Buying abroad and smuggling

How many cigarettes you can bring back from another country, what customs rules say, and why price gaps between countries drive cross-border shopping and the illicit market.

News

Netherlands: more than half of smokers buy tobacco abroad

Dutch tobacco excise has doubled since 2020, yet its revenue fell 15% in 2025: more than half of smokers now buy abroad. Prices compared and customs rules.October 13, 2026Guide

Tobacco smuggling and the parallel market: understanding the phenomenon

Smuggling, counterfeiting, cross-border purchases: an economic breakdown of a parallel market fuelled by price gaps between countries.June 28, 2026Guide

Buying Cigarettes Abroad: What Customs Says (2026 Guide)

How many cigarettes can you really bring back from a trip? A calm overview of customs rules and the line between personal use and commercial purchase.June 28, 2026Guide

Cigarette prices in Andorra in 2026: prices by brand, the gap with France and Spain, and what you can bring back

In Andorra, a pack of Marlboro costs €4.85 in 2026, against €13.50 in France and €6.25 in Spain. Official prices by brand, the minimum price rule and the quantities you can bring back.November 4, 2026Guide

Cigarette prices in the Czech Republic in 2026: how much you save compared with Germany, and what changes in 2027

In the Czech Republic, a pack of Marlboro costs 184 crowns, or €7.56, against €9.40 in Germany. The tax rises again on 1 January 2027, but the gap with Germany is set to widen.November 3, 2026Guide

Rolling tobacco: where is it cheapest in Europe in 2026?

The same rolling tobacco costs €6.31 per 30 g in Andorra, €6.80 in Spain, €19.01 in France and €36 in the United Kingdom. The ranking of 11 European countries in November 2026, and how much you can bring back.November 2, 2026News

Hungary raises tobacco tax on 1 November 2026: Marlboro now costs more than in Austria

Since 1 November 2026, Hungary taxes tobacco more heavily. Marlboro Red went from 2,750 to 2,950 forints, or €8.05: it now costs more than in Austria.October 31, 2026News

Italy: two cigarette price rises in 2027, in January and in July

Italy's draft budget brings forward to 1 July 2027 the excise rise planned for 2028. Marlboro would go from €6.80 to about €7, still half the price it costs in France.October 30, 2026News

Poland: cigarette excise duty rises by 15% on 1 January 2027

On 1 January 2027, the fixed part of Poland's excise duty rises from 414 to 476.10 zlotys per 1,000 cigarettes. Marlboro would pass 31 zł, yet the gap with Germany keeps growing.October 27, 2026News

Australia: a €25 pack of cigarettes, and tobacco revenue down by three quarters

In Australia, a pack of 20 costs €25 to €42 and the duty alone exceeds €19. Yet tobacco revenue has fallen fourfold since 2021: the black market now dominates.October 14, 2026Guide

Travelling with nicotine pouches: what customs actually says, country by country

There is no European allowance for nicotine pouches. The law of the country you enter is what applies, and where they are banned the permitted quantity is zero.September 22, 2026News

Europe wants to shrink the tobacco price gap between countries: what would change for cross-border buyers

A pack of Marlboro costs around €6.25 in Spain and €19.20 in Ireland. Brussels wants to raise the minimum excise duty to €215 per 1,000 cigarettes and 63% of the weighted average price. The file is stalled in Parliament and still under negotiation in the Council.September 10, 2026