I'm flying into Barcelona in a week, en route to Genoa to visit family. I want to take gifts for them. Anybody know what kinds of items will be stopped at customs in Spain? I don't want to spend $100 on vacuum-packed smoked salmon or artisan chocolate or hand-made soap only to have it confiscated.
And any idea about what, if any, additional restrictions there will be going from Spain to Italy?
From Spain's official tourism website, "Travellers may not bring foodstuffs of animal origin for their own consumption into the European Union as part of their baggage (meats, meat products, milk and dairy products)." That would seem to exclude your salmon and chocolates but leave room for plenty of soap.
As for bringing things from Spain to Italy, from the same website, "There are no limits to what you can buy and take with you when you travel between countries in the European Union, provided what you buy is for your own personal use." I'm sure "personal use" would include gifts to others.
Thanks for the comment. I actually looked at that website, but was confused by the phrase "for their own consumption." Does that include gifts for somebody else's consumption? I should probably err on the side of caution...
The EU appears to make a distinction between "meat" and "fish" products so your salmon is probably OK -- see this page where "meat, milk or their products" are forbidden but up to 20 kg of "fishery products" are allowed, or this page where "meat or dairy" products are forbidden but "other animal products including fish [my emphasis] products, snails, and honey."
The website that Dick linked to also states that "travellers are permitted to enter Spain with their personal baggage, which may contain items for personal or family use, or to be given as presents" -- basically what they are trying to ensure is that you're not trying to run some kind of clandestine import/export business under the table (i.e. if you arrive with a couple of bars of luxury soap that's one thing, whereas if you have 30 kg of the same brand of luxury soap they may start asking some questions.)
Salmon isn’t meat, nor are chocolates dairy products.
These are the guidelines for goods imported into the UK (which are common to all EU countries).
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/personal-food-plant-and-animal-product-imports
Soap and chocolates are not banned, and small amounts of smoked fish products are OK.
Further confirmation from the EU website.
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/carry/index_en.htm
You won't have a problem with the items you mention but duty may be payable if their value exceeds €430.
However, the probability of seeing a customs officer in Europe is close to zero. I cannot remember the last time I saw anyone staffing the custom desk (not true for the US). Just walk through the Green Door -- nothing to declare. Cannot be any restrictions between Spain and Italy because they are part of the EU and there are no borders and no border inspection.
I love being able to ask the experts. Thanks, everyone!
(No way will the gifts exceed $500.)
Monty, "Their own consumption" includes gifts. If you are planning to sell it, then you must be a registered business and pay VAT when you sell it.
The EU is a Customs Union, there is no customs travelling between EU countries, either for private travellers or commercial cargoes. However when something is sold in a different country, the company pays VAT where it is sold (not where it is delivered from).
The EU also has a common food safety system, anything legal in one country can be taken to any other country without restriction.
All this means trucks never need to stop at borders.
The rules for importing into the EU are standard. Same rules apply in Barcelona or flying direct to Genoa from outside the EU.
The rules (on the EU website) are here: https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/animalproducts/personal_imports_en
Travellers are not allowed to bring in meat, milk or their products,
For fishery products . . . ., travellers are allowed to bring in up to 20 kilograms or the weight of one fish if this is higher.
As for import duties (taxes), the amounts of all other items (including soap ☺) you can bring in without getting taxed are listed here: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/individuals/travelling/entering-eu_en
Other goods (including perfume, coffee, tea, electronic devices etc.)
Up to a value of €430 for air and sea travellers
You just walk through the green door, which is typically unmanned. It is not at all like US Customs.
You walk through the green door if you have nothing to declare. The onus is on travellers to know the rules.
It's really up to you and if you want to break the rules. We went through customs in Madrid and no one even asked us to declare anything (we had carry-ons only), nor did they look in our bag. We just showed our passport and went through the door (this was the same as when we've ever gone to Europe).
If the sign says to declare any food and you don't and walk through the green door you can be stopped and fined. Your luggage (and you) may have already been sniffed before you reach Customs.
I don't want to break the rules. :) And I don't want to have anything confiscated. Just trying to figure out what is legal to take.
Becky and others, If you walk through the green "Nothing to declare" you are legally making a declaration. If you are randomly stopped and found to have something you should have declared, you can be prosecuted for making a false declaration to customs.
"We went through customs in Madrid and no one even asked us to declare anything" - they don't have to ask, you "voted with your feet".
This photo shows what it looks like: https://c8.alamy.com/comp/KPHWBN/customs-channels-at-manchester-airport-uk-KPHWBN.jpg
And passport control is before luggage reclaim. Customs comes after you pick up your bags.
Just to be clear: I'm not trying to sneak something through customs. What I want to know is what needs to be declared so I know what I can bring that doesn't need to be declared. Legally. :)
The small quantities you are describing are way too small to be declared.
I stand corrected -- salmon is a fish, not a meat, and chocolate is a bean-based sugar-laden delight, not a dairy product. Soap isn't food, either, though my mom did threaten to wash my mouth with it once or twice during a long-ago misspent childhood. ;-)
Our friends above who live in Europe know this stuff better than anyone. Rest easy, Monty.
I think I'm okay on the fish, but I'm still not entirely clear about chocolate. Is it a dairy product or not? In the good stuff, ingredients include both butter and milk...
Maybe I'll just declare it, talk about how much I love my Italian family, and cross my fingers. Worst case, I suppose, the customs guy can take a box of really nice chocolates home to his family.
Thank you all for the help!
Rest easy, your chocolate is not a dairy product. The chocolate is fine. The concern with dairy products, and meat, (unless they have very high economic protections for dairy) is the potential of bacteria and disease being transported in the product. This would be more of an issue with Milk and runny products, not an issue with dried, solid, or firm cheeses. Also not an issue are highly processed products like chocolate, cheese crackers, items made with dairy or cheese.
Regarding declaring, I agree with the posters above, you walking through the Green door is stating you have nothing to declare. They can, and do stop people after the doors, and if you have checked a bag, or walked through a portal (you probably did) on the way to immigration, your bag has been at least sniffed and checked bags x-rayed.
Reporting back:
At the Barcelona airport, Spain couldn't have cared less what was in my suitcase. I honestly and cautiously pulled a customs official aside to fess up to carrying chocolate and smoked salmon in my suitcase. He looked at me like I was a crazy American and waved me through.
From Spain into Italy was, if anything, even less problematic. Nobody asked anything at all or wanted to look at any papers.
I can't promise you will have the same experience, but I think if you avoid carrying raw meat or marijuana, you should be okay. :)
Yup. I can’t believe you actually approached a customs officer. I’ve never seen anyone do that in my decades of coming and going. I bet they thought you were crazy.
