Travelling from within the EU
Customs controls on arrival at the airport or port
If you are arriving by sea
If you arrive from a European Union (EU) country by sea and you have no goods to declare, you can leave the port without passing through customs controls unless you are stopped.
If you are arriving by air
If both your journey and your flight began in the EU, go through the blue channel. If your journey began outside the EU (for example, New York - Frankfurt - Dublin), go through:
- the green channel if you have no goods to declare
- or
- the red channel if you have goods to declare.
Customs officers can carry out selective checks on travellers coming from the EU. The purpose of those checks is to combat the smuggling of prohibited and restricted goods or excise offences. You may be stopped, questioned and your baggage may be inspected.
Note
You must declare the following to a customs officer at the airport or port:
- goods in excess of your allowance
- prohibited or restricted goods.
Further information
If you require further information, please contact Customs.