Many travellers from South Africa who are visiting friends or family overseas, take cartons of cigarettes as gifts (or special requests) since cigarettes cost much more in Europe and the United States than in South Africa. We have prepared this article regarding the rules around carrying cigarettes on international flights, to make sure that you stay on the right side of the law and on the right side of customs officials.
In general, the rules regarding carrying cigarettes and tobacco products overseas, depend on the laws of the destination country.
When travelling into South African, one is allowed to carry up to 200 cigarettes per person (that is the equivalent of one carton of cigarettes, containing 10 boxes of 20 cigarettes each).
The same limits apply to travellers who are carrying cigarettes on international flights from South Africa to the United States, as there is a $800 exemption from customs duties, which includes up to 200 cigarettes per person. The same limit applies to travellers who are flying from South Africa to the United Kingdom, to Canada, and to most countries in Europe.
The limits are much higher when travelling from one European country to another – you can carry up to 800 cigarettes (that’s four cartons), as this is considered to be an amount for personal use.
Even if you are carrying cigarettes which are within the allowed limits, it is important to declare to customs in your destination country that you are carrying cigarettes, as the failure to do so can lead to the cigarettes being confiscated or in some cases, a fine being imposed.
