cheaper brands like Fortuna for 2.40€ (£1.63). I understand in France they are much nearer UK prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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