Bringing cigarettes back to UK

Goods brought to the UK from the European Union
Until 30 September 2011
From 1 October 2011
(old limits are the top numbers) figures are from uk customs website

Cigarettes
3,200
800

Cigars
200
200

Cigarillos
400
400

Tobacco
3 kilograms
1 kilogram

Beer
110 litres
110 litres

Wine
90 litres
90 litres

Spirits
10 litres
10 litres

Fortified wine (for example port or sherry)
20 litres
20 litres

Sorry Keith but you are mistaken in your advice. As a member of the EU, there are no "restrictions" as we are entitled to "free movement of goods and people" within the Eurozone. There are guidelines as to what you can bring through without coming to the attention of Customs. As long as you can prove that the goods are for yourself or for gifts then they cannot take them from you or try to charge any tax. However, just remember that the burden is on YOU to prove this, not them.

"Arrivals from EU countries
When arriving into the UK from an EU country you can bring in an unlimited amount of most goods.

For excise goods such as alcohol and tobacco, there are no restrictions. However you must meet the conditions below:

You transport the goods yourself.
The goods are for your own use or as a gift. If the person you give the goods to pays you in any way (including reimbursing you for any expenses or payment in kind), then it's not a gift and the goods may be seized.
The goods are duty and tax paid in the EU country where they were acquired.
If you don't meet these conditions, the goods (and any vehicle that transported them) may be seized."

sorry to say kay, i copied and pasted figures directly from uk customs website so these figures are correct, i think that these figures are for persons flying and not transporting by van or car, as this is rather a grey area as please feel free to clarify.
if anybody else can shed any light on this i am sure it would be appreciated.

Kay is quite correct in her post about the limit being a guideline. However as I have said on another forum customs are a law unto themselves and their guideline should be treated as such. Despite stongly objecting and quoting their guidelines I have been questioned on amounts much less than their guideline limit. On other occasions the opposite has occurred.
Burden of proof is also debatable. HMIR still use it in their dialogue when questioning you over your goods. They have lost two cases and an appeal over Burden of Proof. It is now established law that Customs have the burden of proving, on a balance of probabilities, that the passenger is bringing in goods for a commercial purpose.
UK Customs have also been reprimanded by the EU. Frits Bolkstein, a senior EU official responsible for the upkeep of the single market stated : - "EU law lays down indicative levels but the burden of proof is on Customs," he further said. "Member states cannot put the burden of proof on the traveller."
The new guidelines are via any means of transport entering into the UK. I await with baited breath if anyone will take them to task over the new lower 800 cigs & 1kg baccy guideline

thanks AV KID for shedding some light on this,

PERSONAL MUSINGS POST
I am wondering whether the 'break-even' point between revenue on tobacco and alcohol has been reached.
In other words...would it be wiser for the UK Government to lower the taxes on these consumables and then make up the losses incurred from people buying abroad, and giving the taxes to another Country?
For example: if the losses of Revenue due to 'duty-free' goods is greater than a tax reduction loss, drop the taxes to a level where people will go back to buying them in the UK at a lower tax level, and the UK can experience the joy of collecting ALL the taxes lost overseas , as well as those collected from buyers IN the UK.
But the old hot chestnut of trying to wean people off these commodities for the sake of the Nation's Health by making them too expensive etc will reappear. I personally think that 'ploy' had absolutely nothing to do with concern for our Health, and ALL about getting more tax revenues.

NICK I TOTALLY AGREE, what happened to freedom of choice, pressure from government to do as they say

i think ciggy border runners should get a job and stop whinging, everything hits a limit its only a few years ago musicians were getting away with murder in salou raping the bars charging up to 200 euros for aload of crap now they fight over a 75 euro gig.

Go on Local, get it all out of your system. It's certainly clear that the season's over. I am not a cigarette smuggler, I have a job. However, if I do travel from Spain to the UK, I will always take cigarettes with me. Why wouldn't I, considering the price for a packet of 20 is pushing £7 in the UK.