Duty Free allowance list
In the last few weeks, we published a series of articles about the duty-free allowance in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. And after looking up all the information, what is our conclusion?
Our conclusion is that’s there is no line in the duty-free allowances. It goes literally from an allowance of zero cigars to an allowance of unlimited cigars as long as it’s for personal use. Some allowances are per cigars, others per weight, most are very clear, others mention a maximum value. Maximum values are hard to prove if you travel with cigars from your personal collection. I mean, who saves all the receipts? We don’t know anybody who does. And then there are the vague ‘reasonable quantities’, which is always up for debate. For you 5 cigars a day, 10-day trip, so 50 cigars may seem reasonable, but for a customs officer who never saw so many cigars that seems very unreasonable. We think that those countries are vague so that customs officers can shake visitors down a little, since the countries with that allowance score quite low on the corruption perception index 2017. Afghanistan (177), Guinea Bissau (171) Iran (130) and not even a mention for Sao Tome & Principe. So prepare to pay some lubrication at the airport if you travel with cigars or cigarillos to those areas.
Our expectations were that especially the E.U. would have synchronized their duty-free allowance. And in a way, they did, but then again not all of them. For example, Finland has a different set of rules, the overseas territories are not included but France includes their overseas territories. The U.S.A. has special allowances for their territories. And talking about territories, you would expect that they would have the same allowance as their mainland, but no. The Dutch territories have a different allowance than The Netherlands, the New Zealand territories and Australian territories aren’t as strict as New Zealand and Australia. So it makes it worth to do some homework before you travel. And to make it a little bit easier, we compiled a list, in alphabetical order, with the duty-free allowance per country, both for cigars and cigarillos.
Cigars | Cigarillos | |||
| Afghanistan | Reasonable quantities | Reasonable quantities | ||
| Albania | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Algeria | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| American Samoa | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | (1) | |
| Andorra | 75 | 150 | (2) | |
| Angola | 500 grams | 500 grams | ||
| Anguilla | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Antigua & Barbuda | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Argentina | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | (3) | |
| Armenia | 10 | 400 | ||
| Aruba | 25 | 50 | ||
| Australia | 25 grams | 25 grams | ||
| Austria | 200 | 400 | (4) | |
| Azerbaijan | 1000 grams | 1000 grams | ||
| Bahamas | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Bahrein | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Bangladesh | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Barbados | Free for personal use | Free for personal use | ||
| Belarus | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Belgium | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Belize | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Benin | 25 | 100 | ||
| Bermuda | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Bhutan | 0 | 0 | ||
| Bolivia | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Bonaire | 25 | 50 | ||
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 250 gram | 100 | ||
| Botswana | 20 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Brazil | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| British Virgin Islands | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Brunei | 0 | 0 | ||
| Bulgaria | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Burkina Faso | 25 | 100 | ||
| Burundi | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Cabo Verde | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Cambodia | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Cameroon | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Canada | 50 | 200 | ||
| Cayman Islands | 25 | 100 | ||
| Central African Republic | 250 | 1000 | ||
| Chad | 125 | 400 | ||
| Chile | 50 | 50 | ||
| China | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Christmas Island | 25 grams | 25 grams | ||
| Colombia | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Comoros | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Congo | 1 box *men only* | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Cook Islands | 20 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Costa Rica | 50 | 500 grams | ||
| Cote d’Ivoire | 25 | 100 | ||
| Croatia | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Cuba | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Curacao | 50 | 100 | ||
| Cyrpus | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Czech Republic | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Denmark | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Djibouti | 50 | 100 | ||
| Dominica | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Dominican Republic | 1 box | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Ecuador | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Egypt | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| El Salvador | 25 | 25 | ||
| Equatorial Guinea | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Eritrea | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Estonia | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Eswatini (Swaziland) | 20 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Ethiopia | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Falkland Islands | 50 | 100 | ||
| Fiji | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Finland | 50 | 100 | ||
| France | 50 | 100 | (5) | |
| French Guiana | 50 | 100 | ||
| French Polynesia | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Gabon | 125 | 400 | ||
| Gambia | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Georgia | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Germany | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Ghana | 50 | 100 | ||
| Gibraltar | 50 | 100 | ||
| Greece | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Greenland | 50 | 100 | ||
| Grenada | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Guadeloupe | 50 | 100 | ||
| Guam | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Guatemala | 500 grams | 500 grams | ||
| Guinea | 250 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Guinea Bissau | Reasonable quantities | Reasonable quantities | ||
| Guyana | 227 grams | 227 grams | ||
| Haiti | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Honduras | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Hong Kong | 1 | 25 grams | ||
| Hungary | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Iceland | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| India | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Indonesia | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Iran | Reasonable quantities | Reasonable quantities | ||
| Iraq | 10 | 25 | ||
| Ireland | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Israel | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Italy | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Jamaica | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Japan | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Jordan | Not over 70 JOD | Not over 20 JOD | ||
| Kazakhstan | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Kenya | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Kiribati | 225 grams | 225 grams | ||
| Kosovo | 50 | 100 | ||
