Who doesn’t know this situation – you are packing for the return flight and suddenly you ask yourself if you are allowed to take all of the following back to Germany legally. If you want to be on the safe side, read this post. Here you can find out everything about the applicable customs regulations for your return trip to Germany – without any officialese. Whether you are coming back from non-EU countries or from the Schengen area: the appropriate customs regulations are right here.
Customs regulations for the return journey to Germany from an EU member state
As an EU citizen you have the right of free movement within the European Union. This includes, for example, "borderless travel". This means, among other things, that you can import goods for your own use from another EU country duty-free into Germany. However, this does not apply to all goods. For stimulants such as tobacco products, alcoholic beverages and coffee, maximum quantities have been set. These are necessary, among other things, because otherwise the criterion "own need" is difficult to define. Excise duty is uniform throughout the EU.
However, you may also bring more than the exemption limit. If you exceed the guideline values, the customs officials will assume that you are not only importing the goods for your own use. In this case you have to declare the goods at the German customs and pay duty on them.