Taking alcohol & tobacco products to the UK 

As Germany and the UK are both members of the EU, you do not have to pay tax or excise duty on alcohol and tobacco products which you have bought tax-paid in Germany, provided they are for your own personal use and are being transported by you. 'Own use' covers goods for your own consumption and gifts. However, if you are carrying large quantities of alcohol or tobacco, a Customs Officer may ask you to questions to prove that the goods are for your personal use and not for commercial purposes.

You are particularly likely to be asked questions if you have more than:

3200 cigarettes, 200 cigars, 400 cigarillos, 3kg tobacco, 110 litres of beer, 90 litres of wine, 10 litres of spirits, 20 litres of fortified wine (such as port or sherry).

No one under the age of 17 is entitled to tobacco or alcohol allowances.

Please note that there are restrictions on tobacco products brought into the UK from some of the newer EU member states. You will find further information on this, and on a range of other travel-related questions, in the Information for Travellers section on the HM Revenue & Customs travel website.

Sending alcohol and tobacco by post

From July 2007, UK excise duty must be paid on all alcohol and tobacco products sent by post to the UK, including gifts and items for personal use. This applies to both EU and non-EU countries. It is still possible to send these products to the UK, but UK excise duty must be paid.  For further information please visit the HM Revenue and Customs website or contact the National Advice Service on +44 2920 501 261

Taking drugs into the UK

For information on taking prescribed drugs to the UK please see the drugs laws section on the Home Office website.

Taking food and plants to the UK

If you travel to the UK from Austria, or another EU country, you can take a reasonable amount of any food, provided it was bought in an EU country, is a personal import, and is free from disease. A personal import is something that is for your own personal use and not to sell to other people. If it is a large amount, you may need to satisfy Customs Officers that the food is for your personal use. Rules relating to personal imports also cover parcels of food posted from abroad and addressed to an individual in the UK.

For further information on importing food and plants to the UK, and to check on the on-line database, visit the Defra Personal Food and Plant Imports website. Detailed information is also available on the Food Standards Agency Personal Imports website. 

Weapons to UK 

Persons wishing to take a Firearm or Shot Gun to the UK must have a Visitor's Firearm or Shot Gun permit. This can be obtained by filling out the Application for a Visitor's Firearm/Shot Gun Permit.