Duty free??

[chassyp]

I there any such thing as duty free anymore?? We havn`t been abroad for squillions of years. We are off to the costa del sol next june and just wondered where is best price wise to get ones spirits??? Best regards.

[Ethel]

There is no duty free within EU countries.

You can bring back as much as you like, but you will pay duty on the goods in Spain.

[chassyp]

Bring as much as I like back mmmmm can`t wait.

[Buenchico]

As Ethel states, you can bring back a theoretically unlimited amount of 'duty paid' booze from any EU country, as long as it's for your personal use.

HMRC issue guideline figures for the amounts that they'll let you bring in without normally challenging you as to whether they're really for personal use but, if you're flying, the maximum amounts are probably so great that you'd end up paying excess baggage charges if you tried to import that much. (With spirits, the 'guideline maximum' is 10 litres. The figures for beer, wine and fortified wine are 110 litres, 90 litres and 20 litres respectively).

However, you must remember that you're not allowed to carry liquids in your hand luggage through the security checks (except in containers holding less than 100ml). That means that any booze you buy in the local shops must go into your hold baggage. (If you try to take it through the security checks, it will be confiscated).

You can purchase booze at the Spanish airport after the security checks but many airport shops now charge far more than your local supermarket. (For example, I looked a bottle of local wine at Bergamo airport, in Italy, a few weeks ago. They'd got nothing local and the cheapest wine they had was a Sicilian plonk for �8, which I can buy in my local Co-op store for �3.49).

Chris

[filthiestfis]

Gibraltar is still duty free. Flight time is 2 hours 30 minutes from London or Manchester. Monarch fly from Man and London Luton, Easyjet fly from Gatwick, BA flies from Gatwick.
In theory you are only allowed to bring back limited quantities of tobacco and alcohol i.e. 1 carton of cigarettes per passenger. However, I fly this route often and have done so for years (I came back from there just 2 days ago) and always carry more than whats allowed.
I have never been stopped at customs arriving into London, so if you are one of the unlucky ones then they will confiscate your goods unless you pay the UK tax on them.
However, I think that its worth risking it!

[filthiestfis]

By the way, I mentioned Gibraltar without properly reading your question, but its so near to Costa Del Sol that you should do a day trip and stock up on goods, then risk it through customs on the Spanish side of the frontier border. Good luck.

[Ethel]

Getting into Spain from Gibraltar can be tricky, though.

Last time I did it in the car it took 3 hours of queueing while cars ahead were being pulled apart.

[secrets1]

i travel quite a lot and i find that usually its cheaper buying in the country i travel to,and some airports have duty free on arrival,and that surely must be better than lugging bottles around the world.?
why most countries dont do this i do not know.?

[Soulcharger]

There is no duty free within the EEU, Spain is very cheap for alcohol, you can bring back quite a lot, check the HM Customs website.

[legendis.god]

Duty free in tenerife as its part of the eu but is autonomous.
The limits are 1 litre of alcohol and 200 cigarettes.


Same as for years if i remember correctly.
You are however far cheaper buying in the resorts and `packing in your suitcase rather than at duty free.

Many who come here buy in excess of their allowance and take the gamble , the choice is of course yours.
Btw that will go the same for any of the other canary islands too.

[Ethel]

The Costa Del Sol is nowhere near Tenerife though

[sprayer]

Become an M E P Im sure they're still allowed duty free and have their own duty free shop in the euro parliament building, At least they were a year or two ago

[legendis.god]

I didnt read costa del sol.
However tenerife is still cheaper .

Pardon my simple mistake.

[Mike Kent]

Try the big supermarkets - Carrefour , Mercadona etc. And dont be afraid of trying local scotch and gin with laughable brandnames - iro �5 a bottle (�4). Local cigarettes ie Fortuna �2.50 a packet( �2). PS I live in Spain hic!!

[chassyp]

Cheers for that. Most useful. Hic!