Do Customs keep a record of where i Travel?

Mrking

Hi,
I dont know if this is the correct place to ask this so please move if its wrong.

Im wondering do Customs in Dublin airport keep a record of where I travel? Basically I travel a LOT. (Ryanair and there cheap flights). I have 2 mates who are studying in Poland, so I literally fly over to them 2-3 times a month, for a day or 2. (Usually get the flights about €30 return with no checked baggage)

Anyway, I was looking at a thread about cigarettes and how people are buying them in countries like poland etc. I smoke, and when im in poland i always just bring back 200 cause i thought that was the allowance.! I know otherwise now.

So im going over in next week again but bring suitcase and going to buy my 800 smokes. Im now afraid though that if i get stopped by customs at dublin airport they will think im a smuggler! Ill only have my 4 cartons but im afraid they will say "Sure you have been to poland every 2/3 weeks since september"! Which i have been. So I COULD understand if they thought that each of those times I brough back cigarettes.

Would they know I travel alot? I never got stopped by them before but i only had a backpack. The reason I go over is just cause its my 2 best mates over there.

Boggles

Your worrying over nothing.

Your not breaking any laws, so they have no right to accuse you of anything.

Mrking

Maybe i am. Im just afraid they will turn around and quiz my over travelling so much especially when i have cigarettes. I have NEVER got stopped before but like i said i only had a backpack. Im afraid they will think I always bring in lots of cigarettes.

I know when going into poland they scan my passport, but I dont think they ever did in Dublin? Usually I just show it to the garda at passport control. I wonder how they would know how much i travel?

Our man in Havana

No they would not. The customs here have no access to that info even if it existed. Until they start scanning passports in Ireland there is no need to worry.

jor el

Mrking wrote: »

I wonder how they would know how much i travel?

They won't, and it's of no concern to them anyway. On each trip you have a personal allowance for alcohol, tobacco, etc, so as long as you stay below the limits, you have done nothing wrong.

northside red

well within your limit mate

Mrking

Ok thats brilliant. Im going to bring back 800. I have seen threads saying that 3000 is the limit but it seems that people are saying that and customs have a different story so ill just stick to 800.

Thats cool that they don't have a record. I read somewhere someone brought back over 1000 cigs and customs told them "we dont want to see you back here again in a while" so i was afraid they might say that to me haha. I think that guy was smugling tho (It was UK forum) and travelling frequently - hence why i was afraid it would be thrown at me.

I HATE walking past them even though i never have anything to worry about.

So if i get stopped and they ask me about how regulary I travel to poland im just going to say that it was my second time there. I don't want to say "I go over every 2 weeks, incase it rings alarms.

Our man in Havana

Thats cool that they don't have a record. I read somewhere someone brought back over 1000 cigs and customs told them "we dont want to see you back here again in a while" so i was afraid they might say that to me haha. I think that guy was smugling tho (It was UK forum) and travelling frequently - hence why i was afraid it would be thrown at me.

The UK scans all passports on arrival from Europe. Hence they knew that way.

whiterebel

Poland is an EU member state, so you should be allowed to bring back a reasonable amount for your personal use, once you have a receipt from the shop or supermarket. I'm not entirely sure of the amount, but 1600 sticks on my head for some reason

Mrking

ahh that makes sense about the UK forum.

Yep they are all for me. (will be sharing with my dad but obviously not selling them to him ha)

parsi

You are allowed 800 Cigarettes - http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1878.html

Travellers from Poland used to have a much-reduced limit but not anymore

chucken1

I've been searching for this article for weeks...Worth printing and keeping with your passport.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/no-limit-for-cheap-holiday-cigarettes-and-drink-2096877.html

Boggles

parsi wrote: »

You are allowed 800 Cigarettes - http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1878.html

Thats a "guideline", it's actually more or less a figure plucked from the air.

Whatever amount you bring with you, its up to customs to prove they are not for personal use.

The only conclusive way I can see this happening is if you crack them open and chain smoke the lot in front of them.

P. Breathnach

Boggles wrote: »

Thats a "guideline", it's actually more or less a figure plucked from the air.

True, but if you deviate greatly from it, they may become challenging, particularly in relation to cigarettes and rolling tobacco because there is such an active black market in them. As a pipe smoker, I know that they are less inclined to take an interest in how much I carry.

Whatever amount you bring with you, its up to customs to prove they are not for personal use.

I think the onus is on the importer rather than on the customs officer.

The only conclusive way I can see this happening is if you crack them open and chain smoke the lot in front of them.

