Czechia to Germany and Austria: Cigarette and Alcohol Limits

From Czechia you may take duty-paid goods for personal use into Germany and Austria within indicative quantities: 800 cigarettes, 1 kg of smoking tobacco, 10 litres of spirits and 110 litres of beer. These are guide levels, not a duty-free allowance: above them you must show the goods are for yourself. German customs does not object to up to 20 litres of fuel in a spare canister. Around Prague checked the rules on the official sites of German customs, the Austrian finance ministry, Czech customs and the EU on 9 November 2026.

The basic rule: personal use, tax paid in Czechia

There is no customs border between Czechia, Germany and Austria. Goods you bought in a Czech shop with Czech excise and VAT already paid can be carried for private use without a declaration or duty. Customs still runs spot checks, including inland.

The guide levels in the table below are not a ban. If you carry more, the goods are presumed commercial and you must credibly show they are for you. If that fails, tax is due, and German customs seizes and destroys tobacco.

• The levels apply only if you carry the goods yourself as a private traveller.
• If goods are bought wholly or partly for other people (friends, family, colleagues), German customs says there is no personal use regardless of quantity, whether you sell them or give them away.
• Buy in ordinary shops and keep receipts.

Guide quantities in 2026

In Austria the levels combine proportionally: each product group counts as 100%. For example, 400 cigarettes plus 500 g of tobacco stay within the guidelines (the ministry's own example).

Heated tobacco, e-liquid and snus

This is where people slip up. For heated tobacco Germany counts sticks (800) while Czechia counts grams (250 g). If you bring more than 250 g back into Czechia, you are over the Czech level even with fewer than 800 sticks. For liquids Germany names 1 litre and max. 10 packs; Czechia 80 ml. For snus and chewing tobacco Austria says that more than ten tins can no longer be treated as personal use. German customs pages we checked give no separate figure for snus or nicotine pouches, so ask the customs information line if you carry several tins.

Fuel in a spare canister

German customs: fuel in the tank is tax-free if bought at a filling station for your own use; keep the receipts. Up to 20 litres in reserve containers is not objected to. That is a practice, not a legal maximum, the fuel must suit your engine, and dangerous-goods rules still apply. The EU Your Europe page says 10 litres in a portable container on top of the tank. We found no separate Austrian figure, so plan for 10 litres. For prices see our guide to petrol and diesel prices in Czechia.

Dyed or marked fuel (such as heating oil) may not be carried as fuel; it may stay only in the main tank.

Cash: the 10,000 euro rule and the external border

The written declaration from 10,000 euro applies at the EU external border, when entering or leaving the EU. It does not apply to trips inside the EU. German customs does say that on trips between EU states you must declare cash of 10,000 euro or more orally if asked, and give origin, owner and purpose on request, even for smaller amounts. Failing to answer fully is an offence with a fine up to 1 million euro.

Austria: cash inside the EU is in principle unlimited, but from 10,000 euro you must answer truthfully during a customs check. Czechia: inside the EU you must provide details on customs' request from 15,000 euro; the written declaration from 10,000 euro applies only at the EU external border.

Coming back into Czechia

Czech customs applies the same levels (Czechia column). Above them, goods are seized and a tax procedure starts. Customs advises carrying proof of purchase. According to its January 2024 press release, weekly checks near the Polish border seized over 14 kg of tobacco and over 31,000 cigarettes. Since 1 January 2024 Czechia also has levels for liquids (80 ml), nicotine pouches (500 g) and other nicotine products (500 g).

What inspectors look at

• Very low prices, missing tax stamps or health warnings: German customs lists these as signs of illegally imported tobacco. Buying or holding such tobacco can be Steuerhehlerei (section 374 AO), whatever the guide levels.
• Buying cigarettes without a valid tax stamp in Germany can be an administrative offence.
• Buy in regular shops and keep receipts.

Common questions about duty-free limits (FAQ)

How many cigarettes can I take from Czechia to Germany?

German customs gives 800 per person as a guide level for personal use, if you carry them yourself and bought them tax-paid.

How many cartons is that?

A carton usually holds 200 cigarettes, so 800 is four cartons. That is a calculation, not a source figure.

How much alcohol can I bring into Austria?

Per the Austrian finance ministry: 10 litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine (up to 60 sparkling) and 110 litres of beer, combinable proportionally.

Can I carry 20 litres of petrol in a canister?

German customs does not object to 20 litres; the EU page says 10. No separate Austrian figure was confirmed.

Do I have to declare 10,000 euro in cash?

Not in writing if you stay inside the EU. In Germany you must answer orally from 10,000 euro if asked.

What happens if I carry more than the guide level?

You must credibly prove personal use. Otherwise tax is due and tobacco is seized.

Sources: Zoll: Genussmittel, Zoll: Energieerzeugnisse, Zoll: Barmittel, Austrian BMF, oesterreich.gv.at, Your Europe, Czech Customs: limits, Czech Customs: cash. Checked on 9 November 2026; this is not legal advice.

See also: Petrol and diesel prices in Czechia, Prague outlets and shopping, Walking tours in Prague.

Photo: the former border crossing Rozvadov – Waidhaus on the D5/A6 motorway. Hoover5555, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

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