Can't remeber where I read this now and could be totally wrong but someone said that if you are travelling within the EU and go through the blue customs channel then customs can only really stop you if they have strong grounds to believe you have committed an offence.

Does anyone else know any more about this as most people still seem to go through the green channel when coming and home and maybe this is why they are stopping people?

i got stopped as i was getting my suitcase off the belt.and so did seven other people,they just come up to you and say ,can you walk this way please, we just want to ask you a few questions, i didnt even get the chance to walk through the blue or green channels, they took me and the others to a very large room with lots of desks,and helped me empty my suitcase ,some people had lots one man had 50 cartons of cigs,300 packets of tobbaco,he emptied his bags and said ok you got me see you later folks and walked out with an empty suitcase.others had none,but they still got pulled and checked,one person had 22,and they let him go with his cigs,i had 29 and they took mine because i had been to majorca in september,if i was a ciggy runner i think i would be going more than twice in 12 months dont you think,

How did they know about Majorca?

Just wondered, because i'm worried now. I always stock up, and maybe next time I shouldn't.

Good luck with your appeal. They have a cheek!!

Hi Pebbles, I think they would have known about Majorca because all the passports are now computerised (barcoded) so they know how often you travel. They should pick on on the real smugglers who do it for a living not the innocent holiday makers who just want to stock up.

Sue

So basically if you have more than one holiday a year you a classed as a cig smuggler. I wish this govenment would stop picking on the genuine holiday maker who goes on holiday and brings there cigs home to save money. The cost of cigs here is a disgrace. I go on holiday every year and save up enough money to bring 6400 cigs home and 10 boxes of tobacco. Hubby smokes roll ups as he cannot afford to buy cigs anymore. His tobacco lasts him for 12 months and my cigs about 5 months. We went on holiday twice last year and are hoping to do the same again this year, with the main reason to bring more cigs back for me. My cigs are £10 per 200 in Spain England £44.40 per 200. It costs me £320 in Spain for 6400 in England is costs £1420 so the savings more than cover the holiday.

Sorry to hear of some of the above posts, can't believe we are living in Britain.
My thoughts are that cases are scanned abroad, and if cases are shown to be "full" of ciggies etc, then customs officers at this end are informed - but that's just a thought.
Has anyone heard of the term "Bonding" ??. I was told that if stopped with too many sleeves of ciggies, as in the above posts, that you can ask for them to be "bonded" (ie; put in secure storage), and picked up on subsequent travels. Not sure at all whether this is an option, but would be interested to find out, if indeed anyone knows.

Robby

not sure if its true, but ill say it any way. If they stop you with more than the required limit, then they can take them off you, how ever if the packets are split they cant. Like i said dont know if its true as i aint done it b4, but quite a few ppl have told me that ya can.

The subject of the amount of tobacco you can bring home, HM Customs site is very informative.

Firstly you can bring home any amount providing it is for your own use.

If you are loaded (over 16 cartons & 60 pkts tobacco) then you have to convince the officer that they are for your own use.

Receiving payment either in money or kind is not allowed, you will lose the lot if you bring tobacco products home other than for your own consumption or presents.

If you are stopped and you have over the guide line amounts, the customs officer will probably give you the benefit of the doubt the first time. But not a week later with another case full.

Remember ALWAYS use the purple exits (EU arrivals) when leaving.
The blue exit (nothing to declare) is the wrong one to use (international arrivals) you will probably be stopped.

sorry that should have said

green exit

lez

I always thought it was BLUE for EU arrivals and GREEN for nothing to declare.

Can someone please clarify.

Here you are hun
Click here

I just follow the crowd

besos xxx

I have read various things about the new smoking laws in Spain.

Is it true that you can only buy six cartons from each shop a day? There are also lots of shops that are no longer allowed to sell cigs.

To get to the 16 carton limit when on holiday would it be possible to arrive at Alacante, go upstairs to the shop just before passport control in departures for six cartons and then get six cartons from the same shop on the way back and then get the balance of four cartons when I get to the duty-free shop past passport control?

Has anyone done this?

I have never had a problem getting more than 6 cartons I have got about 30 from the same shop. What they did was give me a few different receipts maybe to make it look like I got 6 or less at a time.

We've recently returned from Majorca and the 6 carton per person rule was in place there.

Someone has stated in another thread that apparantly the police can pull you up if you are seen with more than the 6 cartons per person in the street. (Don't know how true this is though)

It's easy enough to be on the safe side to buy 6 cartons one day then go back later on etc for the rest.

The ciggies were about €3 per carton cheaper in resort than at the airport duty free so I wouldn't buy any there if you can avoid it. Silk Cut in resort were €28 per carton compared to €31 in Palma Airport

just got back on Sunday and there was no limit to how many boxes you could buy - my friend bought 15 in one go.

You can only get ciggies now from tobacconist or from vending machines - no shops/supermarkers sell them anymore - i used to always get mine for my night out from large corner shop on corner of rockies and loch ness bar but got told off girl in there only places i listed below

just arrived at manchester airport this afternoon from benidorm. went through the blue channel as normal,i was stopped by a customs officer and taken into another room.i was asked what i had in my case,i told them i had 3200 jps and 3kg of amber leaf rolling tobacco and 2lts of whisky. she did a computor search i have not been stopped before, and i am not a person who travels every two weeks.i made it clear that i do not smoke and they were for my son and daughter in law who have this week got thier first house together. money is tight for them and they have been a huge help as my wife is disabled they help with shopping and anything we need on a day to day basis. it was only with thier help that i could get away, i thought it would be a help going of the price in the uk and also a thank you for all thier help. the customs lady said they were keeping them because they were not for my personal use,i said but it is for my family it is a gift. she said they must be for my personal use not anybody else.yet if you look at the customs web site that states goods must be for personal use includeing gifts the word gift does not appear on any leaflet they have at manchester airport. i shall be appealing first thing monday why is customs in this country such a grey area guid line means nothing.please forgive my poor grammer i am not a normal letter writer but this as really got me going. and be careful what you say if you are stopped

stevieboy

Sorry to hear this Stevie, but it looks as though the "gift" of the ciggies has been taken as "payment" for help they have given. I honestly wish you all the best, I hate cr4p like this.
I hope you get offered some expert advice from HT members, and it all works in your favour. It's crazy, if you had told a little fib, and said they were for your own use, I have no doubt they would not have been confiscated.

All the very best, keep us informed.

Robby (but it should be Robby this time)

Stevieboy,

Hope you have some luck with the appeal. I agree with you that the guidelines online are misleading.

What kind of computer search did they do? Just to see if you have been stopped before or how often you fly?

The only thing I would say that I thought it was 3200 cigs OR 3kg tobacco, not both. You may be able to put me right on that one.

No pebbles, it's both.

3 kilos of tobacco (as well as ciggies), and cigars even if you wish . Must be for personal use though, or as a "gift".

Robby