How much wine can you bring back from abroad?

Within the European Union, Customs puts the indicative quantity at 90 litres of wine per person, of which no more than 60 litres may be sparkling wine.

In addition to those 90 litres, the limits are 110 litres of beer, 20 litres of intermediate products up to 22 percent alcohol and 10 litres of spirits above 22 percent. The excise duty has already been paid in the country of purchase, so you do not have to pay anything extra in the Netherlands as long as the drink is for yourself or your household.

The quantities apply per traveller, not per car and not per family. Four adults in a minibus may therefore together bring four times those 90 litres.

From outside the European Union, the allowance is 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer per person.

On top of that you may choose: 1 litre of spirits with more than 22 percent alcohol, or 2 litres of alcoholic drink up to and including 22 percent. Those two may also be split, as long as the sum does not exceed one hundred percent of the allowance.

These amounts are in Directive 2007/74/EC and apply to travellers coming from a third country. Unlike within the EU, this is a hard limit: anything above it, you must declare.

No, the 90 litres within the EU is an indicative quantity and not a ban.

Customs uses the quantity to distinguish personal use from trade. If you bring more, Customs may ask what the drink is intended for. If you can make it plausible that it is for a wedding or a birthday in your own circle, it remains personal use.

If it really is about trade, Dutch excise duty is due and declaration obligations apply. The European basis for this is in the general excise directive 2020/262.

Above the exempt quantity, you make a declaration to Customs and still pay import duties, excise duty and VAT.

When travelling from outside the EU, all three levies come into play. When travelling within the EU, it concerns only excise duty and VAT, and only if Customs establishes that the drink is not for own use.

You can declare on arrival, in the red channel or at the desk. Not declaring and still being checked results in an additional assessment and can lead to seizure.

In the shop on the Brink in Bathmen you will find wines from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany on which excise duty and VAT have already been paid in the Netherlands.

There is nothing to settle, nothing to declare and no receipts to keep. Even for a big party that makes the calculations unnecessary, because the levy is already included in the price.

Wij verkopen geen alcohol aan wie jonger is dan 18 jaar. NIX18.