Duty-free allowance checker for the UK, EU, US, Canada and UAE
Coming home with a bottle of gin, a carton of cigarettes and some shopping? This duty-free allowance checker compares what you are carrying with the personal allowance of the country you are arriving in: Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the European Union, the United States, Canada or the United Arab Emirates (Dubai). It works out the split allowances — where 2 litres of spirits uses half of one allowance and a litre of port the rest — and tells you which categories you would have to declare.
Allowances apply to goods for your own use or as gifts, wherever you bought them, including airport duty-free shops. They are per person and usually cannot be pooled. Arriving in India instead? The India duty-free allowance calculator covers the Baggage Rules, 2026.
How to use the Duty-Free Allowance Checker (UK, EU, US, Canada, UAE)
- Choose where you are arriving and enter the traveller’s age.
- Tick any option that applies: private plane or boat (UK), land border or lower tobacco limit (EU), time away (US and Canada) or the province you enter (Canada).
- Enter how much beer, wine, spirits and other drinks you have in litres, your cigarettes, cigars, tobacco and vaping liquid, and the value of other goods.
- Read the verdict, the table of each category with the share of the allowance used, and what happens if you go over.
Duty-Free Allowance Checker (UK, EU, US, Canada, UAE) features
Split allowances
Spirits and fortified wine, and the tobacco types, are added as fractions of their limits, as gov.uk and the EU describe.
Six destinations
Great Britain, Northern Ireland (from the EU and from elsewhere), the EU, the US (residents and visitors), Canada and the UAE.
Age rules
Under 17 in the UK and EU, under 21 for alcohol in the US, 18 or 19 by province in Canada, 18 in the UAE.
Time-away rules
US $800 versus $200, and Canada’s 24-hour and 48-hour exemptions.
What happens if you go over
Each destination’s rule on paying duty on everything or only the excess.
Duty-free allowances at a glance
| Arriving in | Alcohol | Tobacco | Other goods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 42 L beer, 18 L wine, plus 4 L spirits or 9 L drinks up to 22 % (split) | 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 g or 200 sticks (split); 50 ml vaping liquid | £390 (£270 by private plane or boat) |
| Northern Ireland (from outside the EU) | 16 L beer, 4 L wine, plus 1 L spirits or 2 L up to 22 % | As Great Britain | £390 / £270, including vaping |
| European Union (from outside) | 16 L beer, 4 L still wine, plus 1 L spirits or 2 L fortified/sparkling | 200 / 100 / 50 / 250 g (40 / 20 / 10 / 50 g in some states) | €430 by air or sea, €300 by land |
| United States (residents) | 1 L (21+) | 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars | $800 after 48 hours abroad, otherwise $200 |
| Canada (residents) | One of 1.5 L wine, 1.14 L spirits or 8.5 L beer (after 48 h) | 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 200 g, 200 sticks | CAN$200 after 24 h, CAN$800 after 48 h |
| UAE (Dubai) | 4 L, or 2 cartons of 24 beers | 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 500 g | AED 3,000 of gifts |
How the split allowances work
In Great Britain the spirits allowance (4 L) and the allowance for drinks up to 22 % such as port and sherry (9 L) are one allowance you can split: 2 L of spirits is half, so you can add 4.5 L of port. Tobacco works the same way — 100 cigarettes and 25 cigars are each half. Beer and wine have their own separate limits. If you go over in a category, you pay tax and duty on everything in that category, not just the excess: 19 L of wine means duty on all 19 L. The EU’s spirits-or-fortified allowance is combined in the same way.
In the US the $800 exemption needs 48 hours abroad (any length from Mexico) and none used in the previous 30 days; it can be pooled by a family travelling together. Canada’s alcohol allowance is one of three amounts, not all three.
Sources and limits of this checker
Figures as of 24 October 2026 from gov.uk’s “Bringing goods into the UK for personal use”, the EU Your Europe page (last checked 21 September 2026), 19 CFR 148.33–148.51 and 148.102 for the US, the CBSA personal exemptions page (modified 25 November 2025) and Dubai Customs’ exempted items. Some UAE guides list 200 cigarettes rather than 400. Banned and restricted goods, cash declarations and commercial quantities have separate rules, and EU countries can apply stricter national limits. This is a guide, not a customs decision — if in doubt, declare. See also the tourist VAT refund calculator.
Duty-Free Allowance Checker (UK, EU, US, Canada, UAE) FAQ
What is the duty-free allowance in the UK?
Arriving in Great Britain from abroad, an adult can bring 42 L of beer, 18 L of wine, 4 L of spirits or 9 L of drinks up to 22 % (split), 200 cigarettes or the equivalent in other tobacco, 50 ml of vaping liquid and £390 of other goods.
What is the duty-free allowance from Spain to the UK?
Since Brexit the same Great Britain allowances apply to arrivals from Spain and other EU countries; only Northern Ireland has no limits on duty-paid goods from the EU.
How much alcohol can I bring into the US duty-free?
A returning resident aged 21 or over can include 1 litre of alcohol in the $800 exemption; state laws can be stricter.
What is the duty-free allowance for Canada?
Canadian residents get CAN$200 after 24 hours away (no alcohol or tobacco) and CAN$800 after 48 hours, including one of 1.5 L of wine, 1.14 L of spirits or 8.5 L of beer, and 200 cigarettes and 50 cigars.
Can two travellers pool their allowances?
Not in the UK, EU or Canada. In the US, family members living together and travelling together can group their $800 exemptions.
How many cigarettes can I bring into Dubai?
Dubai Customs lists 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 500 g of tobacco for travellers aged 18 or over.