What Can I Bring Through Customs?
Before you fly, drive or sail across a border, what may you carry in your luggage, and what must you declare? This guide explains, country by country, whether there is a personal allowance, how alcohol and tobacco are treated, what the rules on food, plants and animals are, what to do with cash, and which medicines and other items are banned.
Part of the comparative law toolkit. Each page links to the country’s own customs authority, which is the source to trust.
Part of the European Union customs unionPart of another customs unionIts own customs territoryLighter shade: a general outline for the country's legal tradition, not yet checked country by countryNot yet covered
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Customs rules change, and they are enforced by officers who can seize goods and fine you. This guide describes the structure of each country’s rules, such as whether there is an allowance and what kinds of goods are controlled. It does not give amounts, limits or thresholds, because those change often. For the figure that applies to you, use the customs authority linked on each page, and when in doubt, declare. This is general information, not legal advice.
Every country covered
The 27 member states of the European Union share one set of rules for goods arriving from outside the EU, so they share one page.
| Country | Customs area | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Own customs territory | Argentina has a personal allowance for goods and tight limits on how many of the same item you can bring, and it checks food, plants and animals for health reasons. |
| Australia | Own customs territory | Australia has some of the strictest border biosecurity in the world. You must declare all food, plants, animal products and some outdoor gear on your arrival card, and undeclared items can mean an immediate fine. |
| Brazil | Own customs territory | Brazil lets travellers bring goods for personal use within an allowance, asks for an electronic declaration, and inspects animal and plant products at the border. |
| Canada | Own customs territory | Canada gives returning residents and visitors a personal exemption, requires every traveller to declare goods, and is strict about food, plants, animals and, as everywhere at its border, cannabis. |
| Chile | Own customs territory | Chile is strict about farm and plant health: undeclared food, plants and animal products can bring heavy fines, so declare everything of this kind. |
| China | Own customs territory | China asks arriving travellers to choose between declaring and not declaring goods, has an allowance for personal goods, and restricts some publications and media as well as food and animal products. |
| Colombia | Own customs territory | Colombia has a traveller's allowance for goods, a declaration for goods above it and for cash above a set amount, and agricultural controls on food, plants and animals. |
| Costa Rica | Own customs territory | Costa Rica gives travellers a personal allowance for goods, requires cash above a set amount to be declared, and controls plants and animals for health reasons. |
| Dominican Republic | Own customs territory | The Dominican Republic gives travellers a personal allowance for goods, requires currency above a set amount to be declared, and controls plants and animals. |
| Ecuador | Own customs territory | Ecuador has a traveller's allowance for goods and requires cash above a set amount to be declared. The Galápagos Islands have their own strict biosecurity checks on what you bring. |
| Egypt | Own customs territory | Egypt has a customs allowance for personal goods and requires currency above a set amount to be declared. Drones and some communications equipment need a permit. |
| European Union (27 member states) | EU customs union | Inside the European Union you can generally carry goods for your own use from one member state to another without customs checks. What you bring in from outside the EU follows the same rules in all 27 member states, because they are set at EU level. |
| Georgia | Own customs territory | Georgia gives travellers a personal allowance for goods and requires cash above a set amount to be declared. |
| Ghana | Own customs territory | Ghana gives travellers a personal allowance for goods and requires currency above a set amount to be declared. |
| Hong Kong | Own customs territory | Hong Kong charges no duty on most goods, but it does tax liquor above a set strength and tobacco, bans importing e-cigarettes, and controls large cash movements. |
| Iceland | Own customs territory | Iceland is outside the EU customs union and is very strict about raw meat, eggs and dairy. Alcohol and tobacco allowances are small. |
| India | Own customs territory | India's baggage rules give a duty-free allowance for personal effects and a separate one for goods, set out by the authorities. They have special rules for jewellery and ban e-cigarettes. |
| Indonesia | Own customs territory | Indonesia has a duty-free allowance, an electronic customs declaration, strict drug laws and quarantine checks on food, plants and animals. |
| Israel | Own customs territory | Israel gives travellers a personal allowance, requires a declaration for goods above it, and controls food, plants and animals for health reasons. |
| Japan | Own customs territory | Japan has duty-free allowances, requires a customs declaration, and bans or restricts some medicines that are common elsewhere, as well as many meat products. |
| Jordan | Own customs territory | Jordan has an allowance for personal goods and requires currency above a set amount to be declared. Some electronics and equipment may be taxed. |
| Kenya | Own customs territory | Kenya bans plastic carrier bags and protects wildlife strictly, so it is worth checking both before packing. It has allowances for personal goods and a declaration for cash above a set amount. |
