Personal imports

You can bring back a reasonable amount of any food on sale in any EU country. If it is a large amount, you may need to satisfy Customs officers that the food is for your personal use. This also applies to personal imports of fish and shellfish from Iceland and Norway, and to personal imports of meat and milk products from Norway.

The EU Member States are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. See a map of the Member States on the European Commission website.

You can bring back reasonable quantities of foods that don't contain anything of animal origin. For large amounts, you may need to satisfy Customs officers that the food is for your personal use. Personal imports of fruit and raw vegetables from outside the EU may be subject to a limit of 2kg due to plant health restrictions. For information on what fruits and vegetables are restricted and which are not restricted, see the searchable Imports Rules section on Defra's website. Also, personal imports of potatoes from non-EU countries are not permitted. For information about importing plants see the Plant Health section of the Defra website.

Some food products of non-animal origin are currently restricted for import to the EU for commercial purposes. Whilst these products can be brought in for personal use, travellers need to be aware of any health risks that such products may cause due to possible contamination. See a list of restricted products.

Personal imports of meat, meat products, milk and milk products are not allowed from countries outside the EU, with the exception of the following countries. A reasonable amount is permitted in personal luggage or by post from Andorra, Norway and San Marino. A combined total of up to 5 Kilograms is permitted in personal luggage or by post from the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

Imports of powdered infant milk, infant food and special foods for medical conditions for personal use are permitted. They must be carried in personal luggage. They must not require refrigeration before opening, and must be commercial brands of products in unbroken packaging.

Up to 1kg each of fishery products, shellfish, eggs, egg products, honey, frogs' legs or snail meat is allowed for personal use from certain approved countries. For more information about approved countries see the Personal Imports section of the Defra website.

You should note that there may be additional restrictions on importing food if circumstances present a risk to animal or human health. Please note that these restrictions can change rapidly, so you should check the up-to-date situation before you travel. See the searchable Import Rules section on the Defra website to find out what you can bring back into the UK for personal consumption.

If in doubt, avoid bringing food products into the EU.

For many people the 1kg limit described above will be sufficient. However, where it is not, travellers can consider making arrangements to bring in fishery products as commercial consignments. Before doing this, see our advice on importing fishery products and bivalve molluscs.

If you are on fishing trip in a non-EU country, you may want to bring your catches back to the UK, and these will often exceed the 1kg limit. As advised above, you will only be allowed to do this if the catch is brought back as a commercial consignment. Some fishing trip organisers or agents may be able to make arrangements for fish caught on fishing trips to be treated as commercial consignments. However, if these arrangements are not in place it will be your responsibility to ensure your catch is handled and prepared by an approved establishment for export to the UK. See further details on importing fishery products and bivalve molluscs and lists of approved establishments for authorised non-EU countries.

Anglers travelling to Canada may also wish to access the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website which gives useful information on importing personal catches into the EU. See further details at: European Union Import Requirements Affecting Canadian Sport Fish Lodges

Illegal imports present unknown risks to human health because they have avoided health and hygiene checks, and could bring in diseases.

For more information about animal disease risks see the European Commission website and the Personal Imports section of the Defra website. The Defra website also provides information on bushmeat.

Yes you can, but if the caviar is from a non-EU country, imports are limited to a maximum of 250g per person. Please note that this is less than the 1 kg limit that normally applies for personal imports of fishery products. The 250g per person limit is imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) whose role is to safeguard species threatened by international trade. For more information see the CITES website.

Please also note that caviar can only be brought back to the UK for personal use from certain countries. For further information see DEFRA's website. Check the table under "Caviar" but remember that the maximum allowance is only 250g.