Hi everyone,
Can anyone tell me if the Airports in Bulgaria take Sterling,Euro's and or Leva, and which is best to use.
Thanks
Suzie
Hi suziew4,
If you are asking in anticipation of Duty Free purchases, forget it, there is no 'Duty Free' for flights between EU member states.
When I came back in March, the Duty Free shops were closed in Varna Airport, as all flights at the time were from Bulgaria to other EU countries. You won't be able to buy Duty Free goods at the UK airport when you fly to Bulgaria either.
See HERE & don't forget the restrictions on liquids, Bulgarian Customs informaion HERE.
Baldur
If you are asking in anticipation of Duty Free purchases, forget it, there is no 'Duty Free' for flights between EU member states.
When I came back in March, the Duty Free shops were closed in Varna Airport, as all flights at the time were from Bulgaria to other EU countries. You won't be able to buy Duty Free goods at the UK airport when you fly to Bulgaria either.
See HERE & don't forget the restrictions on liquids, Bulgarian Customs informaion HERE.
Baldur
so are you saying that the duty free shop in Bourgas airport is shut when you leave the country, i always manageto buy 200 cigarettes in Manchester airport wherever i am flying to
Hi Sue,
Having re-read my post, I don't see that I said anything about Bourgas Airport.
What I said regarding not being able to purchase 'Duty Free' goods, as opposed to 'Tax Free' goods, applies to all airports in all EU member states where the passenger is an EU Citizen and is flying to another EU member state.
If there are flights leaving Bourgas (or any other EU airport) to non-EU countries, passengers on those flights are able to buy 'Duty Free' goods.
Basically, if you are a UK or Irish citizen flying to (or home from) Bulgaria, you cannot buy 'Duty Free' goods from airport Duty Free shops, either in Bulgaria or your home country.
<Edit>
Any Duty Free shop which sold you Duty Free cigarettes for an inter-EU flight would probably be fined very heavily for breaching EU law - as far as I'm aware, Manchester is still part of the UK
I assume that you haven't flown to Bulgaria since 1st January 2007?
Baldur
Having re-read my post, I don't see that I said anything about Bourgas Airport.
What I said regarding not being able to purchase 'Duty Free' goods, as opposed to 'Tax Free' goods, applies to all airports in all EU member states where the passenger is an EU Citizen and is flying to another EU member state.
If there are flights leaving Bourgas (or any other EU airport) to non-EU countries, passengers on those flights are able to buy 'Duty Free' goods.
Basically, if you are a UK or Irish citizen flying to (or home from) Bulgaria, you cannot buy 'Duty Free' goods from airport Duty Free shops, either in Bulgaria or your home country.
<Edit>
i always manage to buy 200 cigarettes in Manchester airport wherever i am flying to
Any Duty Free shop which sold you Duty Free cigarettes for an inter-EU flight would probably be fined very heavily for breaching EU law - as far as I'm aware, Manchester is still part of the UK
I assume that you haven't flown to Bulgaria since 1st January 2007?
Baldur
Hi Suzie, Baldur, as usual, is spot on with his advice. As he has property in Bulgaria he gets to go more times than most and therefore his knowledge of current affairs etc., is unsurpassed on this forum.
Toonman
Toonman
I too have several properties over there and go over regulary too, we dont buy cigarettes at bourgas airport as they do not have much of a variety there, when we go from manchester there are two sets of prices one for non eu countries and one for eu countries but both are cheaper than buying them in England we are going to the airport next week so i will check it out sue
Hi Sue,
Hence my statement above.
The two terms are totally different concepts under EU and HM Revenue & Customs legislation/regulations.
The 'Tax Free' will be those targeted at inter-EU travellers.
Baldur
there are two sets of prices one for non eu countries and one for eu countries
Hence my statement above.
'Duty Free' goods, as opposed to 'Tax Free'
The two terms are totally different concepts under EU and HM Revenue & Customs legislation/regulations.
The 'Tax Free' will be those targeted at inter-EU travellers.
Baldur
Hi Baldor
I understand all that but from what i gather off you we can not buy any cigarretes at say manchester airport, but we have asked if we could have an allowance and they have said yes, so maybe yo are not supposed to buy them but they just fob you off with it. When we go to Turkey at the airport in Turkey the shop said you can buy as many as you likee but we know that is not true and they dont care if you get caught at the other end
I understand all that but from what i gather off you we can not buy any cigarretes at say manchester airport, but we have asked if we could have an allowance and they have said yes, so maybe yo are not supposed to buy them but they just fob you off with it. When we go to Turkey at the airport in Turkey the shop said you can buy as many as you likee but we know that is not true and they dont care if you get caught at the other end
Hi Sue,
With respect, you obviously don't.
