Alcohol / Spirits 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
1 liter spirits duty-free
Can I bring Alcohol / Spirits into United Kingdom?
1 liter spirits duty-free
1L spirits + 2L fortified + 4L wine + 16L beer
Duty + excise + VAT on excess
Within personal allowance — no separate declaration needed
Full details
HMRC allows travelers aged 17 or over arriving in Great Britain to bring 18 litres of still wine, 42 litres of beer, and either 4 litres of spirits (> 22% ABV) OR 9 litres of fortified / sparkling wine (≤ 22% ABV) duty-free per visit. This 'Great Britain Personal Allowance' applies to both EU and non-EU origins post-Brexit. Quantities above the allowance must be declared via the Online Declaration Service; duty plus 20% VAT applies on the excess.
Occasional — Enforcement reported intermittently.
Leaving United Kingdom with alcohol / spirits
Spirits for personal consumption are freely exportable from United Kingdom — excise duty is origin-paid on retail purchases and no export formality applies at personal quantities. The binding constraint is the destination's duty-free allowance (typically 1 litre of spirits) above which arrival duty applies, and aviation rules: liquids over 100 ml must travel in checked baggage or as sealed duty-free purchases, and alcohol over 70% ABV is forbidden on aircraft entirely (24-70% ABV is capped at 5 litres per passenger in retail packaging).
Post-Brexit allowances: 18L still wine, 4L spirits or sparkling wine, 42L beer. Tobacco: 200 cigarettes OR 100 cigarillos OR 50 cigars OR 250g tobacco (or proportional mix). Goods up to £900 (approx. $1,100 USD) duty-free. Allowances apply when arriving from outside Great Britain.
Standard duty-free allowance applies (typically 1L spirits + 1-2L wine + beer). Declare any quantity above; excise + 20% VAT computed at His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Red Channel. Bring purchase receipts.
1L spirits + 2L fortified + 4L wine + 16L beer
Duty + excise + VAT on excess
The Travellers' Allowances Order 1994
This page covers destination customs rules in United Kingdom. Whether you can carry alcohol / spirits through security, in carry-on, or in checked baggage depends on airline and screening rules — see air travel rules.
Alcohol / Spirits is classified under Class 3 — Flammable liquids. Cabin and checked-baggage rules apply on top of any destination regulation.
Related rules
Alcohol / Spirits rules in other countries
Alcohol / Spirits
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
Completely prohibited. Zero tolerance under Islamic law.
Alcohol / Spirits
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
Non-Muslim adults may import 4 litres of spirits or wine duty-free via most emirates.
Alcohol / Spirits
🇲🇾 Malaysia
1 liter duty-free allowance
Alcohol / Spirits
🇮🇩 Indonesia
1 liter duty-free; heavily taxed beyond
Alcohol / Spirits
🇰🇷 South Korea
1 liter (under USD 400) duty-free
Alcohol / Spirits
🇫🇷 France
EU standard allowances from non-EU; unlimited within EU