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800 cigarettes 400 cigarillos 200 cigars 1kg of tabacco 10 litres of spirits 20 litres of fortified wine (such as port or sherry) 90 litres of wine (of which, a maximum of 60 litres of sparkling wine) 110 litres of beer Food There are no general restrictions on carrying meat or dairy products when travelling within the EU.
COMING INTO THE EU
If you enter the EU from a non-EU country, you can bring with you goods free of VAT and excise duties for personal use within the limits set out below. The same applies if you come from the Canary Islands, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar or other territories where EU rules on VAT and excise duties do not apply.
Food It is illegal to bring back any meat or dairy products, even in small quantities, when coming back home from most countries outside the EU. The only exceptions are Andorra, Faeroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland. This is to protect EU livestock from animal diseases.
HELP FOR CONSUMERS
As a consumer, you are protected by basic laws no matter where you are in the EU.
Know what you are eating You can be assured of the highest food safety standards because of strict laws on the production, processing and selling of food. EU laws on food labelling enable you to make informed choices about what you are buying. You can check the list of ingredients, including for those most commonly associated with allergies or intolerance. Look out for the EU organic logo on all pre-packed organic foodstuffs.
Essential Passport & Travel Information
Alcoholic drinks • 1 litre of spirits over 22% vol. or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine • 4 litres of still wine • 16 litres of beer Tobacco products Each EU country chooses whether to apply the higher or the lower limits to travellers coming from outside the EU. If it applies the lower limits it may apply them only to land and sea travellers (Bulgaria, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden) or to all travellers (Estonia and Romania). Lower Limit
200 cigarettes
40 cigarettes
Or 100 cigarillos
Or 20 cigarillos
Or 50 cigars
Or 10 cigars
Or 250g tobacco
Or 50g tobacco
Other goods including perfume If you are travelling by air and sea you may bring in other goods with a value of not more than €430 and not more than €300 if travelling by land and inland waterway. Some EU countries apply a lower limit for travellers under 15 but it may not be lower than €150.
JOHN O’MAHONY TD
courtesy of
JOHN O’MAHONY TD
Constituency office, D’Alton Street, Claremorris, Co Mayo. Tel: 094 93 73560 · Fax: 094 93 73379 · Text: 086 3268041 Email: john.omahony@oireachtas.ie www.johnomahony.ie · Follow me on Dáil Office, Dáil Eireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 6183706 · Fax: 01 6184595
Personal attendance every Monday in Claremorris. Please contact office for appointment. Working in Mayo with An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, Minister of State Michael Ring TD, Michelle Mulherin TD & Mairead McGuinness MEP
courtesy of
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Higher Limit
JOHN O’MAHONY TD
TOP 10 THINGS TO CHECK BEFORE YOU TRAVEL 1
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Where is my passport? Before booking your holiday, check that you have your passport to hand, and that it is in date. Some countries and airlines require you have a minimum of 6 months validity remaining on your passport. That’s 6 months from the end date of your trip. Check with your travel agent or the relevant Embassy to find out if you will need a visa and if so, apply early. What about the kids? Check the kids’ passports as well. Children must now travel on their own individual passport. Passports for children need to be renewed more frequently than adults’ passports. Children under 3 receive a 3-year passport. All other under-18s receive a 5-year passport. The years fly by so check the validity in advance so the children can fly too! Apply in good time: If your passport is out of date or close to expiry, log on to www.dfa.ie/passportscitizenship to learn how to apply for a new one. The easiest and cheapest way is through the Passport Express Service operated by An Post. Correctly completed passport renewal applications are targeted to be processed in 10 working days. Applications can also be made in person (by appointment only), in the Dublin or Cork Passport Offices. You can make an appointment using the same link. Take out travel insurance: Having something go wrong while on holiday is bad enough without finding yourself unable to organise assistance and meet medical costs. It is recommended that you obtain comprehensive travel insurance. If you know you’ll be undertaking activities that are considered risky, such as extreme sports, make sure your insurance policy covers this. The Department cannot pay for expenses as a result of a personal emergency while you are abroad. For future guidance see https://www.dfa.ie/travel/know-before-you-go/ travel-insurance-and-health/
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Check travel advice: The Departments website www.dfa.ie is regularly updates with country specific information that will help you plan your trip, and help equip you with all you need to know to keep yourself https://www.dfa.ie/travel/traveladvice/ twitter: @dfatirl. Register: We encourage you to register with the Department if you are traveling abroad. People find this particularly helpful if travelling to remote or more unusual destinations where there may be a higher personal risk involved. By registering with the Department they can contact you if there is any emergency in the area you are in while you are traveling. You can register on https://www.dfa.ie/ travel/ citizens-registration/ Local Laws and customs: One of the greatest things about travelling the world is how different each country is. This diversity means that every country has its own laws and customs which should always be respected. Check out travel advice for further guidance https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/ Avoid unnecessary risks: Holidays are great for relaxing. However, your welfare remains just as important abroad as it is a home. Don’t take risks with your personal safety abroad. If something feels wrong or too good to be true, it probably is. Too many “great nights out” have turned into family tragedies so be careful. Here to help: Bring details of the local Irish Embassey or Consulate with you. They can assist if something goes wrong when you are travelling abroad. You can also call the Consular Assistance Unit at the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin +35314082000. HAVE A GREAT TIME!
MONEY
- The Euro The Euro is currently used by more than 60% of EU citizens or more than 334 million people in 18 EU countries. The symbol of the euro is €. Euro notes are identical in all countries but each country issues its own coins with one common side and one side displaying a distinctive national design. All the notes and coins can be used in all EU countries that have adopted the euro, including many of their overseas territories. Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City use the euro as their national currency, in agreement with the EU. A number of countries and territories, such as Kosovo and Montenegro, use the euro as their de facto currency. In European countries outside the euro area, many hotels, shops and restaurants, particularity in tourist areas, accept payment in euros as well as the national currency, although that are not legally obliged to do so.
CASH AND CARDS
Withdrawing euros from a cash machine anywhere in the EU costs you the same as it does in your own country from a cash machine that does not belong to your bank. The same fees must apply to all payments by debit or credit cards in euros no matter whether the transaction takes place in your own country or within the EU. The same fees must also apply when making a euro credit transfer or direct debit payment whether you send a payment nationally or to another EU country. Charges for any transactions may of course differ significantly between banks.International payments in other currencies are not subject to these provisions. If you enter or leave the EU with €10,000 or more in cash (or its equivalent in other currencies) you must declare it to the customs authorities.
SHOPPING - Within the EU
There are no limits on what you can buy and take with you when you travel between EU countries, as long as it is for personal use and not for resale. Taxes (VAT and excise duty) are included in the price you pay and no further payment of tax can be due in any other EU country.
TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL
To determine whether tobacco and alcohol are for personal use, each country can set guide levels. If you carry a larger quantity of these goods, you may be questioned to check that you have no commercial intent. The guide levels may not be lower than: