Many ask what alcohol and tobacco they can bring home from holiday and if there are any limits. As a holidaymaker to the EU there is currently no limit on what an individual can buy or take home from Greece. However, any products you buy must be for your own individual use and must not be resold.
Any relevant Tax such as excise and VAT are already contained in the price paid for items when purchased, so individuals are not required to pay further, unless you’re exiting the EU to another country.
EU Customs checks
Customs sometimes check passengers to determine if the quantities they are transporting are for personal use or intended resale. If customs think you may be carrying items that are not intended for personal use they may confiscate the items or ask you to pay the required amount in Duty (tax).
Every country in the EU are allowed to cap limits on alcohol and tobacco an individual brings across the cross border/to the UK.
The maximum amounts allowed are:
Tobacco
800 cigarettes
400 cigarillos (cigars weighing no more than 3 grams each)
200 cigars
1 kg of tobacco
Alcohol
10 litres of spirits
20 litres of fortified wine
90 litres of wine (including a maximum of 60 litres of sparkling wines)
110 litres of beer
Money/Cash
Holidaymakers or travels must also declare to customs if they are carrying 10,000EUR (or currency equivalent) or more in cash. If you fail to declare cash over this amount a fine or confiscation of the cash is likely.
Most travellers will never purchase the maximum items or carry that much cash, but it’s always good to have the information so you don’t get caught out!