IMPORTATION OF GOODS TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Goods which are not of commercial character, i.e. goods intended, with respect to their kind and quality, exclusively for the personal use or consumption of the recipient, traveller or members of his household or are to be presented as a gift, may be imported by a person entering the Czech Republic in accordance with the conditions mentioned below.

Goods of total value not exceeding:
CZK 6,000.00 per each traveller older than 15
CZK 3,000.00 per traveller under the age of 15
are relieved from customs duty (and other fees and charges).

Notice: The above limits apply to foreign natural persons entering the Czech Republic as well as to Czech persons returning from abroad and cannot be combined for more persons and cannot be deducted if the price of the imported goods is higher.

The conditions listed above for imported goods relieved from customs duty also apply to goods imported by a traveller in his or her personal laggage or in vehicles by means of which he or she enters the country.

The limits do not apply to importation of goods from the border zone of a neighbouring country by travellers whose usual place of residence is in the border zone, crew members of vehicles who cross the country borders at least once a week while performing their occupation and travellers who work in the border zone of a neighbouring country.

Other situations in which relief from import duty may apply, e.g. personal property imported by natural persons while moving their usual residence from abroad to the Czech Republic, study aids and household furnishings of pupils and students returning from long-term study visits abroad or household furnishings imported in connection with the termination of temporary residence abroad are provided for in the Decree on Relief of Goods from Import Duties (No. 136/1998 as amended).

Under the above mentioned limits, the following goods are relieved from customs duty for each traveller only in the quantities given below for each type:
a.) tobacco and tobacco products
1. 200 cigarettes
2. 100 cigarillos ( cigars with a maximum mass of 3 grams per piece),
3. 50 cigars,
4. 250 grams of smoking tobacco, or
5. a proportionate assortment of such products,

b.) alcoholic beverages
1. 1 litre of distilled liquors or spirits having an actual alcohol content exceeding 22% by volume, or
2. 1 litre of undernatured ethyl alcohol with an alcohol content of 80% by volume or more, or
3. 1 litre of aperitif produced from wine or alcohol or tafia, sake or similar beverages with an alcohol content not exceeding 22% by volume , or
4. 1 litre of sparkling wine or liquers containing wine, or
5. 2 litre of wine
Notice: Alcohol and alcoholic beverages can be relived from customs duty within the prescribed limit only for persons older than 18, tobacco and tobacco products only for persons older than 16.

c.) fuel
1. in ordinary reservoirs of motor vehicles,
2. fuel not exceeding 10 litres contained in portable reservoirs which are imported into the country by passenger motor vehicles and motorcycles and is intended for consumption by such vehicles.

EXPORTATION OF GOODS FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Some kinds of goods (veterinary goods, objects of cultural value, weapons and ammunition, explosives, addictive substances and medicines, financial means) are subjected to the prohibitions and restrictions mentioned below. However, other goods exported from the Czech Republic that are not of a commercial character are not subject to export duties or other export charges.

IMPORT, EXPORT OR TRANSIT RESTRICTIONS APPLYING TO VETERINARY GOODS

The term "Veterinary goods" means especially:
- animals, eggs for hatching, inseminated roe,
- materials and products of animal origin intended for human or animal consumption (mainly meat, internal organs, animal fats, skin, bones, glands, horns, milk, eggs, honey, feathers, wool, fur),
- feeds,
- goods that can transmit diseases.
Upon importation or transit of veterinary goods that are not of a commercial character:
a.) the traveller must present to the border Customs Office a certificate proving vaccination against hydrophobia (rabies) for dogs, cats and small beasts of prey used for hunting. If the animals are not intended to stay in the Czech Republic longer than 30 days this certificate can be replaced by a certificate of clinical examination for hydrophobia with a negative result. The examination must not be conducted prior to 72 hours before the start of the journey. (Dogs older than 3 months must always have a certificate of vaccination which can be replaced by the certificate of examination only if the animal comes from a country where hydrophobia vaccination is not permitted),
b.) a valid veterinary certificate must be presented to the border Customs Office in respect to rodents (e. g. guineapigs, hamsters), songbirds, ornamental birds and predatory birds used for hunting, if their stay in the Czech Republic is to exceed 30 days,
c.) a valid veterinary certificate must be presented to the border Customs Office for foodstuffs of animal origin which are heat-treated or otherwise rid of gem microbes if their weight exceeds 5 kg,
d.) no veterinary documents need be presented for reptiles, amphibians, aquarium fish, processed fur and skin, shorn wool and stuffed hunt trophies.
Raw meat (including fish meat) which is not of a commercial character cannot be imported. The veterinary certificate issued by the competent District Veterinary Administration presented upon exportation of veterinary goods certifies fulfilment of veterinary conditions set down by the country of destination and, as the case may be, the country of transit.

