How to ship tobacco products nationally and internationally
Are you an individual, a manufacturer or a reseller willing to send tobacco by post or by courier? Get informed on how to ship tobacco products safely and legally. Have a look at tobacco shipping laws and regulations and check our packaging instructions if you are planning to send this type of products to your clients, friends, or family.
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Shipping tobacco products internationally
HOW TO PACK
How to pack tobacco products 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 small quantities of tobacco products for shipping?
When shipping tobacco internationally, you should make sure that you know how to properly prepare your package for transport. Products such as cigars, pipe tobacco, and cigarillos must always be sent in their original sealed packaging.
- Place the tobacco inside a plastic bag to avoid contact with water.
- If you are shipping tobacco 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 tobacco for companies in 2021
Shipping tobacco products within the EU
Licensed tobacco manufacturers and retailers can legally ship tobacco to each other as freight. VAT and excise duty must be paid before these goods are sent to the destination country.
Shipping tobacco products outside the EU
European companies can ship tobacco products internationally to recipients based in non-EU countries, if they have an official license, pay VAT, excise duties, and conclude relevant agreements with authorized courier services.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Regulations on sending tobacco in the mail in 2021
Shipping tobacco products within the EU
It is important to distinguish between sending tobacco in the mail and travelling with tobacco. While carrying tobacco for personal use is possible, shipping tobacco between individuals is not permitted in the EU. When sending tobacco products to each other, individuals do so at their own risk.
Shipping tobacco products outside the EU
European citizens can receive parcels containing small quantities of tobacco products (25 cigarillos of a maximum weight of three grams each, or 10 cigars or 50 grams of smoking tobacco or 200 sticks of tobacco for heating in electronic devices) from non-EU countries under the EU Council Directive 2006/79/EC.
However, sending any quantity of tobacco between individuals is still prohibited by most courier companies. When choosing to send tobacco products between private consumers in the mail, individuals do so at their own risk.
The same rule applies to tobacco shipments sent to and from the UK after Brexit.
MORE INFORMATION
FAQs on shipping tobacco products
Do people still post tobacco within the EU?
Even though shipping tobacco products between individuals is not allowed in almost every EU country, European citizens ship them among other items every day. Cigarillos, cigars, tobacco sticks for heating, and pipe tobacco are often posted as a gift. Senders usually carefully wrap them in their clothes or place them between other items in the parcel.
What are the official limits for people willing to transport tobacco products between several European countries on their own?
The limits for travelling with tobacco products within the EU regulations are as follows:
- Cigarillos (cigars that do not weigh more than 3 g each): 400 items
- Cigars: 200 items
- Smoking tobacco: 1 kg
- 800 tobacco sticks for heating or 250 g of tobacco content (in different presentation)
Exceeding these indicative levels is not recommended, as the traveller will need to prove that the goods are intended for personal use.
What are the tobacco allowances for individuals travelling from outside the EU?
- 100 cigarillos or
- 50 cigars or
- 800 tobacco sticks for heating or 250 g of tobacco content (in different presentation) or
- 250g smoking tobacco.
Travellers carrying tobacco products from outside the EU will need to submit a customs declaration.
What is the maximum amount of tobacco that one can send abroad and where can I find this information?
Every country has its internal policies regarding the acceptable limit of restricted products 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 cigarillos or cigars is generally not a problem, especially if packaged properly together with other items.