How to ship cigarettes
Are you an individual or a reseller willing to send cigarettes by post or by courier? Get informed on how to ship cigarettes in a safe and legal way. Find answers to your most popular questions about the regulations related to posting this type of items and have a look at our useful packaging tips.
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ARE YOU A BUSINESS?
Shipping cigarettes internationally
for businesses
For licensed distributors, producers or resellers of cigarettes, Eurosender offers the best international shipping solutions. Register a business account on our platform and get immediate access to our global logistics network.
HOW YOU CAN SHIP
What services can you use for shipping cigarettes?
Depending on the size and time-sensitivity of your shipment, Eurosender offers several delivery options.
How to pack cigarettes for shipping?
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:
- Place the cigarette packs inside a plastic bag to avoid contact with water.
- If you are shipping cigarettes 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.
- If you have many boxes, prepare the pallet.
- 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.
FOR BUSINESSES
Laws on shipping cigarettes for businesses within the EU and the UK applicable in 2020:
Licensed cigarette manufacturers and retailers are not authorized to send cigarettes by post, but they are entitled to ship them by an authorized courier. VAT and excise duty must be paid before these goods are sent to the destination country.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Regulations on shipping cigarettes for individuals within the EU and the UK applicable in 2020:
It is important to distinguish between mailing cigarettes and travelling with cigarettes. While carrying cigarettes for personal use is possible, shipping cigarettes is not permitted in most EU countries. Thus, private individuals can only send cigarettes to each other at their own risk.
Laws on shipping cigarettes between EU- and non-EU-based businesses and individuals
The good news for European citizens is that they can receive parcels containing up to 50 cigarettes from non-EU countries under the EU Council Directive 2006/79/EC. However, every EU Member State can have its own rules and restrictions in this regard. Here are some of the EU countries having established the same 50-cigarette limit: Austria, Germany, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. European citizens willing to ship small quantities of cigarettes to individuals outside the EU must check the regulations both in the pick-up and the destination country.
European companies can mail cigarettes 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.
MORE INFORMATION
FAQs on shipping cigarettes
Do people still post cigarettes within the EU?
Even though shipping cigarettes between individuals is illegal in almost every EU country, European citizens send cigarettes by post or by courier among other items every day. Cigarettes are often posted as a gift. Senders usually carefully wrap a few packs of cigarettes in their clothes or between other items they ship in the parcel.
Is there any insurance for shipping cigarettes by post or via courier services?
Cigarettes can be insured when they are sent by licensed companies and resellers having paid all the taxes and duties through authorized courier companies.
Cigarettes sent by private individuals cannot be covered by insurance as they are on the logistics providers’ restricted and prohibited items list.
What are the official limits for people willing to transport cigarettes between several European countries on their own?
800 cigarettes for non-commercial use.
What is the maximum quantity of cigarettes that one can ship abroad by post or by courier and where can I find this information?
Every country has its national policies regarding the acceptable number of cigarettes 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 cigarettes is generally not a problem, especially if packed properly together with other items.