# Bringing Beer Back To Australia From Belgium



## stueywhytcross (17/1/09)

hi, i am currently on holidays in Belgium and i need to know how many litres of beer i am able to bring back to Australia? 
Also apart from the trappist beers, what beers should I definantly include in my haul??
Cheers


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## kook (17/1/09)

disco stu said:


> hi, i am currently on holidays in Belgium and i need to know how many litres of beer i am able to bring back to Australia?
> Also apart from the trappist beers, what beers should I definantly include in my haul??
> Cheers



As many as you like! So long as you're willing to pay excise / duty. Best option is to buy styrofoam wine shippers, they're big boxes that hold 12 wine bottles, or 12 longnecks. Two of those, along with carefully padded bottles in your luggage and you can easily bring home 30-40 bottles.

Otherwise, 1.5L duty free.


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## hoohaaman (17/1/09)

Lucky bastard B)


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## Stuster (17/1/09)

Currently in the same situation, Stu. (you must have been at the Stu convention too  ). I think the regs have changed now (for the better) and you can bring back 2.25L per adult. From here.



> Alcohol
> If you are aged 18 years or over, you can bring 2.25 litres of alcohol duty-free into Australia with you. All alcohol in accompanied baggage is included in this category, regardless of where or how it was purchased.



Think I'll be over the limit but it's still worth it I think.


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## Handy (17/1/09)

Stuster said:


> Currently in the same situation, Stu. (you must have been at the Stu convention too  ). I think the regs have changed now (for the better) and you can bring back 2.25L per adult. From here.
> 
> 
> 
> Think I'll be over the limit but it's still worth it I think.



I believe that if you go over the 2.25 L limit, you lose the duty exemption on that first 2.25 L. Which is a stupid rule.


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## Screwtop (17/1/09)

Unsure of the amount, Bro in Law brought back a dozen or so for me a year ago. Definitely beers from the Trappist Abbey at Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtus Abbdij) can only buy them from the Abbey. 

Donkerstraat 13
8640 Westvleteren
075/40 03 77


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## kevo (17/1/09)

> Alcohol
> If you are aged 18 years or over, you can bring 2.25 litres of alcohol duty-free into Australia with you. All alcohol in accompanied baggage is included in this category, regardless of where or how it was purchased.



I wonder (semi-seriously) if you could argue a technicality.

eg. A 330ml bottle of Westvleteren 8 has 8% alcohol.....thats 26(ish) ml of alcohol?

By my smart arse maths, I could bring home about 86 bottles? 86 bottles X 26ml per bottle = approx 2.25 L of actual alcohol.

Might be worth investigating beforehand


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## reVoxAHB (17/1/09)

Wish the smart ass maths would apply kevo but i'm guessing not a chance. That's why everyone generally brings in the hard stuff.. more bang for your buck duty wise, for lack of a better term. 

So what's the duty charge per L on alcohol? I'm headed to the States soon and will return to Aus with approx. 12 bottles of beer.

reVox


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## Trent (17/1/09)

reVox
They charge you on everything once you go over the 2.25L of drink, you dont get the first 2.25L excise free, sadly. It depends on the alcohol in the beer - I think that 3.5%-5% carries a charge of around $38 per litre of alcohol. Once you get uo over that, it is somewhere around $50 per L of alcohol, and over 10% it is somewheer around $80 per litre of alcohol.
PM me if you want a few pointers on minimising the damage.
T.


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## kook (17/1/09)

kevo said:


> I wonder (semi-seriously) if you could argue a technicality.
> 
> eg. A 330ml bottle of Westvleteren 8 has 8% alcohol.....thats 26(ish) ml of alcohol?
> 
> ...



It's not based on litres of alcohol, but on litres of alcoholic beverage. So you can bring in 2.25L (sorry, I don't know why I thought 1.5, I just know it was 2 duty free spirit bottles) of spirits, wine, beer or anything.

Oh - and don't argue with customs, or they'll make your life really difficult. Turn up with a list of all the beers you have, ABV, cost and volume. It'll make their life easier as they just need to type it all in. Otherwise you'll be waiting for an hour while they look at each and every bottle.


