Prohibited items
Items given to the traveler are inspected unsealed before they're carried, and travelers agree not to carry prohibited items. Keep everyone safe and legal.
- Drugs & narcotics
- Prescription & controlled medicines
- Weapons, ammunition & replicas
- Counterfeit goods
- Letters, mail & correspondence
Lab results, a passport, a diploma, a contract, any printout — all fine. What can't be carried is a letter written to the recipient.
- Explosives & fireworks
- Flammable liquids & gases
- Loose lithium batteries
- Fresh & homemade food
- Meat & dairy, including sealed and canned
- Live animals & plants
Sealed and canned don't help: the EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however it's packaged, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it's wrapped — coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine.
- Shells, coral & starfish
- Ivory, bone, hide & exotic leather
Sold openly to tourists and still not carryable. Shells and coral need export permits almost everywhere they're collected, and giant clam shells are banned outright.
- Alcohol & tobacco
- Snus & nicotine pouches
- Vape pods & e-liquids
Duty-free allowances only cover what you bring for yourself. Carrying these for someone else falls outside them — Finland bans bringing in snus or nicotine pouches for another person at all.
- Cash, cheques & gift cards
- Jewellery & precious metals
- Drones
- Vaping devices
Anything in a sealed or opaque package — items are inspected unsealed before they're carried.
Entering Finland or anywhere else in the EU from outside it. Meat and dairy are never allowed, in any amount — these are the exceptions to that, not softenings of it.
Australia runs the strictest biosecurity regime in the world and it does not care how food is packaged. Meat, dairy, eggs, seeds, fresh produce and most processed food must be declared, and undeclared food is an on-the-spot infringement notice - a visitor can lose their visa over it. Do not carry food to Australia.
Food inside a gift is still food, and Australian biosecurity treats it that way. Wooden items, seeds, shells and plant material must all be declared.
Australia permits medicines for your OWN personal use under the Traveller's Exemption, with quantity limits and a prescription or letter. Carrying medicine for someone else falls outside that exemption entirely.
Bahrain controls medicines sold freely elsewhere - pregabalin and gabapentin are controlled drugs, and travellers have been arrested carrying them without a Bahraini prescription.
Japan bans several common cold and allergy medicines outright, including anything with pseudoephedrine — a foreign prescription does not change this.
Japan limits how much cosmetics and toiletries one person may bring; larger amounts need an import certificate.
Kuwait controls many medicines that are sold over the counter elsewhere, including codeine, tramadol and CBD. Carrying them can mean arrest.
Kuwait customs restricts more than most countries - including some publications and anything containing alcohol. Check before you pack.
Kuwait bans pork and alcohol outright, including sealed food containing them - that covers longganisa, tocino and other pork products.
Malaysia requires registration for medicines brought in for another person, and controls several common painkillers and cold remedies.
Malaysia applies the death penalty for drug trafficking, and controls e-cigarettes, alcohol and pork products. Items on a Malaysian route must also weigh more than 2 kg each.
Qatar controls many medicines that are sold over the counter elsewhere, including codeine, tramadol and CBD. Carrying them can mean arrest.
Qatar customs restricts more than most countries - including e-cigarettes and some publications. Check before you pack.
Qatar does not allow pork or alcohol to be brought in, including sealed food containing them - that covers longganisa, tocino and other pork products.
Saudi Arabia needs an advance permit for narcotic and psychotropic medicines, including some cough and cold remedies sold over the counter elsewhere. Carrying them without one can mean arrest.
Saudi customs restricts more than most countries - including anything containing alcohol or pork, and some publications. Check before you pack.
Saudi Arabia does not allow pork or alcohol to be brought in, including sealed food containing them - that covers longganisa, tocino and other pork products.
Singapore controls many medicines sold over the counter elsewhere, and some need an import permit even in small amounts. A foreign prescription does not change this.
Singapore bans e-cigarettes and vaping products completely - bringing one in is an offence even for your own use. Chewing gum is also restricted. Drug offences carry the death penalty.
Taiwan fines travellers NT$200,000 (about EUR 5,600) for bringing in any pork product from a region with African swine fever, and the Philippines is one. This catches pork floss, longganisa, dried sausage, pork-filled mooncakes and even the seasoning sachet in instant noodles. The fine is charged at the border and applies on a first offence. Pork hides in too many snacks to check, so no packaged food can go to Taiwan, not even dried mangoes.
No food in gifts to Taiwan, not even dried mangoes. Pork hides in too many snacks to check, and any pork product from the Philippines triggers a NT$200,000 fine at the border, however it is packaged.
No food of any kind can go to Taiwan, not even dried mangoes. Pork hides in too many snacks to check, and any pork product from the Philippines triggers a NT$200,000 fine at the border.
The UAE controls many medicines that are sold over the counter elsewhere, including codeine, tramadol and CBD. Carrying them can mean arrest.
