# Booze and the French customs?



## hogan (Oct 31, 2006)

Hi I read somewhere (may have been on this site)that if you are going from France to the UK that the french customs will confiscate any wine or spirits not bought in France?.Is this true as next week we will travelling from our home in Spain loaded up with cheap Spanish wine and spirits to spend Christmas with daughter in the UK.So I dont want to load the van up only to have it taken off me in France.


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## dawnraider (Apr 2, 2006)

Over the last few years have probably crossed back from France at least 20 times, having stocked up in Belgium, Germany and Austria with dury frees and never have had a problem. 

Ken


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## cronkle (May 1, 2005)

I was stopped by French customs last summer, just after entering the peage at Abbeville. They did a cursory search and asked me where I had been. I said Spain and they showed more of an interest in the small amount of booze I was carrying. It was mostly of French origin but bought in Spain but they would not have known that. Talking to them it seems that they were looking for Brits who assume that because we are able to import loads of French stuff we also assume that we can transport it through France. Apparently their import limits are much lower than ours (I didn't ask details).

So, two points really, one is they might check (although I've not known anyone else be stopped like this) and the second is that they not only stop you at the ports and borders but in the middle of the country.


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## Medallionman (Nov 26, 2005)

We were pulled over on an N road coming up North from SW France (not far from the Spanish border) in the summer by French Customs Officers on motorcycles :!: . They wanted to know if we had been to Spain and had we bought any alcohol. No to both questions but they then did a search of the larger lockers etc in the van. If we had been to Spain and brought in alcohol would we have commited an offence? I know that ignorance is no excuse but I thoght we were in a the EU and a free market?


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## 94639 (May 1, 2005)

Hi Hogan
I think that the item you have read is more to do with Tobacco Tourism than with wine. However there is a point made in that article regading wine and spirits, see below

*France has long applied old customs rules regulating the movement of alcohol. No private person may carry more than 10 litres of spirits, 90 bottles of wine or 100 bottles of beer without a permit from the excise service. The 200-year-old rule has done little to curb French consumption*

The full article from 2005 I believe can be found on the following

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article583712.ece


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## icer (Dec 11, 2006)

There is a restriction on the amount of tobacco and booze etc that you can bring into the Eu from Andorra. The french customs have roving teams that stop vehicles in france near the borders.
The customs at the spanish are quite hot as well.

http://www.andorra.com/uk/shopping/shopping.asp

ian


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes (Jul 21, 2007)

brisey said:


> Hi Hogan
> I think that the item you have read is more to do with Tobacco Tourism than with wine. However there is a point made in that article regading wine and spirits, see below
> 
> *France has long applied old customs rules regulating the movement of alcohol. No private person may carry more than 10 litres of spirits, 90 bottles of wine or 100 bottles of beer without a permit from the excise service. The 200-year-old rule has done little to curb French consumption*
> ...


*Bet the French do not apply this rule to Brits going to the Hypermarkets at Calais and then going back to the UK !!*


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## hogan (Oct 31, 2006)

Thank you all the replies have put my mind at rest.A trip tomorrow to my local booze shop to stock up,Bacardi €5,Cava €2,Whisky€12.Cant wait.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Cig Trips*

Hello there,

We recently took some Friends down to Cote D'Azur. Had a great time and they suggested next year we should do a trip to the Spanish border. They had heard of people buying thousands of cigarettes and sell them when they return to pay for the trip.

I suggested that the carrying of so much tobacco was illegal in France. No they told us, they had heard of many people doing it. I said I did not like the idea but would be happy to do the trip without the cigs.

On our return from the Cote D'azur going through Calais, we were questioned by UK Customs, where had we been? how long for? why? how much Spirits, wine, beer and cigarettes we had on board???. I told them we had 90 litres of wine, 200 small beers, 4l spirits and about 800 cigarettes, which is indeed roughly what we had between the four of us.
Off the lady went to discuss this with other officers and after some long discussion we were allowed on our way.

We cross about 20 times a year. After speaking to other people, it seems they are having a crack down to include extra security measures.