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## homekegger1 (17/1/09)

On my last trip to NZ last year I called customs re- bringing in more beer as opposed to 2 bottles of spirits and was told, "Anything over the allowance will attract an excise of $35 per litre, including the allowance." Therefore a box of Emersons was going to cost me around $200 in tax plus what it actually cost me for the beer.

Kind of crappy since you get a heap of "Standard" drinks from spirits as opposed to the same volume of beer.

Gotta love the government rules.

Cheers

HK


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## quantocks (17/1/09)

used to work in Quarantine 

some people would bring cases of Fiji Bitter all the time and pay no tax, however it depends on who you get. If you are bringing back spirits, dump the bottle and put it in a lemonade bottle/coke bottle and you will have no dramas (unless you have a stack of them)

Australia


2.25 litres (18 yrs+)


250 cigarettes, or 250 grams of tobacco or cigars (18 yrs+)


AUD900 (450AUD for persons under 18 yrs) worth of other personal goods. e.g. cameras, perfumes etc


but remember, if you exceed the limits and don't declare what you have, you will pay tax on the whole lot, so you lose your 2.25 litres.


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## Korev (17/1/09)

2250ml ~ 6 bottles 330ml size of the best selection - try for Pannepot and other strong rare beers from the supermarket. Double this amount if with significant other!


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## Dicko ACT (17/1/09)

disco stu said:


> hi, i am currently on holidays in Belgium and i need to know how many litres of beer i am able to bring back to Australia?
> Also apart from the trappist beers, what beers should I definantly include in my haul??
> Cheers



I say **** it... Smuggle it in by the box load! That way, I will be able to relive your experience next time I visit.

Besides, Carly and I will still visit you if your locked up.


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## PostModern (17/1/09)

My last time thru customs, I had half my bag full of Kiwi micro beers. When they showed up on the xray, the customs guy asked what was in all the bottles. I said "beer, mate". He let me thru with no duty payable. ymmv.


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## Josh (18/1/09)

Customs Officer here... PM for some advice.


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## stueywhytcross (28/1/09)

Just an update on how I went bringing back 5L of Belgian Beers through customs in my luggage.

I was looking to send beers back via surface mail but this was going to be extremely expensive. I decided to just fill my bags with as much beer as i could fit in, declare it all at customs and pay the excise.

When I arrived into Australia on Australia day, i declared that i had more than 2.25L of alcohol, I was then pulled aside and asked how much and what kind, I said about 4 Litres and it was all beer, the customs officer said No problems and let me go without even checking!.

I had previously emailed Customs about the duty payable, they replied with this letter.
_Stuart, _

_Thank you for your email.

The volume of alcoholic beverages that passengers 18 years and over may bring into Australia duty and tax free is 2.25 litres. If this limit is exceeded, then the duty and tax will be charged on the* full importation*, not just on the volume that exceeded the limit. _

_Beer (under tariff heading 2203) with strength 3.50% and greater, in containers equal to or less than 48 litres attract a duty rate of $40.46/L of alcohol, calculated on that alcohol content by which the percentage by volume of alcohol of the goods exceeds 1.15__.

Assuming 5% strength and volume of (12 x 375ml bottle or 4.5 litres) and value of the beer as $24, duty would be calculated as:

Rate per LAL (Litres of Alcohol) x (Strength - 1.15) x Volume
$40.46 x 3.85% x 4.5 litres

Duty is $7.01

Goods and Services Tax (GST) would be calculated as:_ 

_GST is 10% of the VOTI (Value of the Taxable Importation)
Value of the beer + the duty + the international transport & insurance
VOTI = $24.00 + $7.01 + 0
GST = 10% of 31.01 
GST = $3.10 _

_Total Duty and GST Payable = $ 7.01 + 3.10 =_* $10.11
*
_Regards_ 

_Romeo P. 
Customs Information & Support Centre_ 


The one thing you need to think about though is the extra weight in luggage!, Etihad tried to sting me 13pounds per extra kilo over 20kgs. I had 32kgs!!!!!!! but with a bit of rearranging and complaining i got it down to 29kg and he waved the excess!
In my haul I managed to get a few Westverletern 6,8 and 12. Plus one of each trappist and all their varieties.