And get done for breaking smoking laws instead!

jor el

Boggles wrote: »

Whatever amount you bring with you, its up to customs to prove they are not for personal use.

It may actually be up to the importer to prove they are for personal use too. If customs suspect that you are importing them for re-sale (such as you have thousands of cigarettes, which seems like a lot for personal consumption), then they can seize them on the spot. Customs officers have a lot of power, more so than the Gardaí I believe.

Boggles

Apart from the person carrying the tobacco saying yes they are for personal use and here are my receipts. There is not much more you can do.

The customs officers have the right to confiscate them if they believe you are engaging in an illegal activity or trying to defraud the state, they have to have grounds to believe this though.

It then becomes a criminal matter, where the state have to prove a crime was committed.

Mrking

Ok so if i get stopped I have to prove they are for me? If i tell them to open each packet would that work? Don't know how else I would do it.

I think ill stick with the 800. I saw that article about you can being in as much as you want but I don;t know if its worth the hassle.

Has anyone here actually been stopped with over 800 AND been allowed to keep them? How did it go down?

My biggest fear was if i get stopped and they say to me "You travel 3 times a month to Poland so you must be smuggling", how the hell could I prove otherwise? But this was cleared up saying they don't know so im kind of not worried about it now

P. Breathnach

The purpose of the guideline is to help customs officials as well as travellers. It means that 800 cigarettes will, without question, be treated as a reasonable amount to import for personal consumption. So you should have no worries.

[Well, no worries about importing 800 per trip; perhaps you should give some thought to cutting down on the ciggies!]

dvpower

Mrking wrote: »

Im wondering do Customs in Dublin airport keep a record of where I travel?

How would the Customs know where you were travelling?

Thoie

Mrking wrote: »

So if i get stopped and they ask me about how regulary I travel to poland im just going to say that it was my second time there. I don't want to say "I go over every 2 weeks, incase it rings alarms.

Well that's silly in the unlikely event that a customs officer has seen you around before and remembers you. That would more likely set alarm bells ringing. I can't see why they'd ask how regularly you travel, but I'd just say "At €30 a go, as often as I feel like it". Customs are revenue officials and are there to make sure you're not defrauding the state. Don't defraud the state, and you're fine.

2400 cigarettes a month would a lot for personal use though! But there's no laws to say you can't smoke 80 a day

foggy_lad

P. Breathnach wrote: »

The purpose of the guideline is to help customs officials as well as travellers. It means that 800 cigarettes will, without question, be treated as a reasonable amount to import for personal consumption. So you should have no worries.

[Well, no worries about importing 800 per trip; perhaps you should give some thought to cutting down on the ciggies!]

A lot of cigarettes may ring alarm bells, but in the case of wine spirits and beer you just tell them you have bought it for parties over the christmas and new year as well as communions confirmations etc and the burdon of proof is on the state to prove otherwise.

800 cigarettes is the revenues advertised guide limit but they may confiscate larger amounts of tobbacco and drinks but would only have to return them to you when they fail to prove you bought them for sale here.

"What the law says is you can bring in tobacco for your personal use and there is very significant case law in the European courts and, indeed, domestically that suggests that the burden of us establishing the cigarettes are not for personal use is very high."

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/no-limit-for-cheap-holiday-cigarettes-and-drink-2096877.html

Mrking

Hey,

Sorry for bringing up old thread. The general answers i got is no, customs don't know how often/where i travel, BUT I was watching Customs on RTE tonight and have a question.

There was a Lithuanian group smuggling cigarettes, but before they caught them, the customs fella said "Our intelligence tells us that they travel here often and they were caught by us before". and i think he said something about how frequently he travels.

How did they know that he travels so much? They seemed to know how often he enters Ireland?! haha I think i might just stick with my 200 incase i get caught and they say to me "We know you travel to poland a lot". ha

P. Breathnach

Don't freak yourself out. Customs don't have intelligence on every traveller. They probably watch a few targeted people, based on "information received".

They really won't be interested in 800 cigarettes, even if it happens two or three times a month.

On the other hand, it might be better for your health to work to the 200 per trip!

foggy_lad

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Don't freak yourself out. Customs don't have intelligence on every traveller. They probably watch a few targeted people, based on "information received".

They really won't be interested in 800 cigarettes, even if it happens two or three times a month.

On the other hand, it might be better for your health to work to the 200 per trip!

They would be interested especially if they suspected you were selling cheap cigarettes in Ireland after buying them in from some other country.

Customs have been known to set up surveilence on individuals suspected of smuggling cigarettes.