UAE customs restricts more than most countries — including some publications and e-cigarettes. Check before you pack.
Vietnam strictly regulates medicines brought in for other people, so they can't be carried on routes into Vietnam.
Vietnam bans e-cigarettes and heated tobacco completely, including for your own use. Each person may bring in up to VND 10 million of goods duty-free; anything above that must be declared.
Vietnam bans importing many used goods, including used clothing. New items with a receipt are safest.
Vietnam bans importing many used goods, including used phones and electronics. New items with a receipt are safest.
Vietnam bans importing many used goods, including used household appliances. New items with a receipt are safest.
Vietnam bans importing many used goods, including used shoes. New items with a receipt are safest.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts and must be declared. Shells, coral and wildlife products need export permits almost everywhere they are collected.
Health Canada allows a single course of treatment for your own use. Carrying medicines for another person is outside that allowance.
The CFIA restricts meat, dairy and fresh produce brought into Canada, and the limits depend on the country it came from. Declare everything: an undeclared food item is a penalty regardless of whether it would have been allowed.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Hong Kong limits powdered infant formula to two tins (1.8 kg) per person leaving the territory, and it is an offence to exceed it. Meat, poultry and eggs need an import licence.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: nothing containing meat, dairy or egg from outside the EEA, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into Iceland for your own personal use only - up to 100 days' supply, or 30 days of narcotic and psychotropic medicines. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
Iceland refuses any food containing meat, dairy or egg brought in from outside the EEA - cooked, canned, dried and vacuum-sealed included, and that can catch milk chocolate and cakes made with milk or egg. Plant-based food in its unopened shop packaging is fine: coffee, dried mango, nuts, noodles without meat. Fish is allowed up to 20 kg.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Israel allows prescription medicines for personal use up to a 90-day supply. Controlled and psychotropic medicines need a Ministry of Health permit, and cannabis is refused, medical cannabis from abroad included.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Items on a Macau route must weigh at least 2 kg each. Lighter packets, books and photos fall under Macau Post's monopoly.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift must still be declared, and New Zealand biosecurity treats it as food. Wooden items, seeds, plant material, shells and anything used outdoors must be declared too.
New Zealand allows medicines for your own use, or your immediate family's, up to three months' supply, declared with a prescription or doctor's letter. Carrying medicine for anyone else counts as importing it for supply.
Declare every food item when you land in New Zealand - an undeclared item is an instant fine even if it would have been allowed. Pork from the Philippines is refused because of African swine fever, canned, cured and dried included - longganisa, tocino and chicharron too. Fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs and honey are refused as well.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EEA, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into Norway for your own personal use only, up to three months' supply. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
Norway refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside the EEA however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate without meat.
Philippine law bans bringing in used clothing to SELL (RA 4653) - not second-hand clothes themselves. Clothes for family, including flea-market finds, are fine. What matters is the amount and that they are not for resale: a few bags is normal, a bulk lot looks like trade and can be seized.
Philippine customs may charge duty on electronics that look new or are in retail packaging. Keep the receipt.
The Philippines limits how much medicine one person may bring in, and asks for a letter from the prescribing doctor. Carrying medicine for someone else is not personal use.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Korea limits medicines to a personal supply and refuses several common painkillers and cold remedies. Carrying them for someone else falls outside the allowance.
Korea refuses meat, and most fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts, at the border. Processed food needs to be declared, and undeclared items carry a fine.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Food inside a gift still counts: no meat or dairy from outside the EU, however well sealed. Shells and coral need export permits and are usually refused.
Medicines may be brought into the EU for your own personal use only. Carrying them for someone else falls outside that allowance.
The EU refuses meat and dairy brought in from outside it however they are packaged - canned, cured and vacuum-sealed included, down to a tin of corned beef. What matters is whether it contains meat or dairy, not how it is wrapped: coffee, dried mango, nuts and dried fish are fine, and so are biscuits, cakes and chocolate - a little milk or egg baked into them does not count.
Thailand bans e-cigarettes, vapes and heated tobacco outright - bringing one in can mean a heavy fine or prison. Other electronics in retail packaging may be charged duty; keep the receipt.
Thailand allows medicines for the traveller's own use only, up to 30 days' supply. Medicine carried for someone else falls outside that allowance, and cannabis, kratom and CBD products need a licence.
Meat, meat products and plants need permits to enter Thailand, even when sealed. Goods carried for someone else must be declared at customs.
Medicines may be brought into the UK for personal use. Some common ones, including codeine and strong painkillers, are controlled and need a prescription or doctor's letter in the name of the person carrying them.
The UK refuses meat and dairy brought in by travellers - cooked, canned, dried and vacuum-sealed included, and that covers longganisa, tocino, corned beef and milk powder. Plant-based food in its unopened shop packaging is fine: coffee, dried mango, noodles without meat.
US rules on food are strict — meat, and many fresh or home-prepared items, are refused at the border even when sealed.