Everything that I posted above related to 'Duty Free' - you are now talking about 'Tax Free', which is a totally different legal classification.
Nowhere did I mentiion 'Tax Free', other than to indicate that I was not referring to 'Tax Free' goods, so I don't know how you arrived at your interpretation of:
Turkey is irrelevant, as it's a non-EU country, so Duty Free purchases are no problem, subject to HM Revenue & Customs import limits into the UK, i.e. 200 cigarettes per person of the appropriate age, etc.
Baldur
I understand all that.....
With respect, you obviously don't.
Everything that I posted above related to 'Duty Free' - you are now talking about 'Tax Free', which is a totally different legal classification.
Nowhere did I mentiion 'Tax Free', other than to indicate that I was not referring to 'Tax Free' goods, so I don't know how you arrived at your interpretation of:
i gather off you we can not buy any cigarretes at say manchester airport
Turkey is irrelevant, as it's a non-EU country, so Duty Free purchases are no problem, subject to HM Revenue & Customs import limits into the UK, i.e. 200 cigarettes per person of the appropriate age, etc.
Baldur
.......... and remember that Duty/Tax Free shops exist to sell their goods and cannot be held responsible for sales to passengers who are not aware of their legal limits!!!
Good Morning, to add some weight to above statement, I went as a courier to Brugge the other Sunday, On the way back we stopped at a Chocolate Shop and Tobacco outlet, we got stopped at customs at Dover, Officer came on board and asked where have you been, this was explained. He then asked me had the passengers been told about there entitlements ref tobacco products, 3 times I said. He then made everybody get off and walk through customs area with products.One silly man was pulled over, he had 10 kilo instead of 6 kilo tobacco, lost the lot, over £600 and was told do not attempt to bring any products back through here within 3 months. His argument was, "But they sold them to me" their response was, "YOU KNEW THE RULES" Tonyt
-
Edited by
Tonyt
2007-05-16 08:20:35
tonyt that was i was exactly trying to explain, maybe i did not explain myself well enough
The Belgian tobacco products are neither 'Duty Free' or 'Tax Free', they are 'Tax Paid', i.e. you have paid all local taxes in the EU member state in which they were purchased, just the same as if you bought them in an ordinary high street shop in Bulgaria, for example.
Baldur
Baldur
they are 'Tax Paid', i.e. you have paid all local taxes in the EU member state in which they were purchased.
But, this doesn't apply to Bulgaria or any of the post 2004 entries into the EU because these countries don't have a high enough level of taxes on tobacco.
Thus the limit on cigs from Bulgaria to the UK is still 200, with a double whammy I believe, that under Bulgarian law you can't take more than that out of Bulgaria.
It used to be a triple whammy, because it was illegal to import more than 200 cigs into Bulgaria, despite the fact you could buy a couple of thousand at Manchester Airport for import into the then non EU country. There might be the same limit today.
Peter
Hi Peter,
That was shown in the thread to which the first link of my first post pointed.
The Bulgarian Customs information still says that this is the case {bearing in mind that it was last updated in February 2005
}
Baldur
the limit on cigs from Bulgaria to the UK is still 200
That was shown in the thread to which the first link of my first post pointed.
There might be the same limit today.
The Bulgarian Customs information still says that this is the case {bearing in mind that it was last updated in February 2005
}Baldur
peter
i know that you can buy 1000 cigarettes from duty free shop and take them into Bulgaria which is illegal so surely the airports should not be allowed to sell that many
i know that you can buy 1000 cigarettes from duty free shop and take them into Bulgaria which is illegal so surely the airports should not be allowed to sell that many
We, Belgians, know that you all UK people are coming for the tabacco..(and some chocolates..)
I just had a great laugh with that story Tonyt
I just had a great laugh with that story Tonyt
i know that you can buy 1000 cigarettes from duty free shop and take them into Bulgaria which is illegal so surely the airports should not be allowed to sell that many
You could buy them in the past before EU entry. I would doubt if you can now .
All the shop was concerned with was that you were not travelling to an EU country as proved by your boarding card. They could not be expected to know or even care about the customs regulations of your destination. That was up to you to sort out.
Peter
i am going away next week i will check all the new regulations out, they have a board outside the shops saying what you are allowed to buy
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