| Malaysia | Own customs territory | Malaysia has allowances for personal goods, alcohol and tobacco, requires cash above a set amount to be declared, and has severe penalties for drugs. |
| Mexico | Own customs territory | Mexico gives arriving travellers a duty-free allowance for goods in their baggage, requires a declaration, and keeps tight control over food, plants, animals and vaping products. |
| Morocco | Own customs territory | Morocco allows personal goods within an allowance, requires cash above a set amount to be declared, and needs authorisation for items such as drones. |
| New Zealand | Own customs territory | New Zealand is very strict about biosecurity. You must declare food, plants, animal products and outdoor gear, and undeclared items can lead to an instant fine. |
| Nigeria | Own customs territory | Nigeria allows personal goods within an allowance and requires cash above a set amount to be declared. It keeps a list of banned imports, so it is worth checking before you bring anything beyond personal items. |
| Norway | Own customs territory | Norway is outside the EU customs union and has very low allowances for alcohol and tobacco, and limits on meat, dairy and eggs, so most travellers must declare more than they expect. |
| Oman | Own customs territory | Oman has an allowance for personal goods, and alcohol rules depend on the traveller. Cash above a set amount must be declared. |
| Peru | Own customs territory | Peru allows personal goods within an allowance, checks food, plants and animals, and does not allow archaeological and other cultural objects to leave the country. |
| Philippines | Own customs territory | The Philippines has a duty-free allowance for personal goods, requires currency above a set amount to be declared, and checks food, plants and animals. |
| Qatar | Own customs territory | Qatar tightly restricts alcohol, bans items it considers contrary to local law and values, and requires cash above a set amount to be declared. |
| Russia | Other customs union | Russia belongs to the Eurasian Economic Union, whose common rules set the personal allowances for goods and cash. Travellers file a customs declaration, often electronically. |
| Saudi Arabia | Own customs territory | Saudi Arabia prohibits alcohol and pork products and items it considers contrary to Islamic values, and it controls medicines and cash carefully. |
| Serbia | Own customs territory | Serbia gives travellers a personal allowance for goods and requires cash above a set amount to be declared at the border. |
| Singapore | Own customs territory | Singapore gives no duty-free allowance for cigarettes: all tobacco is dutiable. It bans e-cigarettes and vaping products and controls some medicines. |
| South Africa | Own customs territory | South Africa gives travellers allowances for goods, alcohol and tobacco, requires cash above a set amount to be declared, and restricts animal products and protected wildlife. |
| South Korea | Own customs territory | South Korea gives travellers a duty-free allowance, requires a declaration for goods above it, and inspects agricultural, animal and fishery products. |
| Sri Lanka | Own customs territory | Sri Lanka gives travellers a baggage allowance and requires a declaration for goods and cash above set amounts. Old antiques cannot be taken out without permission. |
| Switzerland | Own customs territory | Switzerland is outside the EU customs union. It has its own personal allowances, limits the amount of meat you can bring, and expects you to declare goods above them. |
| Taiwan | Own customs territory | Taiwan is very strict about meat and animal products: bringing pork products or other banned items without declaring them can lead to heavy fines. |
| Thailand | Own customs territory | Thailand bans importing e-cigarettes and vaping products, has strict drug laws, and requires permission to take Buddha images out of the country. |
| Tunisia | Own customs territory | Tunisia restricts taking its national currency in and out of the country, and requires foreign currency above a set amount to be declared. |
| Turkey | Own customs territory | Turkey has its own traveller allowances, even though it has a customs union with the EU for goods, and it bans the export of antiquities and other cultural heritage. |
| Ukraine | Own customs territory | Ukraine has a personal allowance for goods and requires cash above a set amount to be declared. Cultural valuables cannot be taken out without permission. |
| United Arab Emirates | Own customs territory | The United Arab Emirates runs customs emirate by emirate under federal law. Several medicines that are ordinary elsewhere are controlled, and narcotics rules are severe. |
| United Kingdom | Own customs territory | The United Kingdom has its own customs allowances for goods you carry in from abroad. Since leaving the EU, travellers from the EU are treated like other arrivals, and rules on meat and dairy apply to them too. |
| United States | Own customs territory | US customs lets arriving travellers bring in goods for personal use up to a personal exemption, but every traveller must declare what they carry, and food, plants and animal products are tightly controlled. |
| Uruguay | Own customs territory | Uruguay gives travellers an allowance for personal goods and requires cash above a set amount to be declared. |
| Vietnam | Own customs territory | Vietnam has an allowance for personal goods and requires currency, gold and valuables above set amounts to be declared. It restricts some publications and media. |
General outlines
These countries have not yet been researched line by line. Each page is a general outline of how customs rules are usually built, with the regional customs union where there is one and a plain note on why information is hard to find. If you know the rules in one of them, please email us what they say and where they are written.