Hope this tale helps?

Trev.


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## passionwagon (Nov 13, 2005)

JohnsCrossMotorHomes said:


> brisey said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Hogan
> ...


 8O Yes they do=Beware for tobacco purchased in Belgium. French C&E do patrol the roads In Pas de calias close to Belgium border. Also remember UK C&E can stop and ask anywhere in UK and one favourite halt is where the A2 joins the M2. Seem many vans and coaches being 'talked to' :wink:


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Hi,

basically the "common market" rules allow you to (legally) purchase any goods and any amount of them in any EU country, and transport them into or through other EU countries, as long as these goods are for personal use!

Exceptions exist e.g. for weapons, narcotics, tobacco and alcohol:

For tobacco and alcohol the countries may set "guide levels" to determine what is considered as personal use. These guide levels may not be *lower than:*
800 cigarettes
400 cigarillos
200 cigars
1 kg of tobacco
10 litres of spirits
20 litres of fortified wine
90 litres of wine (out of which max. 60 litres sparkling wine)
110 litres of beer.
Again, these are lower levels. So countries may allow higher, but not lower levels. Some countries however, among them UK, _temporarily_ apply stricter levels on cigarettes and/or tobacco when imported from certain "new" EU member states. Details can be found here.

Note that Andorra is a very special case: Though it has two heads of state, the French President and the Bishop of Urgell, and the Euro as official currency, it is not an EU member, so here lower limits might apply!

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

Boff has it in one almost, the EU free market is not so free; so you cannot bring over gallons of booze and thousands of cigarettes from a low duty/tax member to another for commercial sale on. If you are bringing for personal use each country defines what is personal use. This being subject to a lowest common denominator.

The question of transit is moot but if not sealed up, they will look on you as having imported into the country you are transiting

Andorra, like the Channel Islands, is not in the EU so there is no free movement of goods and the standard, very low, duty free allowances apply, these are the same EU wide.

I travel in Spain and France, close to Andorra, regularly, the customs police of both countries have frequent stop and search parties

I come from IOM, that is not in the EU either, but for these purposes it is treated as in as it has a customs union with the UK and we pay UK VAT and duty rates

But we get no EU health card. no right to establish if four manx grandparents, no payouts, but as our market is solely EU we have to comply in full with all the regulations


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Hi again,

of course you may also im-, ex- and transport booze for non-personal use within the EU. I.e. for re-sale in another country. However, if that is the intention, you have to declare it. And pay duties.

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## Tmax (Aug 5, 2006)

Hi, 
I live south of Perpignan close to the Spanish border, if we are coming back from Spain after a day out we often see people being checked out by the French customs both on the A9 and more often on the road up from Le Perthus. More often at or just before Christmas etc. when people are stocking up. Just use a little common sense and dont have boxes and boxes of spirits all together, spread it around the van. Wines are probably ok. I think it is more cigs. and spirits they look for. Have a good trip home.

Regards, Tom


Toujours a Vacances !


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## 101405 (Oct 15, 2006)

*booze- *****

Can I ask you all why you need such amounts of wine spirits cigs. how can you expect uk retailers to survive when you smuggle such larges amounts . if its dodgy its always brits doing it. saw some stealing collies out of a field ! shameful


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

> saw some stealing collies out of a field !
> 
> Didn't they get bitten?
> Collies can be very bad tempered.
> ...


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## SidT (May 9, 2005)

If the UK government didn't imose such a high duty on wines & spirits people wouldn't be tempted to bring it back, we would buy more here and uk retailers would survive.
By the way I only bring a few bottles of my favourite wine back which is double the price over here.
Sid


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## ksebruce (Nov 5, 2006)

If you are within the legal limits and it is for personal use then it is *not* smuggling.


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

ksebruce said:


> If you are within the legal limits and it is for personal use then it is *not* smuggling.


Absolutely agree.

I always thought when I voted for us to be part of the Common Market that it was to create a bigger trading area where Customs charges between the EU nations would be reduced.
It was to encourage trading between those nations.

