Bringing wine in from overseas trip

[Krusty]

Hey folks,
A mate is about to head to France for a family holiday and is contemplating buying a few bottles whilst there. He asked me what the tax scenario would be beyond the duty free allowance ( probably looking to bring in a dozen or two) and i presume that as long as he has receipts, he would need to pay the WET on the bottle price.
That however is a complete guess

Can any of you fine folk shed some further light on the matter ?

Cheers,
Krusty

[maybs]

That's as I understand it. However I have brought in a dozen from overseas twice and the customs officer didn't charge any duty either time, after just confirming that it was for personal use, so you can always get lucky.

[Cesar]

I bought 8 750 and 3 magnums from Spain, I wouldn't bring the receipts out unless absolutely necessary and I just told them everything was 5-10 euros worth and they believed it, had a Magnum of Roda 1 and an early 90's Lopez de Heredia and it cost me a bit over $50.00 in tax. The biggest problem is the weight of 12/24 bottles, if you get a really really nice person at Charles de Gaule (Can't see that happening!) they might let you through but depending on who you are flying with 10 kg extra might be over 600 aud.

[Andy.L]

Keep the receipt and declare it at custom, if your friend is lucky, he will be let through without a glance.
If not, be prepared to pay around 49% on top of the receipt, the first 3 bottles tax free scenario doesn't apply as a whole.

So my advice, always buy wines that is worthwhile, and even after the WET and GST, you will always saved quite a bit, comparing from buying in OZ.

Cheers
Andy

[Mike Hawkins]

be prepared to pay around 49% on top of the receipt, the first 3 bottles tax free scenario doesn't apply as a whole.
Cheers
Andy

I bring in 60+ bottles twice a year, and sadly, that 49% is the rate they charge...

[rossmckay]

I'm doing the same thing in October but decided on an each way bet.

The wife is bringing in three really good icon type bottles.

I'm bringing in a dozen obscure but good wines at about the 30-50E range. Six of those with be rioja and the rest french. Luckily we have business class (thank you Frequent Flyer) and can take in 32kg each.

I'm going to make sure I have the receipts but I do like the suggestion above

[griff]

I'm doing the same thing in October but decided on an each way bet.

The wife is bringing in three really good icon type bottles.

I'm bringing in a dozen obscure but good wines at about the 30-50E range. Six of those with be rioja and the rest french. Luckily we have business class (thank you Frequent Flyer) and can take in 32kg each.

I'm going to make sure I have the receipts but I do like the suggestion above

I would swap it around the other way. I suspect the wife may be given more latitude

[rossmckay]

I'm doing the same thing in October but decided on an each way bet.

The wife is bringing in three really good icon type bottles.

I'm bringing in a dozen obscure but good wines at about the 30-50E range. Six of those with be rioja and the rest french. Luckily we have business class (thank you Frequent Flyer) and can take in 32kg each.

I'm going to make sure I have the receipts but I do like the suggestion above

I would swap it around the other way. I suspect the wife may be given more latitude

Oh, you are good. She'll start crying

[Krusty]

Thanks for the replies guys, i shall pass them on.

Luckily he has two kids so he might be able to shift the weight around a bit.

[wineforlife]

I remember bag limit was 2 litre's of Alcohol at the Australian air port.

I used to bring to Australian 3 premium wine ( grange, hill of grace ) on each trip, and the rest, some budget european wines. If custom had to confiscate it, it would not hurt much. Used to bring 7-8 bottles home and I never declared it since rest were cheapies. ( travelling alone) Customs never gave a monkeys that I had 7-8 bottles. If you are going to bring more than a dozen or even few but really expensive things, then I suggest you should declare it!

I used to pack up the wines with socks, then roll up the towels, then wrape it up even further with clothing. Never failed. I heard there was a quite a few accidents that wine bottle broke and you know the rest. It is best to be extra wrapped up for the journey.