Highly recommend visiting Belgium, it is a brewers heaven.


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## Stuster (31/1/09)

Back now, I thought I'd post a picture of the beers I did manage to haul back with me. Ok, so I'm just bragging.  





Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella, Girardin Gueuze, Girardin Framboise, De Cam Oude Kriek, 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze, Blaugies La Moneuse




Verhaeghe Vichtenaar, Ichtegem's Grand Cru Flemish Red Ale, Hercule Stout, Kasteel Bruin, Ichtegem's Oud Bruin and finishing off with the non-Belgian Thomas Hardy's Ale from the supermarket in Britain. :super: 

Really looking forward to sharing and tasting these ones. I've had a few of them over there, but most are ones I didn't get the chance to try. So many beers in Belgium, so little time. :icon_drunk:


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (31/1/09)

Stuster said:


> Back now, I thought I'd post a picture of the beers I did manage to haul back with me. Ok, so I'm just bragging.
> 
> View attachment 24427
> 
> ...



Welcome back Stuster :beer: .

By the looks of that haul I would say you have had a very good holiday.

C&B
TDA


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## caleb (31/1/09)

Stuster said:


> Back now, I thought I'd post a picture of the beers I did manage to haul back with me. Ok, so I'm just bragging.
> 
> View attachment 24427
> 
> ...


 :excl: 
Look, I'm afraid all those beers will be infected. Nasty stuff full of brett, lacto, pedo, and who knows what else... Don't even open them in your home or they'll infect your brew gear forever. I'll be around tomorrow to collect them for you and dispose of them safely.


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## Stuster (31/1/09)

THE DRUNK ARAB said:


> By the looks of that haul I would say you have had a very good holiday.



Very, very good.  



Caleb said:


> Look, I'm afraid all those beers will be infected. Nasty stuff full of brett, lacto, pedo, and who knows what else... Don't even open them in your home or they'll infect your brew gear forever. I'll be around tomorrow to collect them for you and dispose of them safely.



:lol: 

Planning on using the dregs for this and that I have planned. All I need now is a good supply of aged hops.


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## barls (31/1/09)

hey stu the kastel is great so smooth.
what year is the thomas hardy ale


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## Thirsty Boy (1/2/09)

You bastard...

My wife just got back from a work trip to Germany. She spent time in Munich with a day in Bamberg. Needless to say there was an order in for 2.25L of the best beer she could find (she is a beer drinker with a _very_ good palate) - except; in Paris, the 24kg baggage limit that her premium economy, booked after the 1st of December ticket promised.... turned magically into a 20kg limit, excess baggage at 90/kg

Previous instructions being ignored... clothes and shoes were not sacrificed for beer and the 6 bottles from 6 Bamberg breweries were abandoned.

I was absolutely devastated, not only because I didn't get the beer, but because she was running late for her flight and didn't even have a chance to drink the damn things in the check-in queue rather than ditch em. She gave them to some airport flunky - so at least they didn't go in the bin

On the bright side, I did get some nice glasses including a nice 1L stiefel from Klosterbrau. So she has marginally avoided being tossed out into the street.

I maintain my jealous hatred of your successfully imported beer... damn you.

Thirsty


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## Stuster (1/2/09)

That's a shame, TB. There seem to be different luggage in different airports/airlines at the moment. At the new terminal 5 Heathrow the new rule is one bag per person, maximum 23kg. There were four of us with six bags so there was some hasty rearrangement. We were certainly not the only ones in the same situation. However, it was two bags per person for carry on so it worked out fine. 

I also managed to bring back a Westmalle and a Rodenbach glass. Since it's dry February for me now, I wonder which one is best for orange juice. :huh:


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## Josh (1/2/09)

Good to see you got all those beers in Stuster. And a good lesson for all wanting to bring beer in. I have now abandoned the posting plan and will dump heavy shoes at the check-in instead of beer.


