Turkey is not in the EU and the limit is 200 cigarettes per person. You may have come back with more as they're willing to sell it to you in the duty free shop - you were just lucky you weren't stopped by customs. It's a risk you take.

Jak xx

Wow didnt know that at all. Yes we went shopping at the duty free while we waiting for our plane to come home. Shocked about that now.

Strickly speaking you can bring back 250g of tobacco per person (over 16 I believe) which is 5 pouches . We always bring back more than that , usually between 20-40 pouches and so far never had any problems . There are 5 of us though . Obviously it's the risk you take but we go strght through the nothing to declare . We dont go through swinging stuffed duty free bags and spread it around our hand luggage and just hold one small carrier bag.
Theres never usally anyone around when we come through at gatwick or stansted apart from a couple of odd guys chatting somewhere near the entrance who dont seem to take any notice unless a flight from Ghana has just arrived and then theres sniffer dogs everywhere and suitcases upended all over the counters.

We travelled to and from cardiff last year and are doing the same again this time. When we landed back last year we got off the plane, went to the passport bit so they checked our passports, collected our bags and left!! wonder if its coz it was one carrier between us???
Will tell DP and see what he deicdes as it will be his cash!

That's all we do and dont really think abut it too much .I think you would be very unlucky to get pulled for a random check unless you look the dodgy kind or there was anything suspicious .

You would be allowed 500gms between you anyway .

Ok so 500g between us, what about fags??? I know they sell them in 1000's but how many would be classed as okay to bring back?

You can bring back the full allowance of cigarettes or tobacco, but not both.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/arriving/arrivingnoneu.htm#1

luci

I know cigs are sold in packs of 1000s but the legal limit to bring home is 200 per person - again, it's up to you whether you want to risk getting caught and losing the lot.

Jak xx

Just to advise (2) years ago we bought back 1800 between my husband and I, we did not have a problem buying them in the duty free shop at the airport, they actually advertised your entitlements as 5 cartons each. However when we landed at Gatwick Customs were waiting for the Turkey flight and nearly every other person was stopped and searched incluluding us and all our fags were confiscated and my passport number was taken. I do not even take the risk now.

We tried to argue it out by saying Turkey was in the EU, but they were not having any of it, we even asked if we could have our 200 each allowance and they stated no, as we had gone through nothing to declare. Be warned, they know which flights people are more likely to bring back more fags on and they are waiting, you do not even have to look dodgy. We got away with it for 10 years so can't complain too much, but I won't be doing it again.

Be careful we were away with friends a couple of years ago and they fell for the chat in the duty free shops I told them they could only have 200 each but got over a 1000, got through at Manchester no problem and then thought they were on a good thing and when we went back in September they bought some in arrivals and also in the resort and packed it in their luggage then bought a few more in duty free going home just carried 200 through in carrier and put the rest in hand luggage. When we landed back at Manchester a bloke walked along side of us through to passport control I thought he looked odd as he had proper shoes and trousers on so didnt look like he just got off plane but stayed near us, as we went through passports I lost sight of him but didnt think any more of it, collected our luggage and we went through nothing to declare as our two friends went through the bloke appeared again and asked them if they had anything to declare they said no so he took them aside and went through bags, all the lot was confiscated I think he had been tipped off from Dalaman as all luggage is scanned there but not sure we have never taken any risks since.

i always presumed all cases were scanned and noted which had too many fags in....

not to mention they take your passport number, or scan your passport when you buy them, so maybe it flags up if someone buys an awful lot......

saying that, i have also chanced it......

Well first choice airline even sold me 10 pouches of tobacco on the flight home from turkey a couple weeks ago so even they are not to bothered about you getting cought so long as they get there money , in total we brought back 20 pouches and 600 cigarettes and luckily did not have any problems at Exeter airport

It's actually got me a worried now . I'm not saying we bring back loads more than the allowance and as there are 5 often 6 of us most of the time we are pretty much on the mark but I'm actually feeling a bit selfish now . We bought 4 cartons of cigs (800), 10 cigars in cuba and 20 pouches of bacci on the plane but as we had been to Cuba my eldest lad had got himself some rather expensive huge fat cigars(the best ones you could buy there) that he wants to save for special occasions like when he gets married , that sort of thing (they will be rotten by then ) We loaded his bag up with 2 pouches of bacci between him and his girlfriend and I would have been gutted for him had the whole lot be taken away .

What I hadnt realised was they take the whole lot rather than that which is over.