CITES
Exportatioin of specially protected animals, plants and minerals is prohibited. The Ministry of Environment may, in exceptional cases, issue an export permit.
Importation, exportation or re-exportation of protected animals and plants (live or dead) mentioned in the Annexes to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is possible only subject to fulfilment of the conditions set in the Convention and on basis of an appropriate permit (in the Czech Republic the permit is issued by the Ministry of Environment).

EXPORTS OF ITEMS OF CULTURAL VALUE

Items of cultural value are defined as natural or man-made creations or sets thereof, which important for history, literature, the arts or science. These items may be exported only on the basis of a certificate confirming that the item in question is not a cultural asset or a part of a set proclaimed a cultural asset. Written permission of the Archive Administration Department of the Ministry of the Interior must be presented when exporting records from archives.

Notice:
- Certificates are issued upon request and subject to a fee by proffesional organizations (e.g. museums, galleries, institutes, etc.).
Prohibitions and restrictions relating to exportation of cultural assets
A cultural asset may only be exported, even temporarily (e.g. for loan or exhibition), on the basis of a permit given by the Ministry of Culture. If the item in question has been proclaimed a national cultural asset, the permit must be given by the Goverment.

Notice:
- Request for permission to export a cultural asset must submitted to the Ministry of Culture on a special form.
- Should the Customs Office have doubts during the customs inspection about whether or not the goods in question are a cultural asset and the permit of the Ministry of Culture has not been presented, the Custom Office is entitled to request that the permit, or the certificate confirming that the itrem is not a cultural asset, be presented.


IMPORTATION, EXPORTATIION AND TRANSIT OF WEAPONS, AMMUNITION AND EXPLOSIVES

A traveller cannot import, export or transport explosives declared as goods of a non-commercial character. Imported or transported weapons or ammunition must always be declared at the Customs Office of entry.


IMPORTATION, EXPORTATION AND TRANSIT OF ADDICTIVE SBSTANCES AND MEDICINES

Exportation of addictive substances, products containing them and some substances used for their production and processing if possible only on the basis of an export permit given by the Ministry of Health (a list of the substances in mentioned in the annexes to the Law No. 167/1998 Coll., on addictive substances, as amended).
Importation of addictive substances, products containing them and some substances used for their production (mentioned in the annexes to the Law No. 167/1998 Coll., on addixtive substances, as amended) is possible only on the basis of an import permit given by the Ministry of Health and an export permit given by the country of origin of the substance if it is required by that country upon exportation.
Transit of addictive substances, products containing them and some substances used for their production (mentioned in the annexes to the Law No. 167/1998 Coll., on addictive substances, as amended) is possible only on the basis of an export permit given by the Ministry Of Health and an export permit given by the country of origin of the substance if it is required by that country upon exportation.
The above mentioned permit is not required for medical products that are produced by means of mass production and contain addictive substances if they are exported or imported by a doctor or veterinarian for purposes of administering first aid or immidiate veterinary treatment. Similarly, the permit is not required for the same products imported or exported by a natural person for his or her personal use in amounts corresponding with the length of the trip and the health diagnosis of the person in question.

IMPORTATION OF WASTE

Importation of waste including household garbage by a traveller is prohibited.

IMPORTATION AND EXPORTATION OF MEANS OF PAYMENT

A traveller is obliged to declare to the Customs Office in writting importation or exportation of:
- valid bank notes and coins,
- travellers cheques,
- financial money-orders convertible to cash,
in Czech or foreign currencies, if their aggregate value exceeds CZK 350,000.00

Notice: The rate of exchange to be used, if necessary, for converting the values into Czech currency is the rate declared by the Czech National Bank valid on the Friday of the week preceding the week when the financial means are imported or exported.
A form for the written declaration can be obtained at the Customs Office.

Notice: More information on customs regulations, Customs Offices, organization of the Customs Administration and its activities can be found at the following Internet address: www.cs.mfcr.cz and at Customs Offices, Customs Directorates and the Ministry of Finance - General Directorate of Customs.

Ministry of Finance
General Directorate of Customs
Budejovicka 7
14096 Praha 4, Czech Republic
Tel.: +4202/6133-2303
Fax: +4202/6133-2300
E-mail: podatelna3@cs.mfcr.cz
www.cs.mfcr.cz