Home › Travel Guides › Europe Travel Guide › United Kingdom › Northern Ireland › Money & duty free for Northern Ireland

Money & duty free for Northern Ireland

Currency information: 

Pound (GBP; symbol £) = 100 pence. Notes are in denominations of £50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of £2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 pence. Euros are also accepted in larger stores.

Credit cards: 

Visa and Mastercard are accepted, as are Maestro debit cards.

ATM: 

Cash can be obtained from a multitude of ATMs available across the country.

Travellers cheques: 

Widely accepted. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in Pounds Sterling.

Banking hours: 

Mon-Fri 0900-1600. In very small villages, the bank may open two or three days a week only, so aim to get cash in the bigger centres.

Currency restriction: 

There are no restrictions on the import or export of local or foreign currency. However, amounts exceeding €10,000 or equivalent must be declared if travelling from or to a country outside the European Union.

Currency exchange: 

Some hotels will change money but banks and bureaux de change give the best rate of exchange.

Northern Ireland duty free

Northern Ireland is within the European Union. If you are travelling from the UK, you are entitled to buy fragance, skincare, cosmetics, Champagne, wine, selected spirits, fashion accessories, gifts and souvenirs - all at tax-free equivalent prices. There are no longer any allowance restrictions on these tax-free items. If you are arriving from a non-EU country, the following goods may be imported into the UK by persons over 17 years of age without incurring customs duty:

• 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco. These can be combined provided travellers do not exceed their total tobacco allowance.

• 4L of still wine.

• 1L of alcoholic beverages stronger than 22% or 2L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs. These can be combined provided travellers do not exceed their total alcohol allowance.

• 16L of beer.

• Other goods including souvenirs up to the value of £300.

Note: Goods obtained duty and tax paid in the EU are unlimited, as long as tax was paid in the country and they are for yoru own use. If you bring in more than the following, customs officals are more likely to ask the reason for holding the goods.

• 3200 cigarettes or 400 cigarillos or 200 cigars or 3kg of tobacco.

• 90L of still wine.

• 10L of alcoholic beverages stronger than 22% or 20L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs.

• 110L of beer.

Exceptions: Estonia - 200 cigarettes or 250g of tabacco. From Bulgaria, Hungary, Lativa, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia - 200 cigarettes.

Travelling with pets

To bring animals and birds into the UK, an import licence must be obtained at least six months in advance. Some animals may now qualify for the PET Travel Scheme (PETS) and can be brought into the UK without being put into quarantine. At present, this is limited to certain travel carriers and animals. Severe penalties are imposed on persons attempting to smuggle domestic animals into the country. An illegally imported animal is liable to be destroyed. For further information about importing animals, contact the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/index.htm; 0870 241 1710); or the nearest British mission abroad.

 Abolition of duty-free goods within the EU

On 30 June 1999, the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and the two states that joined on 1 January 2007, these rules apply to all new member states, except for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Romania. For all other EU member states, there are no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another.

Banned imports: 

Prohibitive imports: Prohibited items include unlicensed drugs, offensive weapons, indecent and obscene material featuring children, counterfeit and pirated goods, meat, dairy and other animal products, and pornography.

Restricted items include firearms, explosives and ammunition, live animals, endangered species, certain plants and their produce and radio transmitters.

Banned exports: 

It's illegal to take any meat, meat products, milk, and milk and dairy products abroad from animals that are susceptible to foot and mouth disease. This ban includes sandwiches, packed lunches, and food for self-catering holidays, and includes fresh, chilled, frozen, tinned, preserved and processed products.

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.