| Country | Customs area |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Own customs territory |
| Algeria | Own customs territory |
| Andorra | Other customs union |
| Angola | Own customs territory |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Other customs union |
| Bahamas | Own customs territory |
| Bahrain | Other customs union |
| Bangladesh | Own customs territory |
| Barbados | Other customs union |
| Belize | Other customs union |
| Benin | Other customs union |
| Bhutan | Own customs territory |
| Botswana | Other customs union |
| Brunei | Own customs territory |
| Burkina Faso | Other customs union |
| Burundi | Other customs union |
| Cabo Verde | Other customs union |
| Cambodia | Own customs territory |
| Cameroon | Other customs union |
| Central African Republic | Other customs union |
| Chad | Other customs union |
| Comoros | Own customs territory |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Other customs union |
| Cuba | Own customs territory |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Other customs union |
| Djibouti | Own customs territory |
| Dominica | Other customs union |
| El Salvador | Other customs union |
| Equatorial Guinea | Other customs union |
| Eritrea | Own customs territory |
| Eswatini | Other customs union |
| Ethiopia | Own customs territory |
| Fiji | Own customs territory |
| Gabon | Other customs union |
| Gambia | Other customs union |
| Grenada | Other customs union |
| Guatemala | Other customs union |
| Guinea | Other customs union |
| Guinea-Bissau | Other customs union |
| Guyana | Other customs union |
| Haiti | Other customs union |
| Honduras | Other customs union |
| Iran | Own customs territory |
| Iraq | Own customs territory |
| Jamaica | Other customs union |
| Kiribati | Own customs territory |
| Kosovo | Own customs territory |
| Kyrgyzstan | Other customs union |
| Laos | Own customs territory |
| Lesotho | Other customs union |
| Liberia | Other customs union |
| Libya | Own customs territory |
| Liechtenstein | Other customs union |
| Madagascar | Own customs territory |
| Malawi | Own customs territory |
| Maldives | Own customs territory |
| Mali | Other customs union |
| Marshall Islands | Own customs territory |
| Mauritania | Own customs territory |
| Mauritius | Own customs territory |
| Micronesia | Own customs territory |
| Monaco | Other customs union |
| Mongolia | Own customs territory |
| Mozambique | Own customs territory |
| Myanmar | Own customs territory |
| Namibia | Other customs union |
| Nauru | Own customs territory |
| Nepal | Own customs territory |
| Nicaragua | Other customs union |
| Niger | Other customs union |
| Palau | Own customs territory |
| Palestine | Own customs territory |
| Panama | Other customs union |
| Papua New Guinea | Own customs territory |
| Republic of the Congo | Other customs union |
| Rwanda | Other customs union |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Other customs union |
| Saint Lucia | Other customs union |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Other customs union |
| Samoa | Own customs territory |
| San Marino | Other customs union |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Own customs territory |
| Senegal | Other customs union |
| Seychelles | Own customs territory |
| Sierra Leone | Other customs union |
| Solomon Islands | Own customs territory |
| Somalia | Other customs union |
| South Sudan | Other customs union |
| Sudan | Own customs territory |
| Suriname | Other customs union |
| Syria | Own customs territory |
| Tajikistan | Own customs territory |
| Tanzania | Other customs union |
| Timor-Leste | Own customs territory |
| Togo | Other customs union |
| Tonga | Own customs territory |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Other customs union |
| Turkmenistan | Own customs territory |
| Uganda | Other customs union |
| Vanuatu | Own customs territory |
| Yemen | Own customs territory |
| Zambia | Own customs territory |
| Zimbabwe | Own customs territory |
The questions every border asks
- Is there an allowance? Most countries let travellers bring goods for their own use, up to a set value, without duty.
- Alcohol and tobacco. These almost always have their own, smaller allowance for adults.
- Food, plants and animals. Often the strictest rules of all, because of farming and health. When in doubt, declare it.
- Cash. Carrying cash is usually legal, but above a set amount you must declare it.
- Medicines and banned items. Bring prescriptions, and check for medicines that are controlled in the country you visit.
Take it further
Five sentences to show the police: embassy, lawyer, interpreter. Print it and keep it with your passport.
Permission for a child to travel with one parent or another adult.
Let someone you trust act for you when you cannot.
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