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## reVoxAHB (5/3/09)

Hey all,

Just in from a trip to the States and I'm pleased to report I was not charged duty on a collection of beers brought into Australia. B) 

I had each bottle bubble wrapped and simply packaged for easy access. I also rocked up with a complete list of beers including % of alcohol by volume with totals, and a customs declaration form ticked that I was over 2.25L allowance. 

3.845L 10 Beers in total

1X Lefthand Brewing Porter 355ml (12 fl. oz) 5.0%
1X New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire Amber 355ml 5.2%
1X Odell IPA 355ml 7.0%
2X Dogfishhead Raison D'Etre 710ml (2x355ml) 8.0%
2X Dale's Pale 710ml (2X355ml) 6.5%
1X Great Divide Oaked Espresso Imperial Stout (Yeti) 650ml 9.5%
2X Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard 710ml (2x355ml) 7.2%

We flew in on the new A380, and with over 800 passengers to be processed at once, I was under the impression they wanted to shoot most of us outta there as quickly as possible. Hard to say if they'd have taken the time to compute duty$ coming on an empty flight, at a non-busy time of day, etc. 

I spoke with two seperate officers in different areas (who both examined my card and questioned me about the beer) and both were like, no worries just go on thru the exit no need to even declare. One of the officers asked, "Are the 10 beers like a sample pack?" to which I replied, "Well yes, I suppose they are like a sample pack".. he was like great, checked OK on my card and said have a nice day.

So maybe the key phrase, or pass-phrase if you will is, "Sample pack". It sounds less menacing than 10 bottles  

Thanks Josh for the advice, PM's.

Cheers, 

reVox

edit: corrected A380, not A830


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## winkle (5/3/09)

reVox said:


> Hey all,
> 
> Just in from a trip to the States and I'm pleased to report I was not charged duty on a collection of beers brought into Australia. B)
> 
> ...



Dude, you'll love the Yeti. :icon_drool2:


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## Beermatt (5/3/09)

reVox said:


> Hey all,
> 
> Just in from a trip to the States and I'm pleased to report I was not charged duty on a collection of beers brought into Australia. B)
> 
> ...



FYI- Sample pack is not gonna mean s#!T, Customs has got bigger fish to fry and that's more of a reason to not bother taking the Duty/GST from you. Beer unlike wine is charged on % of Alcohol and because most beers are under 5% the Officer probably figured it was not worth $10 to waste his and your time. Obviously it could be higher with 9% + beers from belgium but either way, don't worry about Duty/GST cos it's never gonna be much when you get to sit down to a fully imported beer for probably half the cost than from an aussie shop.........When I go I'm bringing it all back baby!!!!

Cheers :icon_cheers:


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## Bubba Q (5/3/09)

Beermatt said:


> FYI- Sample pack is not gonna mean s#!T, Customs has got bigger fish to fry and that's more of a reason to not bother taking the Duty/GST from you. Beer unlike wine is charged on % of Alcohol and because most beers are under 5% the Officer probably figured it was not worth $10 to waste his and your time. Obviously it could be higher with 9% + beers from belgium but either way, don't worry about Duty/GST cos it's never gonna be much when you get to sit down to a fully imported beer for probably half the cost than from an aussie shop.........When I go I'm bringing it all back baby!!!!
> 
> Cheers :icon_cheers:


Actually, generally speaking the duty rate for wine with an alcoholic content of more than 1.15% is 5% plus $69.16 per litre of alcohol.

Beers made from malt dont have a flat rate of duty applied to them, only a per litre of alcohol rate (varies depending on the classification of the beer)


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## petesbrew (5/3/09)

Geez, I just declare everything suss when I'm coming back in.
Usually we're through quicker than those who don't declare stuff.


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## microbe (5/3/09)

+1 to that pete

I'd rather declare stuff that I don't have to and have them wave me through than get randomly pulled out and have stuff that I should've declared.

Cheers,

microbe


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## reVoxAHB (14/3/09)

Curiosity got the better of me where I contacted Josh asking roughly how much duty I'd have paid, or would pay on a slab coming in Australia. 

