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A friend is in the USA and is coming back to Slovenia (EU). Can he buy a graphics card for me in the US and bring it home with him? Because it's so much cheaper in the US, I thought this would be a good idea. But I hear that there's a "problem" with tax and that you might end up paying a lot more for it because of VAT and customs. I also heard something about declaring an item as a gift at the border, which would make it immune to the tax. Sounds a bit too good to be true in my opinion?

  1. Will the GPU be in danger of being confiscated if it's in it's original packaging on a flight?
  2. Will the customs in Slovenia automatically demand a 22% Tax for the GPU? The price of it is 340 dollars (307 eur).

I do apologise if the questions are a bit stupid or obvious, but I have never had experience with this, so I thought better be safe than sorry.

Relaxed
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OneAndOnleh
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1 Answers1

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According to the European Comission website:

If you enter the EU from a non-EU country, goods having no commercial character in your personal luggage can be imported free of customs duties, VAT and excise duties within the following limits:

...

Other goods (including perfume, coffee, tea, electronic devices etc.)

  • Up to a value of €430 for air and sea travellers

  • Up to value of €300 for other travellers

  • The value on an individual item may not be split up.
  • The value of personal luggage (i.e. suitcases) and medicinal products for the personal needs of the traveller do not count.
  • Member States may reduce the above limits to € 150 for travellers under 15 years.

Therefore the answer is that yes, you can import a graphics card tax-free into any EU country, as long as the total sum of imported products doesn't exceed 430 euros. Note that products previously purchased in the EU (e.g. clothing and other electronic devices) don't count as an import.

JonathanReez
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