Duty free allowances at Gibraltar Airport
Hi Caroline,
If you click on this link it gives you the duty free allowances from EU countries
And if you click on this link it gives you details of duty free allowances from Gibraltar Airport
Linda
Hi Gary
You are allowed to bring cigarettes that you have bought from a Tabac in Spain, but what happens if you leave spain and fly back home to the UK from Gibraltar. I've heard conflicting stories, so please can you tell me if the customs in Gibraltar allow you to bring your allowance back home.
I'm not talking about the 200 that you are allowed to by in Gib, but the allowance you are allowed from any EU country.
Thanks
Caroline
Labels: Gibraltar Airport
posted by Spanish Airport Guide @ 10:47 AM
3 comments
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3 Comments:
Gibraltar is part of the EU, - however it is not part of the Customs Union of the EU.
[The border of the customs union is slightly smaller than that of the EU itself. Gibraltar is not part, nor are certain spanish islands and other places. Places outside the customs territory do not have to apply harmonised VAT.]
As a result of this, when you are flying from Gibraltar airport to the UK you are flying from outside the Customs Territory of the EU into the Customs Territory of the EU.
Accordingly it is the 200 cigarettes, etc rules that apply for entry to the UK per person.
If you are traveling SPAIN>GIB>UK the only GIB customs official that comes into play is the one on your ENTRY into Gibraltar - to go to Gibraltar airport.
Goods entering Gibraltar should be subject to import duty. This you would then, in theory, be able to reclaim on subsequent export.
Similarly on goods you export from the EU customs territory - say from Spain into Gibraltar - it is possible to reclaim the sales tax (vat/iva).
But goods entering the EU customs territory (say at the UK Airport) would be liable to import duty and import VAT if they exceeded your allowances.
However, big however (number 1), tobacco is taxed differently in many countries. I've no idea how it is taxed in spain, or whether any element is reclaimable on exit from the customs territory.
What you would ideally want is to be able to take the goods through gibraltar without paying duty and reclaiming it. However I think a pay and reclaim on exit might be the only method in practice. It might also be complicated by being cigarettes. However equally the gibraltar customs official might let you not pay import duty - due to the prevailing price difference and on the basis of you having booked onward travel - but I would view this as a personal exception if it occurred.
You would also ideally want to keep the products duty paid in the EU.
But, I've no idea how you could prove to UK customs that you did NOT reclaim on exit from Spain - unless this is something not possible with tobacco.
I'm not sure whether this is possible or if it would be accepted.
So I think it would only be possible in practice with the following: Reclaim exit spain.
Pay entry Gib.
Reclaim exit Gib.
Pay entry UK.
However, even then I'd want confirmation from UK customs as to what they would expect. And you'd be paying UK rates.
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Question: Is it worth it?
How many were you thinking of taking?
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I'd ask UK customs about transporting cigarettes EU>(outside EU customs territory)>UK.
Then if you manage to get anything at all positive, ask Gib Customs about carrying things through Gib from Spain to fly out with.
Personally I think this will be impossible in practice. Even if there is officially a method that would be useable and comparable at all stages, I think the time and hassle (and cost of that) would be more than any benefit....
so if you were flying into gibraltar from the uk not entering spain at all and flying back to the uk, the only customs delay you would encounter would be after your first flight in gibraltar?
Think you are saying that if you were just flying in and out of Gibraltar and not crossing the border into Spain the only customs you would encounter are at Gibraltar Airport - which is correct.
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