He replied, "Just did a mock assesment on 8L of 7% beer from Belgium. 
That would be one case of 330ml bottles of 7% beer.
Duty and GST payable is $28.15."

I wound up leaving behind 12 odd bottles (well, they were left with a good mate so they didn't go to waste). Had I known duty is somewhat negligable (well, affordable) I would've brought them in. 

Anyway, good to know for future reference. You'll also want to watch out for the new weight restrictions/luggage allowances and distribute accordingly. Josh suggested 5 layers of clothes worn on plane, to give luggage room for beer. Smart man :beerbang: 

Thanks again Josh, 

reVox


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## Josh (15/3/09)

The problem for me will the fact that I am spending a few days in Bangkok before we get home. So sitting in BKK airport with 5 layers of clothes on for a few hours might get steamy.


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## ricardo (20/1/12)

Hi,


First time poster after some advice. I'm emigrating from the UK to Australia later this year and would like to bring my beer collection with me on the shipping container, roughly between 50 - 100 beers. I've tried contacting customs to see if i'm allowed to and how much i would have to pay (gave info on alchohol volume and bottle size) but they haven't replied back. I just don't want to be stung with outragious demands when i get there, Does anybody know of anybody who has attempted this who could offer some advice. Any advice would be appreciated


Many thanks


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## mckenry (20/1/12)

ricardo said:


> Hi,
> 
> 
> First time poster after some advice. I'm emigrating from the UK to Australia later this year and would like to bring my beer collection with me on the shipping container, roughly between 50 - 100 beers. I've tried contacting customs to see if i'm allowed to and how much i would have to pay (gave info on alchohol volume and bottle size) but they haven't replied back. I just don't want to be stung with outragious demands when i get there, Does anybody know of anybody who has attempted this who could offer some advice. Any advice would be appreciated
> ...



This has info you'll need. Could be expensive.
Australian Customs Tobacco and alcohol products


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## ricardo (20/1/12)

mckenry said:


> This has info you'll need. Could be expensive.
> Australian Customs Tobacco and alcohol products





many thanks for the reply, i did find the below examples from the Aussie postal service but am absolutley hopeless with the maths on working out how much i pay. i did try and it worked out at about 20 a bottle on the wee heavy. this can't be right if you take into account the $100 Aus bottle of wine example

a few examples of beer i hope to bring are;

5 x Goose Island Bourbon County Stout at Aus $10 a bottle 350ml 13.5 %

2 x Alesmith Wee Heavy at Aus $15 a bottle 750ml 10%

5 x Stone Ruination at Aus $6 a bottle 330ml 7%

All prices are estimations on the current exchange rate, this is the example i got from the Aussie postal service



http://
*What is the duty rate for Alcohol and Tobacco?*
The duty rates for alcohol varies depending on its exact specifications, however to give you a general idea most Wines and Spirits attract a duty rate of 5% of the value of the goods *PLUS* $69.57 per litre of alcohol content and most Beers made from malt attract a duty rate of $41.06 per litre or alcohol content by which it exceeds 1.15%. *Note:* In addition to duty and GST, most wines also attract Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) which is calculated at 29% of [the customs value (CV) PLUS the duty PLUS the Transport and Insurance (T&I)]. 

Tobacco duty rates also vary but again to give you an idea, the most common rate is $415.86/kg of tobacco content.

*Wine Calculation Example:* The duty payable on a 700ml bottle of Wine valued at $100 which has an alcohol content of 13.5% would be calculated as follows:


If the Customs value (CV) of the Wine =	$100.00
Then the Customs duty @ 5% of the $100 (CV) = *$5.00 (Payable)*
The Litres of Alcohol (La) content is 0.7L x 13.5% = 0.0945 La
Therefore the duty rate of $69.57/La x 0.0945 La = *$6.57 (Payable)*
Hence for that bottle of wine the *total duty payable = $11.57*
*Beer Calculation Example:* The duty payable on a Carton of 24 x 375ml bottles of Beer valued at $50 which has an alcohol content of 4.9% would be calculated as follows:


If the Customs value (CV) of the Beer =	$50.00
The dutyable Litres of Alcohol (La) is 4.9% - 1.15% = 3.75%
The Litres of Alcohol (La) content is 24 x 0.375L x 3.75% = 0.3375 La
Therefore the duty rate of $41.06/La x 0.3375 La = *$13.86 (Payable)*


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## brettprevans (20/1/12)

*turns josh away from computer screen so he cant see this post*
*cough* hid them in your luggage and play dumb if caught saying you only knew about duty free *cough*.


