Ok guys, just came from the customs now...

[precious007]

Smokeless tobacco is not taxable/dutiable in most EU-countries, if it comes from inside the EU.

true

There is no import ban for snus (except for Finland, of course). The problem obviously is an export ban in the Swedish law that has never been enforced until recently, and a general uncertainty regarding the lawsuit against Snusworldwide.

true

Also, if you "re-import" from the USA or Norway, you only have to pay the national VAT (mostly between 19% and 25%), if the order is higher than 22 Euros and the EU import duty for general goods (which should be 41.6% in all EU-countries AFAIK), if the value is higher than 150 Euros. Together, these taxes/duties are about as high as the Swedish taxes when ordering from Sweden to the EU.

false. You are not allowed to bring from outside the EU more than 50 grams of tobacco via packages or 250 grams passing the borders. What you're talking about only applies for people that re-sell tobacco legally. (they're allowed to bring as much as they like and they're questioned to pay VAT or WAT.

Read the EU customs site, the romanian customs and UK customs site they all say the same thing.

50 grams if ordered online through packages
250 grams if you bring the tobacco back in the EU in your handbag.

Enyone that has been travelling outside the EU and comes back to EU knows very well that you're not allowed to carry more than 10 packs of cigarettes per person between borders, 10 cigars and all that crap. (if you're travelling only within the EU then you're legally allowed to carry 1 kg of tobacco, I am not sure about airports I suppose that same thing applies) The same law has been going for ages.

[Rattlesnake]

Just a comment I have. I know absolutely not a thing about EU laws, policy, procedures, or much of anything else for that matter,
Here is my comment: I was a OTR truck driver for 15 years. I once went to Canada, at the time I smoked Cigars, back then they were not expensive.
I had no trouble taking my 2 400 count humidors into Canada.
The trouble was coming back into the US. They wanted to charge me for bringing my own cigars back into the US and $12.00 for my Truck and $5.00 for Me to come back into the US.
They confiscated over 300 cigars because I had no sales receipt for the cigars OK I am allergic to cross bar Motels so They got very little argument from me. Like I said I am not in possession of knowledge.

They did get a lot of argument when they said we will also have to keep your Humidors also.
They did not keep the Humidors because I called the Lawyers of the company I worked for and had them fax (US Customs) a copy of US Law stating US Customs cam not confiscate personal property, but hey did take away my Swiss Army Knife The kind that is very small, has the toothpick and small scissors and finger nail file and tweezers.

So what I'm saying is this: They can and will take what they want to and when they want to whether is is legal or right or has any foundation or not and charge You what they Please to.
BTW this was 10 years ago no telling what they could do to people now.

And this ain't even Romania I was trying to enter, I was just trying to get back into my native country.

Sorry but I just had to say They a F--king us any way they can.

[precious007]

Just a comment I have. I know absolutely not a thing about EU laws, policy, procedures, or much of anything else for that matter,
Here is my comment: I was a OTR truck driver for 15 years. I once went to Canada, at the time I smoked Cigars, back then they were not expensive.
I had no trouble taking my 2 400 count humidors into Canada.
The trouble was coming back into the US. They wanted to charge me for bringing my own cigars back into the US and $12.00 for my Truck and $5.00 for Me to come back into the US.
They confiscated over 300 cigars because I had no sales receipt for the cigars OK I am allergic to cross bar Motels so They got very little argument from me. Like I said I am not in possession of knowledge.

They did get a lot of argument when they said we will also have to keep your Humidors also.
They did not keep the Humidors because I called the Lawyers of the company I worked for and had them fax (US Customs) a copy of US Law stating US Customs cam not confiscate personal property, but hey did take away my Swiss Army Knife The kind that is very small, has the toothpick and small scissors and finger nail file and tweezers.

So what I'm saying is this: They can and will take what they want to and when they want to whether is is legal or right or has any foundation or not and charge You what they Please to.
BTW this was 10 years ago no telling what they could do to people now.

And this ain't even Romania I was trying to enter, I was just trying to get back into my native country.

Sorry but I just had to say They a F--king us any way they can.

For example, a returning resident is eligible for the $800 exemption, which includes not more than 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars:

If the resident declares 400 previously exported cigarettes, the resident would be permitted 200 cigarettes, tax-free under the exemption and the remaining 200 previously exported cigarettes would be confiscated.
If the resident declares 400 cigarettes, of which 200 are previously exported and 200 not previously exported, the resident would be permitted to import the 200 previously exported cigarettes tax free under the exemption and the resident would be charged duty and tax on the remaining 200 foreign-made cigarettes.

[pris]

Absolutely, that online worm shop is being busted as we speak and there will be no more sales to the EU from midnight

I wonder if they will ban or tax the can of worms this thread is opening...........


and does it make a difference if that can of worms is for personal consumption?
or if it is recieved from within the EU or outside the EU?
whether that can of worms its a gift or not?
and what about the fishes? what will they eat?

