Crossing the Border - Goods confiscated!

[Alisun]

Came through the border last night at 8.30 to catch flight to UK - daughter had her cigarettes confiscated even though she had kept below the personal allowance - not too bothered about that as I had told her she was taking the risk (we've been travelling to and fro for 10 years). But she's worried there will be repercussions for her - is there a blacklist that she will now be on and will have trouble visiting in future?

Yes would love to stick with Turkish out of Ercan at all times but their prices this year were so high when booking!

[Owl Lady]

wouldn't think there is a black list for that crime..Probably the customers office had run out of ciggies!!!

[bargainboozeandwines]

Crossing from North to South your allowance is 2 packets of 20. 40 Cigarettes.

[TB10pilot]

If you thought that it was 200, there is your answer. We learnt that lesson many years ago!

[Alisun]

Thanks - as I said in my original post I knew the allowances - but as there is no official notice of this available the "kids" wouldn't listen - when do they ever?

[carrierbag]

We took my sister to Larnaca airport in May....she had 200 cigs in her case. Despite them asking everytime "do you know your allowances" we didn't to be honest as we do not take anything we shouldn't that way.

The Customs' lady said the allowance was 40 and my sister said she had 200. All bags were searched but because she had told them she had 200 they allowed her to take them with no penalty. They will not be so lenient again I think. Apparently in the EU you can take something like 32,000 for personal use.........barking!

[frontalman]

Many years ago as a favour to friends, I took a couple to Larnaca airport who had stayed in their holiday villa. The guy (I found out later) was a British magistrate. At the time the GC customs were searching everyone's case as you went across, and the EU allowance was 200 cigs, I think. Anyway, I explained on the way that they only allowed 40 cigarettes per person but he said he had 200 for his son. When we arrived he declared his ciggies to be told they would be confiscated. Unbeknown to them this guy had helped draft the EU legislation concerning this issue and knew his rights. He stormed into their office and demanded to be shown the law that said only 40 could be taken across. I watched this with glee as they ran around like blue-a***d flies trying to find anything official that could justify the 40 cigs ruling. After a while they admitted they had nothing and told him he could keep them. He was absolutely raging, calling them a disgrace and they kept apologising. As you can imagine, I found the whole thing quite amusing. So what they are doing is illegal (according to him) and has no backing in EU law! I believe the official UK Government website that advises on travel to Cyprus confirms that there is a limit of 40 ciggies that can be brought from North to South but it neither questions nor confirms whether EU law is being breached.

[madamx]

Goods, including cigarettes, may be confiscated at the checkpoint and you may be fined.
The Republic of Cyprus currently imposes a limit of 40 cigarettes per person
on crossing the Green Line from north Cyprus.
More...
Foreign travel advice Cyprus @ GOV.UK
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advic ... d-security

[erol]

So what they are doing is illegal (according to him) and has no backing in EU law! I believe the official UK Government website that advises on travel to Cyprus confirms that there is a limit of 40 ciggies that can be brought from North to South but it neither questions nor confirms whether EU law is being breached.

Maybe I should work for RoC customs on the border because I found the EU regulation in about 5 mins.

The original limit (of 20 cigarettes) is defined here clearly and without any ambiguity

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ ... R0866R(01)

See article 6

Amended to 40 cigarettes in 2004 as per here (pdf)

http://ec.europa.eu/cyprus/documents/tu ... enline.pdf

I am afraid you friend's learned friend was in fact totally wrong. The limit of 40 is defined explicitly in EU law. Sorry.

[Carbotec]

1. Council Directive 69/169/EEC (OJ L 133, 4.6.1969, p. 6 Directive as last amended by Directive 2000/47/EC (OJ L 193, 29.7.2000, p.73) shall not apply, but goods contained in the personal luggage of persons crossing the line shall be exempt from turnover tax and excise duty provided they have no commercial character and their total value does not exceed EUR 135 per person.
2. The quantitative limits for exemptions from turnover tax and excise duty shall be 40 cigarettes and 1 litre of spirits for personal consumption.

After reading this and I maybe being stupid here, if the cigarettes are in your suite case, you can have 135 euros worth, am I reading this correctly.

[tomsteel]

Was the seizure by RoC or SBA HM Customs/Excise personnel and at which crossing point was it made? Purely academic question and of personal interest only.

[frontalman]

It was Metehan, probably around 2008, and he did get to keep his cigarettes. I bowed to his superior knowledge at the time, but if it was all bluff and bravado, then good luck to him!

[£eagle]

If you carry more than 40 tax free cigarettes to the South then there should be the option of paying duty on the excess. Confiscation may just be an exercise in institutional bullying.

[Shell232]

£eagle if they work like UK customs then they would only get an option to pay the duty if they have initially declared the duty free cigarettes at the right time (in the UK this would be the red point), if they are only honest when stopped by a customs officer then the cigarettes will normally be seized

[Groucho]

£eagle if they work like UK customs then they would only get an option to pay the duty if they have initially declared the duty free cigarettes at the right time (in the UK this would be the red point), if they are only honest when stopped by a customs officer then the cigarettes will normally be seized

Quite right too... otherwise many would think smuggling is acceptable.... which it's not.