The European Union/ Europe
Though the UK is no longer a member of the EU, travelling with food, plants and animal products is still very simple. You can carry such products between any EU country, as well as the UK, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland, as long as they are for your own personal consumption. This includes carrying them in your luggage or having them delivered by mail.
Greenland and the Faroe Islands have their own restrictions that limit you to 10KG per person (Fish is unrestricted, however).
The only products that will be restricted for travel in Europe are baby food (including powdered milk), medical food and pet food. These must all be under 10kg, in commercially branded packaging, sealed unless in current use, and should not need to be refrigerated before use.
You will have to declare any products you are carrying when entering the EU so that you can undergo customs checks, or risk having them confiscated. If any of the food you are carrying is derived from an endangered species, i.e. a sturgeon, there will be strict rules on how much you can carry and you may need a permit to carry over that amount. The EU wildlife trade reference database lists the species that are subject to restrictions.
Australia
We could devote an entire website to the peculiarities of Australian import and customs laws. The bottom line is that Australia has a uniquely balanced natural environment and ecology, and as a result the Australian border authorities have incredibly thorough – and strictly enforced – regulations on what is allowed into the country.
Before you arrive in Australia you will be asked to fill out an Incoming Passenger Card, on which you must declare whether you are transporting plant material, animal products or certain foodstuffs. Be aware that this is a legally binding declaration, and those either failing to properly declare or deliberately attempting to bring prohibited items into the country can suffer penalties ranging from a $360 (around £180) on-the-spot fine to, in extreme cases, criminal prosecution that can lead to 10 years in prison and fines of more than $66,000 (around £33,000).
Food and other prohibited items that reach a customs checkpoint will in most cases be destroyed according to quarantine procedures. Needless to say, our advice is to avoid trying to take foodstuffs into Australia wherever possible, and certainly don’t attempt to circumvent customs by making a false declaration. This applies equally to both food carried in luggage, and anything transported by freight during an international house move.
The United States of America
US Customs and Border Protection – an agency of the Department of Homeland Security – is responsible for deciding what foodstuffs are allowed to enter the United States from overseas. It is possible to bring food (for personal use) into the US in your luggage if you are entering as a traveller. However, while US customs restrictions are a lot more forgiving than those on the Australian border, certain types of foods – and foodstuffs sourced from certain countries – are still prohibited.
We suggest checking the US Customs and Border Protection website for guidance on what is and isn’t allowed. In common with entering Australia – and indeed, crossing most national borders outside the EU – you will have to declare any foodstuffs that you are bringing into the country. Failure to declare goods can result in fines of up to $10,000, which equates to just under £7,000.
Moving internationally
If you are moving house contents – potentially including food – to another country it is important to use a reputable international removals company that has sufficient experience to know what is and isn’t allowed, and that can deal with the receiving country’s import, customs and quarantine procedures on your behalf where necessary. We recommend using removals firms who are members of the British Association of Removers (BAR) or another reputable trade association. Use our online quote tool to instantly compare quotes from a number of professional international movers.
Updated: 5th January 2021.