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## Josh (20/1/12)

citymorgue2 said:


> *turns josh away from computer screen so he cant see this post*
> *cough* hid them in your luggage and play dumb if caught saying you only knew about duty free *cough*.



Actually, if you declare them and tell the Customs Officer stamping your passport that you brought in a few beers from home, you might well get through without paying anything.

That being said, do the calculations so you know what the worst case scenario would be.

In a shipping container or LCL, you might get it in with no dramas at all. But again, do the sums "just in case" you have to pay.


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## brettprevans (20/1/12)

Josh said:


> Actually, if you declare them and tell the Customs Officer stamping your passport that you brought in a few beers from home, you might well get through without paying anything.
> 
> That being said, do the calculations so you know what the worst case scenario would be.
> 
> In a shipping container or LCL, you might get it in with no dramas at all. But again, do the sums "just in case" you have to pay.


josh you werent meant to look at the post!!

but yeah he's right. coming back from wellington i had 5 NZ beers that i bought in NZ (not duty free alc) and some NZ confectionry for the kids. declared it all and they didnt care.


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## eamonnfoley (20/1/12)

I just make sure i drink a heap when I am away and dont bother with the hassle of bringing beer home. But I do love to grab glasses and souvenirs!


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## ricardo (21/1/12)

guys thanks for all your help.

just to reiterate i'm not looking to smuggle it in, i've got too much for that. the company i'm shipping the container with have advised i need to label every single beer up with volume, price, size and country of origin

i've even emailed customs asking if there are any limits to the amount i can bring over and asked if they could give me an idea on how much i would have to pay (i gave them a few examples), If it's going to be $1000's of dollars i'll drink it before i leave i just want some idea on price. Thw annoying thing is customs seem to have ignored my email


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## Wimmig (21/1/12)

ricardo said:


> Hi,
> 
> 
> First time poster after some advice. I'm emigrating from the UK to Australia later this year and would like to bring my beer collection with me on the shipping container, roughly between 50 - 100 beers. I've tried contacting customs to see if i'm allowed to and how much i would have to pay (gave info on alchohol volume and bottle size) but they haven't replied back. I just don't want to be stung with outragious demands when i get there, Does anybody know of anybody who has attempted this who could offer some advice. Any advice would be appreciated
> ...



There are exemptions you can work with. If you can show the collection has value in the containers, and not the contents, and is for personal value only then you may be able to reduce the tax rates you would need to pay. If customs request shipping stickers per unit then they are making the assumptions you have a commercial shipment and is for reselling or profit. You will find customs may not reply to you if they are putting your request into the commerical category but you are going through the personal category. 

I am going to go out on a limb here, and say enjoy the beers and leave them be. I don't think, in good faith, i could ever say it's going to be an easy process to bring 100 units of alc into the country and expect to not pay full commerical rates. You will have one hell of a hard time getting them in the country outside of generic bringing them in one trip at a time {2250/330(assumed) = 6.81 units per transit = 14 international trips}.


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## np1962 (21/1/12)

The key to this whole thing is the fact that you are emmigrating.
There are rules that apply that are different than if you just grabbed a couple of cartons the week before and brought them into the country.
If you have had the collection longer than twelve months it may well be exempt as al of your household goods and personal belongings of that age are.
Having lived 3 years in the UK and Ireland before returning in 2001 I managed to collect quite a few bottles of Whiskey/Whisky and brought them back.
They were packed in one or two(of 20 odd) of our moving boxes and shipped by a moving company. The box was clearly marked and a list of the contents supplied.
On arrival it had been inspected and cleared with no charges incurred.
As you can see though, the charges are not excessive if you have done the right thing.
Cheers
Nige


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## ricardo (22/1/12)

NigeP62 said:


> The key to this whole thing is the fact that you are emmigrating.
> There are rules that apply that are different than if you just grabbed a couple of cartons the week before and brought them into the country.
> If you have had the collection longer than twelve months it may well be exempt as al of your household goods and personal belongings of that age are.
> Having lived 3 years in the UK and Ireland before returning in 2001 I managed to collect quite a few bottles of Whiskey/Whisky and brought them back.
> ...




