Customs

Traveling in Europe: how much tobacco and alcohol can you bring back?

Publié le 15 juillet 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You are leaving soon in Italy and you want to return to France with some bottles of limoncello ? You bought several cartons of cigarettes in Spain? Be careful, especially in the case of alcohol and cigarettes, customs sets franchises, even when traveling in Europe. Service-Public.fr explains the regulations with 2 infographics.

Since 29 March 2024, the demonstration of the commercial character of a cross-border purchase of tobacco no longer relies solely on the quantity transported. This follows the publication of a decree of 27 March 2024 published in Official Journal March 29, 2024.

Infographie - Travel to Europe: table of quantities of tobacco allowed to return to France
Illustration - Travel to Europe: table of quantities of tobacco allowed to return to France - plus de détails dans le texte suivant l’infographie
Illustration

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Please note

If you have any questions, please contact “Service customs information” on 0 800 94 40 40 (service and toll-free call) or on +33 1 72 40 78 50 (from overseas territories or the foreigner).

You can find all the criteria and conditions, depending on your situation, on the Service-Public.fr Bring back tobacco from the foreigner.

Infographie - Travel to Europe: table of the quantities of alcohol allowed to return to France
Illustration - Travel to Europe: table of the quantities of alcohol allowed to return to France - plus de détails dans le texte suivant l’infographie
Illustration

Ouvrir l’image dans une nouvelle fenêtre

You can find all the criteria and conditions, depending on your situation, on the Service-Public.fr Bring back alcohol from the foreigner.

Please note

In addition, you must report any amount greater than or equal to €10,000.

Finally, some goods are subject to restrictions (medicines, foodstuffs, weapons, works of art, etc.) while others are strictly prohibited (drugs, counterfeits, animals and plants threatened with extinction, etc.).

Warning  

the overseas departments and regions and the overseas communities and territories are not concerned, nor are the Channel Islands, the Canary Islands, Andorra, Monaco and Switzerland. For these countries, you must consult the content dedicated to other territorial areas.

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