How to ship cigarettes | All you need to know
Whether you are an individual or a reseller willing to send cigarettes by post or by courier, get informed on how to ship cigarettes in a safe and legal way. Find answers to your most popular questions about the regulations related to posting this type of items and have a look at our useful packaging tips.
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Shipping cigarettes internationally
HOW TO PACK
How to pack cigarettes for shipping on a pallet
When shipping cigarettes internationally, you should make sure that you know how to properly prepare your package for transport. These simple instructions will surely help you send cigarettes by post or via courier services:
- Prepare the boxes and fill them with cushioning materials.
- Next, prepare the pallet and stack the boxes one onto another.
- Fix them with a packaging rope and wrap them in plastic foil to make sure they cannot move on the pallet.
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HOW TO PACK
How to pack cigarettes for shipping?
- Place the cigarette packs inside a plastic bag to avoid contact with water.
- If you are shipping cigarettes together with other items, like clothes, you can use them as cushioning. Otherwise, use several layers of bubble wrap.
- Prepare the box. Fill it with cushioning materials, then place the cigarette packs and all other items in the box.
- Seal the box.
SHIPPING REGULATIONS
Regulations on shipping cigarettes for companies in 2021
Shipping cigarettes within the EU
Licensed cigarette manufacturers and retailers can legally ship cigarettes to each other as freight. VAT and excise duty must be paid before these goods are sent to the destination country.
Shipping cigarettes outside the EU
European companies can mail cigarettes internationally to recipients based in non-EU countries, if they have an official license, pay VAT, excise duties, and conclude relevant agreements with authorised courier services.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Regulations on mailing cigarettes applicable in 2021
Shipping cigarettes within the EU
It is important to distinguish between mailing cigarettes and travelling with cigarettes. While carrying cigarettes for personal use is possible, shipping cigarettes between individuals is not permitted in EU. When mailing cigarettes to each other, individuals do so at their own risk.
EU-citizens can buy cigarettes online in another Member-State as long as the retailer has concluded a relevant agreement with an authorised courier company. Excise duties and VAT will still apply.
Shipping cigarettes outside the EU
European citizens can receive parcels containing up to 50 cigarettes from non-EU countries under the EU Council Directive 2006/79/EC. However, sending any quantity of cigarettes between individuals is still prohibited by most courier companies. When choosing to send cigarettes between private consumers in the mail, individuals do so at their own risk.
The same rule applies to cigarette shipments sent to and from the UK after Brexit.
MORE INFORMATION
FAQs on shipping cigarettes
Do people still post cigarettes within the EU?
Even though shipping cigarettes between individuals is illegal in almost every EU country, European citizens send cigarettes by post or by courier among other items every day. Cigarettes are often posted as a gift. Senders usually carefully wrap a few packs of cigarettes in their clothes or between other items they ship in the parcel.
Is there any insurance for shipping cigarettes by post or via courier services?
Cigarettes can be insured when they are sent by licensed companies and resellers having paid all the taxes and duties through authorised courier companies.
What are the official limits for transporting cigarettes for personal use between EU countries?
When travelling within the EU, an individual can carry along up to 800 cigarettes for non-commercial purposes.
What are the official limits for transporting cigarettes to the EU from outside the EU?
Most EU-member states have limited their duty-free cigarette allowance to 200. Estonia and Romania have the lowest cigarette allowance for all travellers with a maximum of 40 cigarettes.
What is the maximum quantity of cigarettes that one can ship abroad by post or by courier?
Every country has its national policies regarding the acceptable number of cigarettes sent for personal use. To learn more, you need to check the official web pages of the pick-up and the destination countries’ customs agencies. One pack of cigarettes is generally not a problem, especially if packed properly together with other items.