Thanks for the advice, i hadn't realised that everything over 12 months is exempt, hopefully that includes beer. Do you think the fact i don't have any receipts would be an issue?


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## np1962 (22/1/12)

ricardo said:


> Thanks for the advice, i hadn't realised that everything over 12 months is exempt, hopefully that includes beer. Do you think the fact i don't have any receipts would be an issue?


I wasn't asked, nor would I of been able to produce any.
The key is to be as honest as possible with everything.
The worst that could happen is they hit you with a bill for excise, if you can't convince them you have owned the goods for 12 months and you don't want to pay the amount they ask they will destroy them.
Nige


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## geoffd (22/1/12)

quantocks said:


> used to work in Quarantine
> 
> some people would bring cases of Fiji Bitter all the time and pay no tax, however it depends on who you get. If you are bringing back spirits, dump the bottle and put it in a lemonade bottle/coke bottle and you will have no dramas (unless you have a stack of them)
> 
> ...




Hi Quantocks, I'd be interested in knowing what stupid ******* moron came up with the idea to limit alcohol on the basis of quantity only rather than quantity x ABV I mean it's so rediculous that a bottle of 40% spirit & a mid strength beer have the same volume limitation.

Having worked in the industry I'm sure you have been asked this before, is there any logic to it or just the usual stupidity to be expected of the public service. PS not dissing you, I do understand customs only enforce the laws not write them.


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## ricardo (23/1/12)

NigeP62 said:


> I wasn't asked, nor would I of been able to produce any.
> The key is to be as honest as possible with everything.
> The worst that could happen is they hit you with a bill for excise, if you can't convince them you have owned the goods for 12 months and you don't want to pay the amount they ask they will destroy them.
> Nige



I'm just worried i'm going to look like a retailer. I've kind of been stockpiling a few favourites (case of Maui bought last year an example) as i knew it would be hard to get a lot of American craft brewers out there. wonder if there is a limit where they say hang on thats far too much for one person


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## Josh (23/1/12)

Father Jack said:


> Hi Quantocks, I'd be interested in knowing what stupid ******* moron came up with the idea to limit alcohol on the basis of quantity only rather than quantity x ABV I mean it's so rediculous that a bottle of 40% spirit & a mid strength beer have the same volume limitation.
> 
> Having worked in the industry I'm sure you have been asked this before, is there any logic to it or just the usual stupidity to be expected of the public service. PS not dissing you, I do understand customs only enforce the laws not write them.



In the past if the duty payable was under $50 it was written off as too small for duty (TSD). A case of standard beer was under the $50 payable. Customs have removed TSD for anyone over their concession. Now theoretically if you have over 2.25L you pay on the whole amount. In practice, you'll get away with a bit more than 2.25L if you only have beer and no tobacco or liquor.


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## brettprevans (23/1/12)

Father Jack said:


> Hi Quantocks, I'd be interested in knowing what stupid ******* moron came up with the idea to limit alcohol on the basis of quantity only rather than quantity x ABV I mean it's so rediculous that a bottle of 40% spirit & a mid strength beer have the same volume limitation.
> 
> Having worked in the industry I'm sure you have been asked this before, is there any logic to it or just the usual stupidity to be expected of the public service. PS not dissing you, I do understand customs only enforce the laws not write them.


its really simple. an accountant came up with the idea. more tax on volume im guessing.


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## ricardo (3/1/13)

Just as a reference for anybody from the UK thinking about doing this, i shipped 120 bottles with pretty high ABV's 7 - 28% from the UK. I declared everything, total cost AUS $218. Hope this helps anybody in the future


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