[precious007]

Tobacco / Snuff ("Snus")

You are permitted to bring 100 cigars or 200 cigarettes (one carton) into the US duty free, or one roll ("stock") of snuff into the US duty free.

this is from the US customs website

[Premium Parrots]

Absolutely, that online worm shop is being busted as we speak and there will be no more sales to the EU from midnight

Oh the humanity! Oh the humanity!

[precious007]

they might be OK with worms but not over 1 KG ! :^)

LMAO

[chainsnuser]

false. You are not allowed to bring from outside the EU more than 50 grams of tobacco

Before the word tobacco, you must insert "taxable" (regarding the tobacco tax). Snus is not taxable, therefore the foreign exchange restrictions for other tobacco products (like cigarettes or pipe tobacco) do not apply.

As I said, the laws are not easy to understand. I don't blame any customs officer for not understanding them correctly. And, of course, I'm neither an expert for Romanian laws nor for the work-instructions of your local customs office.

In most countries of the EU snus is not dutiable at all when it comes directly from Sweden and is only dutiable as a general good when it comes from the USA or and other non-EU-country. Period.

Cheers!

[precious007]

Before the word tobacco, you must insert "taxable" (regarding the tobacco tax). Snus is not taxable, therefore the foreign exchange restrictions for other tobacco products (like cigarettes or pipe tobacco) do not apply.

there is no such thing as taxable or non-taxable for the average consumer. lol

taxable tobacco is only for people that bring it for re-sale that own a tobacconist store.

[lxskllr]

Oh the humanity! Oh the humanity!

[precious007]

In most countries of the EU snus is not dutiable at all when it comes directly from Sweden and is only dutiable as a general good when it comes from the USA or and other non-EU-country. Period.

Nothing that comes from EU is dutiable !
Jesus, I have been into legislation all day lmao
Nothing that comes from within the EU is dutiable because you already pay taxes to Sweden or wherever you order it from.

and is only dutiable as a general good when it comes from the USA or and other non-EU-country. Period.

yes you will pay duties on 50 grams of tobacco.

I have already posted the admitted quantities of tobacco to the EU from US (several times across the thread) :P

[Rattlesnake]

I already owned what they took from me, bought in USA, payed for before going into Canada, There was not contraband or duty or taxes due..
My mistake was going into Canada and trying to return with what had already been in the US. I did not buy anything in Canada because I didn't have any Canadian Money.

[precious007]

I already owned what they took from me, bought in USA, payed for before going into Canada, There was not contraband or duty or taxes due..
My mistake was going into Canada and trying to return with what had already been in the US. I did not buy anything in Canada because I didn't have any Canadian Money.

Snake, I think you had to have some sort of invoice to prove the provenience of the cigars before exiting US. Without the invoice how would they be able to trust you that you're haven't bought them off the black market. (that's the stupid law)

[chainsnuser]

there is no such thing as taxable or non-taxable for the average consumer. lol

taxable tobacco is only for people that bring it for re-sale that own a tobacconist store.

Precious, as a consumer you pay tobacco tax everytime you buy a pack of cigarettes or any other taxable tobacco product in your country. It's in the price. The meaning of customs, first of all, is to prevent tax evasions by buying the same goods from foreign countries. But there is no tobacco tax on smokeless tobacco in Romania (or is it?).

Nonetheless, and I won't say that again, this simple fact is hard to understand, not only for customs-officers, and also I have no idea which special customs-regulations apply in Romania for smokeless tobacco (e.g. initiated by the trade supervisory centre or the public health department). In any case, you cannot present your experiences with the local customs-office as a paradigm for the rest of the EU.

BTW, the German snus-forums are full of customs-field-reports like yours (unlawfully taxed or confiscated shipments, nonsense told to forum-members by customs officers etc.), the whole EU is a mess, that's for sure. But I keep my point of view that snus (by law) is only dutiable as a general product, with no import restrictions.

Cheers!

[precious007]

I know that you pay tax locally on any type of tobacco or from wherever you buy it.

Nonetheless, and I won't say that again, this simple fact is hard to understand, not only for customs-officers, and also I have no idea which special customs-regulations apply in Romania for smokeless tobacco (e.g. initiated by the trade supervisory centre or the public health department). In any case, you cannot present your experiences with the local customs-office as a paradigm for the rest of the EU.

the same law applies for any type of tobacco (SNUS and other oral tobacco falls into the same law as pipe tobacco because there is no "special" law for oral tobacco.

I won't post anymore into this thread because no one will believe it, I didn't believe it just by reading the laws I had to be informed from various sources. Even phoned the custom's institute of EU and they told me the same one thing.

I think that experience will prove it all, the guys in the customs aren't badly informed this guy today knew the law exactly as it's written ..... Fact that he gave out large packages from US to me before doesn't mean he didn't know the law but you know a little tip won't hurt anyone.......