Entry Requirements & Customs

Entry Requirements

Passports -- For an up-to-date, country-by-country listing of passport requirements, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. State Department at www.travel.state.gov.

Visas -- Citizens of the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand need only a valid passport if visiting the Netherlands for less than 3 months. Citizens of other countries should be sure to check travel regulations before leaving. You can get these in English from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague: www.minbuza.nl.

Customs

What You Can Bring Into the Netherlands -- Visitors 17 years and older arriving from countries that are not members of the European Union (E.U.) may bring in duty-free 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco, 1 liter of liquor or 2 liters of wine, and 50 milliliters of perfume. Import of most other goods is unlimited, so long as import duty is paid and does not exceed a value of 175€. Forbidden products include firearms, counterfeit goods, banned narcotic substances, protected animals and plants, and products made from these.

Duty-free shopping has been abolished in the E.U. Therefore, standard allowances do not apply to goods bought in another E.U. country and brought into the Netherlands.

In essence, there is no limit on what residents of one E.U. country can take into another E.U. country like the Netherlands, as long as the items are for personal use (this includes gifts), and you have already paid the necessary duty and tax. However, the law sets out guidance levels. If you bring in more than the following, you may be asked to prove that the goods are for your own use: 3,200 cigarettes, 200 cigars, 400 cigarillos, 3 kilograms of smoking tobacco, 10 liters of spirits, 90 liters of wine, 20 liters of fortified wine (such as port or sherry), and 110 liters of beer.

For more information in English, visit the Netherlands Customs website: www.douane.nl.

At your port of entry, you enter either the E.U. Citizens or Non-E.U. Citizens section at Passport Control, and then one of two Customs clearance aisles, red or green, depending on whether or not you have goods to declare.

There are no limitations on the amount of foreign currency you can bring into the country.

What You Can Take Home From the Netherlands -- You'll likely get no more than a raised eyebrow back home for schlepping in a pair of brightly colored souvenir clogs, but bulbs, plants, and flowers might not be so welcome. Some countries require a phyto-sanitary certificate, which many Dutch suppliers provide.

U.S. Citizens -- For specifics on what you can bring back and the corresponding fees, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go at www.cbp.gov. (Click on "Travel," then click on "Know Before You Go.") Or contact the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667) to request the pamphlet.

Canadian Citizens -- For a clear summary of Canadian rules, request the booklet I Declare, issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca).

U.K. Citizens -- For information, contact HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their website: www.hmce.gov.uk.

Irish Citizens -- For information, contact The Irish Revenue's Customs Division at tel. 01/877-6400, or see the Revenue's website at www.revenue.ie.

Australian Citizens -- A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.

New Zealand Citizens -- A free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices answers most questions: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).