[Andy.L]

be prepared to pay around 49% on top of the receipt, the first 3 bottles tax free scenario doesn't apply as a whole.
Cheers
Andy

I bring in 60+ bottles twice a year, and sadly, that 49% is the rate they charge...

Instead of picking up luggage, your trolley is full of 5 cases of wines, like your style
The custom would be raising their eye brows everytime you pass through then

Normally, I only bring in 2 dozen, would love to bring more, but I always transit in Singapore. Which is a hassle

Cheers
Andy

[Tucker Wine Studios]

Hi Andy,

Normally, I only bring in 2 dozen, would love to bring more, but I always transit in Singapore. Which is a hassle

Very good point. I'd like t bring back some wine from my next trip to Europe but I will probably stay a few days in Singapore on my way back. Lets say I have 6 bottles (me and my wife) - what do you need to do in Singapore to "transit" your wine destined for your flight back to Australia?

Thanks for any helpful info.

Cheers,
Mario

[paulf]

I brought in a 1/2 dozen from Portugal last October. I declared it, but I also declared that I had been on a farm (well vineyards) in the previous week. They seemed far more interested in that and making sure my shoes were clean than they were in the wine, so that is strategy that might be worth keeping in mind.

[Andy.L]

Hi Andy,

Normally, I only bring in 2 dozen, would love to bring more, but I always transit in Singapore. Which is a hassle

Very good point. I'd like t bring back some wine from my next trip to Europe but I will probably stay a few days in Singapore on my way back. Lets say I have 6 bottles (me and my wife) - what do you need to do in Singapore to "transit" your wine destined for your flight back to Australia?

Thanks for any helpful info.

Cheers,
Mario

Hi Mario,

what do you mean by 'transit'? Are you asking about the custom regulation or are you asking how to safe guard your wines during transit? That is during your stay in Singapore and after you collected your wines

Cheers
Andy

[qwertt]

Hi Andy,

Normally, I only bring in 2 dozen, would love to bring more, but I always transit in Singapore. Which is a hassle

Very good point. I'd like t bring back some wine from my next trip to Europe but I will probably stay a few days in Singapore on my way back. Lets say I have 6 bottles (me and my wife) - what do you need to do in Singapore to "transit" your wine destined for your flight back to Australia?

Thanks for any helpful info.

Cheers,
Mario

Mario, I don't know if it is what you are asking re 'transit', but there is no way that you will be allowed to take into the cabin as carry-on baggage any wine (or other bottles of liquid over 100ml) that was not bought at Singapore airport duty free and picked up at the departure gate after security clearance. They are absolutely savage because it is a requirement of the Australian air navigation authorities. The Singapore airport people hate it because they cop a lot of abuse when they have to confiscate expensive bottles of plonk but they still have to do it.

If you are talking about bringing it into Singapore and exporting it again in your checked baggage I don't know what the rules re Singapore are and the standard Australian rules on duty free alcohol will still apply.

Hope this helps.

[JamieBahrain]

Hi All,

I live in abroad and bring in large quantities of wine to Australia on a regular basis. Last Thursday I brought in 48 bottles including 10 magnums.

Tricks of the trade:

- Provide receipts otherwise you may be unlucky and have Custom's Officers use wine-searcher to charge duty! Has happened to me before when I thought I would be able to sweet talk my way through the red channel.

- being honest and courteous generally sees you being well treated.

- Send your travel partner through customs separately to get three bottles through tax free. Often, they will give you a three bottle credit if you are together but sometimes they will not as the rule seems to indicate once you go over three bottles you bay duty on the lot.

- You pay about 55% duty on the purchase price of the wine.

- expect your bag containing wine to be dropped onto the tarmac from eight feet, bake in Dubai at 40 degrees, then get very cold in an aircraft cargo compartment where the heating maybe u/s. So insulate, insulate, insulate and your wines will be fine!

