Customs allowances: what you may carry across

EU allowances when entering from Ukraine and Ukrainian allowances when entering from the EU: goods, alcohol, tobacco, cash, fuel and pets. Sourced and dated.

Customs rules are not symmetrical. Each direction has its own amounts, its own quantities and its own exceptions, and the allowance you memorised for entering Poland does not apply on the way back into Ukraine. Both directions are set out separately below, as of 14 August 2026.

Into the EU: what you may bring from Ukraine

Travellers from non-EU countries have a general duty-free allowance for personal goods. At a land border crossing it is EUR 300 per person (the allowance is higher for air and sea travel). The goods must be non-commercial and for personal use.

Alcohol and tobacco are counted separately from that amount, and only for travellers aged 17 and over.

Note the first row: all four EU countries that share a land border with Ukraine apply the reduced tobacco limit. Forty cigarettes is two packs. It is the most common cause of arguments at customs in this direction.

Meat and dairy may not be carried

Bringing meat, milk and products made from them into the EU from non-EU countries is prohibited. This is a veterinary restriction, not a question of value: it applies regardless of price or weight. A sausage sandwich in the glovebox is formally covered by the ban.

The exceptions are limited and set out in Regulation (EU) 2019/2122:

• infant food, powdered infant milk and special foods required for medical reasons — up to 2 kg, in unbroken proprietary packaging that does not require refrigeration before opening;
• special pet feed required for medical reasons — on the same conditions;
• honey and other products of animal origin — up to 2 kg per person;
• fish and fishery products — up to 20 kg, or the weight of one fish if that is greater.

Fruit, vegetables and plants have their own phytosanitary restrictions — check them separately with the customs authority of the country you are entering.

Into Ukraine: what you may bring from the EU

Here Article 374 of the Customs Code of Ukraine applies. At land crossings the allowance is EUR 500 and 50 kg per person, without a written declaration and without payments. At airports it is EUR 1,000 with no weight limit.

The key condition, often forgotten: the allowance applies if the traveller enters Ukraine no more than once within one day. Exceeding the value, the weight or the frequency means a written declaration and payment of 10% import duty plus VAT on the amount above the threshold.

Alcohol and tobacco fall under Article 376, for travellers aged 18 and over, per person:

And one rule that overrides all of the above: if the traveller was outside Ukraine for less than 24 hours, alcohol and tobacco are not exempt from duty regardless of quantity. Travellers under 18 may not bring them in at all.

Cash: EUR 10,000 in both directions

The threshold is the same on both sides, but the legal basis differs.

Entering and leaving the EU, sums of EUR 10,000 or more (or the equivalent in another currency) must be declared — Regulation (EU) 2018/1672. The threshold applies per person.

At the Ukrainian border, up to the equivalent of EUR 10,000 may be carried without a written declaration. Above that, a customs declaration is filled in; residents taking money out will need documents proving the origin of the funds. Amounts in different currencies are added together and converted at the National Bank rate on the day of crossing.

Money on a card is not covered by these rules — the limits apply to cash and equivalent valuables.

Fuel

The EU allowance: fuel in the vehicle's standard tank plus no more than 10 litres in a portable container (Council Directive 2007/74/EC). Individual countries additionally regulate the possession and transport of fuel under their own rules, so on the Polish route check the current restrictions before you leave — they have changed.

Pets

For dogs, cats and ferrets the EU requires three things: an international-standard microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and a rabies antibody titration test, plus an international veterinary certificate issued at the crossing.

The procedures were updated on 22 April 2026. The most important change is a clear deadline for the antibody test: the result must be obtained no later than 90 days before the certificate is issued. A transitional period applies: certificates issued before 1 October 2026 remain valid until 31 March 2027.

If someone other than the owner transports the animal, it must happen within 5 days before or after the owner's own journey, with a written declaration naming who accompanies the animal. Non-commercial movement covers no more than five animals. Guidance: the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

How this affects time at the border

Our waiting-time figures describe the queue to the passport control booth. Customs inspection is not included — we say so plainly in our methodology. If you take the red channel, travel with an animal or declare cash, allow extra time on top.

The cheapest way not to lose an hour is to have nothing to declare above the allowance.

Sources: the State Customs Service of Ukraine, the EU portal Your Europe, and the Customs Code of Ukraine (Articles 374 and 376). Allowances change — check the primary source before travelling, and report any discrepancy through our feedback form.

What else to take with you: Documents for crossing the border.

Page updated 2026-08-14 · Editor: Anna Wiśniewska