Surely, if we go to France to buy their wine the French will come here to buy our........................................................(thinking)............................... I know! Auntie Betty's Yorkshire Puddings.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

autostratus said:


> Surely, if we go to France to buy their wine the French will come here to buy our........................................................(thinking)............................... I know! Auntie Betty's Yorkshire Puddings.


Pity they wouldn't buy some Yorkshire tea. :roll:

The Lipton's stuff in the yellow packet, which is often all you can get in many French shops, is more like winkle's wee than a decent cup of char. 

Quite agree about the "smuggling". But are we really full members of the EEC???? Surely not if we get only selected benefits.!! We should share equally in the advantages and the disadvantages if the treaty means anything, then "smuggling" wouldn't be an issue!

Cheers


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## ICDSUN (Oct 10, 2006)

Hi

Have seen several occasions what appears to be a Customs vehicle parked on the slip road from AdinKerke back to Calais waiting for Brits and French returning with cigs/tobacco, and French Customs pulling them in once they cross the border, last 4 visits over the last 2 months have noticed this, also enhanced security at Calais is more related to human traffic but if you have a lot of cigs/alcohol you can expect a stop on the way out from Dover docks.

Chris


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

This was a quote I saw only yesterday

"There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government."

so to slightly misquote silversurfa:

_Can I ask you all why you need such amounts of wine spirits cigs? How can you expect uk retailers to survive when you *bring* such large amounts? 
_


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

sallytrafic said:


> "There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government."
> [/i]


Interesting quote Frank, and substantially accurate I'm sure.

What I'm not sure about however is "who is defrauding whom" (_note the posh English_)

When the prices of booze etc. are so very much cheaper in France and elsewhere, one does have to wonder if our govenment is being a tad greedy with the rakeoffs . . . .  . . . . sorry, I meant taxes.

I also wonder if most people would bother to bring back bootloads of booze if the price difference wasn't so dramatic. I certainly wouldn't bother if I saved only a couple of quid on a case of wine.

Regards


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

> one does have to wonder if our govenment is being a tad greedy with the rakeoffs . . . . Embarassed . . . . sorry, I meant taxes.


Why do you think the government is greedy? Do you belong to that group who thinks the Chancellor benefits personally from taxes, as many posts suggest?
Or, do you have some Goverment spending in mind that you want cut in order to fund tax cuts?


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

aultymer said:


> Why do you think the government is greedy? Do you belong to that group who thinks the Chancellor benefits personally from taxes, as many posts suggest?
> Or, do you have some Goverment spending in mind that you want cut in order to fund tax cuts?


Sorry, I'm not rising to this bait. 8)

I was referring only to the contast between the price of booze etc in France and at home. Nothing more nor less. Can you explain it for me Aultymer?

Regards


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## Auchmill (Oct 1, 2007)

The UK government has long had a punitive take on alcohol. There is an argument that it is in fact too cheap, relatively speaking - hence the binge-drinking culture. A&E units are choked at weekends with alcohol fueled incidents diverting scarce resources from "real" accidents and emergencies to dealing with self-inflicted harm. Not to mention the violence which often ensues.

Other countries have a different drinking culture to Britain, but I believe they are catching up fast.


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

Zebedee - no bait intended - I was just wondering what you think tax is used for - it does not 'line the governments pockets' as some have suggested on other posts - it is, as I understand it, used to fund the running of the country.
If you reduce the tax take on anything you have to balance it somehow and I was asking how that could be done?
Some thing we do better than other countries some worse but on balance I prefer our system.

As to the difference between UK and continent - I believe Auchmill has it spot on. 

The great thing about tax on booze and tobacco is it a voluntary tax - you never need to pay it.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

aultymer said:


> Zebedee - no bait intended.


Fair enough. Apologies if I was a bit sharp but I thought you might be having a little go. 

I agree entirely by the way. In some ways this country is utter rubbish, but we lead the world in other aspects. We spent the whole of 1987 in New Zealand with the intention of emigrating, but you will notice our location is still Worcestershire :!: :!:

Cheers


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