How much Cigarettes can I bring into United Kingdom?
Restricted
You can bring Cigarettes into United Kingdom only within the stated limits.
What you need to know
- 200 piece
- Channels: Arrival duty-free, Carried with the traveler
- These allowances split a shared cap proportionally between products.
Important
This allowance applies per person, not per family or group.
If you do not declare
- Step 1: Standard duty
- Step 2: Confiscation, Administrative fine, Criminal prosecution
Official sources
- Bringing goods into the UK for personal use: Arriving in Great Britain HM Revenue & Customs / Home Office (GOV.UK)
Questions about Cigarettes in United Kingdom
- How many cigarettes can I bring into United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom allows 200 cigarettes per traveller. Above that the goods are treated as an import and duty becomes payable. The allowance is per traveller and cannot be pooled between people.
- Do I have to declare cigarettes at United Kingdom customs?
- Only above the allowance. Up to 200 cigarettes there is nothing to declare; beyond it you take the goods through the red channel and pay the duty.
- What happens if I do not declare cigarettes in United Kingdom?
- If you declare the excess yourself, the normal duty becomes payable on the excess. If it is treated as smuggling, the goods are confiscated; an administrative fine is imposed; it is prosecuted as a criminal offence.
- Do duty-free purchases count toward the United Kingdom allowance for cigarettes?
- Yes. What you buy in an arrival duty-free shop comes out of the same allowance, so the shop does not add to what you may already be carrying.
- Can I post or ship cigarettes to United Kingdom instead of carrying it?
- Not under this allowance. It covers goods a traveller carries; a parcel is an import and is assessed under the postal rules instead. Baggage sent before or after you travels under the same allowance.
- Is there a minimum age for the cigarettes allowance in United Kingdom?
- Yes — 17 years. A traveller under that age gets no allowance for cigarettes at all, not a smaller one.
- Can I take cigarettes out of United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom publishes no separate rule for taking cigarettes out; the destination's rules are what will apply.
- Does the United Kingdom limit for cigarettes apply per person or per family?
- Per person. Each traveller carries their own allowance and it cannot be pooled with anyone else's.
- Where does this rule come from?
- HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) / Border Force states it in Bringing goods into the UK for personal use: Arriving in Great Britain. CarryRules last confirmed that sentence at the source on 2026-09-19. The sentence it rests on reads: “You can bring in one of the following: 200 cigarettes 100 cigarillos 50 cigars 250g tobacco 200 sticks of tobacco for electronic heated tobacco devices”
- How does United Kingdom compare with other countries on cigarettes?
- Of the 21 countries covered here, 0 prohibit cigarettes, 17 limit it and 4 let it through. United Kingdom is among the ones that set a limit.
Source: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) / Border Force — Bringing goods into the UK for personal use: Arriving in Great Britain · verified 2026-09-19
Source: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) / Border Force — Bringing goods into the UK for personal use: Arriving in Great Britain · verified 2026-09-19
Source: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) / Border Force — Bringing goods into the UK for personal use · verified 2026-09-16
Source: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) / Border Force — Bringing goods into the UK for personal use: Arriving in Great Britain · verified 2026-09-19
Source: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) / Border Force — The Travellers' Allowances Order 1994 · verified 2026-09-20
Source: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) / Border Force — The Travellers' Allowances Order 1994 · verified 2026-09-20
Source: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) / Border Force — Bringing goods into the UK for personal use: Arriving in Great Britain · verified 2026-09-19
Source: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) / Border Force — Bringing goods into the UK for personal use: Arriving in Great Britain · verified 2026-09-19