- Don't bullshit customs. I have friends who work there and the stories they tell are interesting involving scammers. Be honest & courteous, get caught trying to bring in Petrus as Cotes du Rhone and you may be prosecuted and I understand you go in the database and get checked on every arrival. Often, they have more important work to do then spend a long time processing a few extra bottles declared by you!

[Tucker Wine Studios]

Hi Andy and quertt,
Thanks for your replies.
What I meant was the following scenario: Traveling back from Europe my wife and I could bring back to Australia 2x3 bottles of wine which equates to 4.5 liters assuming standard bottle size of 0.75 l.
The bottles would travel of course in our main luggage.
However, if we stay a couple of days in Singapore on our way back I would have to get these 6 bottles through customs at Singapore airport to get into the city.
But according to Singapore customs regulations you can only bring in 2 l of wine per person duty free. In our case that would be 4 l and so we would be 0.5 l over the limit due to the more restricted Singaporean duty free limits.
I was just wondering if you could get around this limit if you declare not to consume your wine in Singapore brought in from Europe as you take it out of Singapore again after your short stay to travel on to Australia.
Well, I guess that's not possible.

Cheers,
Mario

[Andy.L]

Hi Andy and quertt,
Thanks for your replies.
What I meant was the following scenario: Traveling back from Europe my wife and I could bring back to Australia 2x3 bottles of wine which equates to 4.5 liters assuming standard bottle size of 0.75 l.
The bottles would travel of course in our main luggage.
However, if we stay a couple of days in Singapore on our way back I would have to get these 6 bottles through customs at Singapore airport to get into the city.
But according to Singapore customs regulations you can only bring in 2 l of wine per person duty free. In our case that would be 4 l and so we would be 0.5 l over the limit due to the more restricted Singaporean duty free limits.
I was just wondering if you could get around this limit if you declare not to consume your wine in Singapore brought in from Europe as you take it out of Singapore again after your short stay to travel on to Australia.
Well, I guess that's not possible.

Cheers,
Mario

Hi Mario,

if you are talking 6 bottles, just split 3 each between you and your wife. Problem solved . Or 6 bottles each, and more often than not, you will be let through without any problem

Why only 6 bottles though? I think you should go for more , as long as your luggage allowance allow you to do so
If I am in your position and with a partner, I would go for 18 bottles each. In singapore you pay tax on the alcohol content and total volume.
In sydney, declare and provide receipt, and pay the duty.
As long as you bought wines that is worthwhile, even after all those duties, still way cheaper than buying in OZ

Hope this help
Cheers
Andy

[Sigmamupi]

The rules are straightforward and are set out on the Customs website:

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4352.asp

The 2.25 litres of alcohol an adult is allowed are bylaw entry and the value is irrelevant. You can bring in 3 bottles of Romanee Conti and not have to tick the box on the passenger entry card whereas if you have 4 or more bottles of wine, even cheap stuff, you are obliged by law to declare it. You may be lucky and not get charged the taxes occasionally because a Customs officer is too stupid or lazy to do what the law requires him to do but don't count on it. The relevant taxes are 5 % customs duty (French and Italian wines), compounding to 29% WET and then 10% GST on the top. Blame Peter Costello for this as in 2000 when the GST came in he rolled over to the Winemakers Federation which wanted to keep a value based tax on wine.

There are basically two sensible strategies. If you are into rare and expensive wines and you can access them at the right price (and can deal with the EU bureaucracy to get a tax refund to make it even sweeter) just bring your 3 bottles back packed securely in hold luggage and preferably in a hard shell suitcase. You don't have to declare, irrespective of value. If you are able to secure wine at the right price and can transport it, declare it and cheerfully pay the relevant taxes based on your invoices. Jamie's points are well made - don't try stunts or false valuations because remember, Customs can seize smuggled or mis-valued goods. You will probably be still ahead on any desirable wines, given the multiple markups that occur in the Australian wholesale and retail sector.