| Kuwait | 900 grams | 900 grams | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Laos | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Latvia | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Lebanon | 50 | 100 | (6) | |
| Lesotho | 20 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Liberia | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Libya | 400 grams | 400 grams | ||
| Liechtenstein | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Lithouania | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Luxembourg | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Macau | 1 | 25 grams | ||
| Macedonia | 50 | 100 | ||
| Madagascar | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Malawi | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Malaysia | 225 grams | 225 grams | ||
| Maldives | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Mali | 250 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Malta | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Marshall Islands | 454 grams | 454 grams | ||
| Martinique | 50 | 100 | ||
| Mauritania | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Mauritius | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Mayotte | 50 | 100 | (7) | |
| Mexico | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Micronesia | 20 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Moldova | 50 | 50 | ||
| Monaco | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Mongolia | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Montenegro | 50 | 100 | ||
| Montserrat | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Morocco | 50 | 200 | ||
| Mozambique | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Myanmar | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Namibia | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Nauru | 500 grams | 500 grams | ||
| Nepal | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Netherlands | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| New Caledonia | 50 | 100 | ||
| New Zealand | 50 grams | 50 grams | ||
| Nicaragua | 500 grams | 500 grams | ||
| Niger | 25 | 100 | ||
| Nigeria | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Niue | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Norfolk Island | 25 grams | 25 grams | ||
| North Korea | No info available | No info available | ||
| Northern Ireland | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 454 grams | 454 grams | ||
| Norway | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Oman | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Pakistan | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Palau | 1 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Palestine | No info available | No info available | ||
| Panama | No info available | No info available | ||
| Papua New Guinea | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Paraguay | Max 300 USD | Max 300 USD | ||
| Peru | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Phillipines | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Pitcairn Islands | No info available | No info available | ||
| Poland | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Portugal | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Puerto Rico | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Qatar | No info available | No info available | ||
| Reunion | 50 | 100 | (7) | |
| Romania | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Russia | 100 | 200 | ||
| Rwanda | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Saba | 25 | 50 | ||
| Saint Barthelemy | 50 | 100 | ||
| Saint Kitts & Nevis | 50 | 100 | ||
| Saint Lucia | 50 | 100 | ||
| Saint Martin | 50 | 100 | ||
| Saint Pierre & Miquelon | 75 | 150 | ||
| Saint Vincent & the Grenadines | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Samoa | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| San Marino | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Sao Tome & Principe | Reasonable quantities | Reasonable quantities | ||
| Saudi Arabia | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Senegal | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Serbia | 50 | 100 | ||
| Seychelles | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Siera Leona | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Singapore | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sint Eustatius | 25 | 50 | ||
| Sint Maarten | 50 | 100 | ||
| Slovakia | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Slovenia | 50 | 100 | ||
| Solomon Islands | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Somalia | 40 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| South Africa | 20 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| South Korea | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| South Sudan | 0 | 0 | ||
| Spain | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Sri Lanka | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sudan | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Suriname | 20 | 200 | ||
| Sweden | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Switzerland | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Syria | 25 | 50 | ||
| Taiwan | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Tajikistan | 2 cartons | 2 cartons | ||
| Tanzania | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Thailand | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Timor | 75 | 100 | ||
| Togo | 50 | 100 | ||
| Tokelau | No info available | No info available | ||
| Tonga | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Trinidad & Tobago | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Tunisia | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Turkey | 50 | 100 | ||
| Turkmenistan | 2 packs of tobacco | 2 packs of tobacco | ||
| Turks & Caicos Islands | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Tuvalu | 225 grams | 225 grams | ||
| U.S.A. | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| UAE | 400 max 3000 AED | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Uganda | 250 grams | 250 grams | ||
| Ukraine | 50 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| United Kingdom | 50 | 100 | (4) | Subject to change after Brexit |
| Uruguay | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| US Virgin Islands | 100 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Uzbekistan | 1000 gram | 1000 gram | ||
| Vanuatu | 25 | 100 | ||
| Vatican City | 50 | 100 | (4) | |
| Venezuela | 25 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Vietnam | 20 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Wake island | 50 (max value 150 USD) | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Wallis & Futuna | 50 | 100 | ||
| Western Sahara | No info available | No info available | ||
| Yemen | 60 | Not specifically mentioned | ||
| Zambia | 500 grams | 500 grams | ||
| Zimbabwe | Open package personal use: no limit | Open package personal use: no limit |
(1) If you have spent less than 48 hours out of the country or traveled in and out of the country within a 30 day period, the maximum allowance is only 10 cigars.
(2) To get to Andorra you have to travel through France or Spain, check their allowances too before you travel
(3) If you arrive from Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay or Chile the duty-free allowance is only 25 cigars.
(4) If you arrive from an E.U. member country, excluding the overseas areas and the Channel Islands, you are allowed to bring in 200 cigars or 400 cigarillos.
(5) If you arrive from an E.U. member country, excluding the overseas areas and the Channel Islands but including French overseas territories, you are allowed to bring in 200 cigars or 400 cigarillos.
(6) Only once per six months
(7) When traveling from Mauritius the duty-free allowance is 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos
