How many cigarettes can I bring to the UK from abroad?
Duty-free tobacco could be ceased if you exceed the limit
SMOKERS travelling from the UK may want to check they've not exceeded their tobacco allowance before their duty free treats are ceased.
Here's all you need to know about your personal tobacco allowance.
How many cigarettes can I bring to the UK from abroad?
Travellers who return to the UK must be aware that they can only bring a specific amount of cigarettes without having to pay tax.
If they go over their allowance they will have to declare the goods and pay tax and duty.
According to the Government guidelines, the tobacco allowance lets you bring in one of the following:
- 200 cigarettes
- 100 cigarillos
- 50 cigars
- 250g tobacco
- 200 sticks of tobacco for electronic heated tobacco devices
You can split this allowance - so you could bring in 100 cigarettes and 25 cigars (both half of your allowance).
How many cigarettes can I take abroad from the UK?
If you enter the EU from the UK, you can bring goods free of VAT and excise duties with you within the limits set out below providing they are not for resale.
There is a higher or lower limit depending on the EU country you are visiting.
Lower limit
- 200 cigarettes
- 100 cigarillos
- 50 cigars
- 250g tobacco
Higher limit
- 40 cigarettes
- 20 cigarillos
- 10 cigars
- 50g tobacco
If an EU country applies the lower limits, it can either apply them only to land and sea travellers (Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia) or to all travellers (Estonia and Romania).
Again, you can split this allowance.
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How much is excise duty on cigarettes?
Since October 2021, the excise duty on cigarettes in the UK is £262.90 per 1,000 cigarettes plus 16.5% of the retail price.
The duty rate for cigars is £327.92 per keg and hand-rolling tobacco is £302.34 per kg.
Are cigarettes cheaper abroad?
As the UK has left the EU - prices of cigarettes in airports are cheaper because of Duty Free.
France, Spain, Greece, and Italy offer discounts between 20 and 24 per cent.
The cheapest tobacco products are in Dubai, where 200 Marlboro Gold cigarettes cost £22.56 — a third the price of the same carton at Heathrow, and 500% cheaper than in a British supermarket.
A spokesperson for the British Medical Association said: "Anything that increases the availability of tobacco is a negative step for public health.
"Each year there are nearly half a million hospital admissions in England because of smoking in England and nearly 80,000 deaths annually.”