Finally, if you want a good laugh have a look at the wine prices at duty frees in Australian airports. Despite being free of WET and GST, prices are usually higher than retail. Its all designed by the duty free stores to rip off Chinese tourists.

[simon1980]

Just a quick note...

If you bring in 3 bottles, then they are duty free. If you bring in 4 or more bottles, you are exposed to the taxes on all bottles (I.e. you lose your 3 duty free bottles). Also (and I may be wrong) I think there is a limit to imports of purchases made abroad of $1000...so 3 bottles of DRC would smash this barrier...

Simon

[rossmckay]

Just a quick note...

If you bring in 3 bottles, then they are duty free. If you bring in 4 or more bottles, you are exposed to the taxes on all bottles (I.e. you lose your 3 duty free bottles). Also (and I may be wrong) I think there is a limit to imports of purchases made abroad of $1000...so 3 bottles of DRC would smash this barrier...

Simon

The $ limit is for general goods, alcohol is by volume IIRC

[Mike Hawkins]

I'd second Jamie's comment re insulation. I typically put 2 x 6 packs and 3 loose bottles in 'wineskins' per large box - probably 70 x 40 x 30 cm - and cram in as many packing peanuts as I can possible fit in. This seems to do the trick. And I double tape every edge of the box to avoid it splitting when it's inevitably mishandled.

Additionally, I ALWAYS declare the wine at customs, having pre-prepared a spreadheet outling the wine, purchase price and AUD equivalent at current exchange rates. I generally offer to produce the receipts, but they've always declined in the past.

The key is to be polite. 2 of the last 5 trips through Sydney customs have seen them reduce the taxes payable by >$1000.

[Sigmamupi]

Simon 1980's interpretation is incorrect. As I stated and as rossmackay has noted, the alcohol limit is volume only and has no price restriction. The $900 limit applies to general goods such as jewellery, watches, art works etc

[simon1980]

Simon 1980's interpretation is incorrect. As I stated and as rossmackay has noted, the alcohol limit is volume only and has no price restriction. The $900 limit applies to general goods such as jewellery, watches, art works etc

Ahh, so it is...sadly I have yet to be in the position of bringing 3 bottles of wine worth over $900 into the country...

Simon

[sjw_11]

Hi Andy and quertt,
Thanks for your replies.
What I meant was the following scenario: Traveling back from Europe my wife and I could bring back to Australia 2x3 bottles of wine which equates to 4.5 liters assuming standard bottle size of 0.75 l.
The bottles would travel of course in our main luggage.
However, if we stay a couple of days in Singapore on our way back I would have to get these 6 bottles through customs at Singapore airport to get into the city.
But according to Singapore customs regulations you can only bring in 2 l of wine per person duty free. In our case that would be 4 l and so we would be 0.5 l over the limit due to the more restricted Singaporean duty free limits.
I was just wondering if you could get around this limit if you declare not to consume your wine in Singapore brought in from Europe as you take it out of Singapore again after your short stay to travel on to Australia.
Well, I guess that's not possible.

Cheers,
Mario

Hi Mario,

if you are talking 6 bottles, just split 3 each between you and your wife. Problem solved . Or 6 bottles each, and more often than not, you will be let through without any problem

Why only 6 bottles though? I think you should go for more , as long as your luggage allowance allow you to do so
If I am in your position and with a partner, I would go for 18 bottles each. In singapore you pay tax on the alcohol content and total volume.
In sydney, declare and provide receipt, and pay the duty.
As long as you bought wines that is worthwhile, even after all those duties, still way cheaper than buying in OZ

Hope this help
Cheers
Andy

I doubt you can talk your way past the Singapore authorities without paying the local tax. You might get lucky and they don't check but they have a habit of x-raying bags of obvious foreigners and bottles are pretty easy to spot.

Tax in Singapore is about $7/bottle plus VAT of 7% on the value ... not sure if they have any de minimis provisions to allow this to slide if your just a little over.