Can I bring a guitar in as hand luggage from the states?
- Thread starter easyrider
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Soldato
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A "guitar" you say? Sure, no problem....
Exchange rate, a lot of popular models can be cheaper over there too. Friend of mine picked up an ESP that was £900 in the UK, $800 in the US. This was when the exchange rate was $2:£1 - go figure!
I looked into this 6 months ago when i was out there, and most of it is dependant on the flight crew when you get to the cabin, if there is plenty of space and the flight isn't full they may well say ok.... If not it will be put in the cargo hold.
The only way you can guarantee to keep it with you is if you buy your guitar its own seat!
In the end i thought the stress and hassle of getting it through all the checks and wondering what would happen to it when i got the the plane put me off buying it.
What guitar are you thinking of getting? (Links! pls!)
The only way you can guarantee to keep it with you is if you buy your guitar its own seat!
In the end i thought the stress and hassle of getting it through all the checks and wondering what would happen to it when i got the the plane put me off buying it.
What guitar are you thinking of getting? (Links! pls!)
The Martin D-18 is £1800 here and £1100 in the states.
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Do I still need to declare it as its a second hand guitar that I own ?
After I walk out the shop with a brand new guitar its ceases to be new ?
Its just mine... Couldn't I say My uncle gave me it ?
Yeah, you can say you brought it with you to the country or that it was your uncles....
But legally you should pay tax on it....
Yes you can do this...
I fly regularly with my classical guitar and I take it as carry on luggage. Usually the flight crew are very nice about it.
If there is no room in the overheads they will put it in the crew wardrobes they have.
This depends on the airline though... BA, KLM and AirFrance I can confirm will allow this.
Regarding the "new purchase" and import tax... make sure you hide the receipt (don't keep it in the case!) and no one will really question it ...
I fly regularly with my classical guitar and I take it as carry on luggage. Usually the flight crew are very nice about it.
If there is no room in the overheads they will put it in the crew wardrobes they have.
This depends on the airline though... BA, KLM and AirFrance I can confirm will allow this.
Regarding the "new purchase" and import tax... make sure you hide the receipt (don't keep it in the case!) and no one will really question it ...
I might one day ...
Soldato
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But legally you should pay tax on it....
Why? He's not ordering it on the internet and importing it, he is going over there to buy it and personally bringing it back.
So are you saying that holiday makers should pay tax on everything they've bought whilst on holiday, from sun cream to sun glasses? The queues at customs would be never ending!
How is this different to people going to 'Murka on clothes shopping sprees like I've known people to do in the past (not worth it now but about 10 years ago it was common for people to go to NY just to buy cheap designer goods).
For my (packed) flight back to the UK from USA last year some guy refused to put his guitar in the hold. The cabin crew said it was OK as long as there was room, and after a bit of faff there was. I don't think that guy was too popular with his other passengers though. This was on BA btw.
From Citizens advice -
"This information applies to England, Wales and Scotland
There are no longer any duty-free allowances for journeys within the European Union (EU). Instead, you can bring back an unlimited amount of goods from travel in any EU country, as long as it is for your personal use or as a gift. In practice if you are over 17 you will be allowed up to 800 cigarettes, 10 litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer. If you bring in more you will have to persuade customs that it is for personal use. There are further allowances for different tobacco products and alcoholic drinks.
There are still duty-free allowances for travel from other countries outside the EU which are much smaller.
If you are aged over 17, you are allowed to bring in:
If you are bringing in more than that, you must declare the goods at customs, and may have to pay duties. If you don’t, you are breaking the law. Your undeclared goods can be seized, you may have to pay penalty charges, and you might even be prosecuted.
The same duty-free allowances apply for business trips as well as holidays."
"This information applies to England, Wales and Scotland
There are no longer any duty-free allowances for journeys within the European Union (EU). Instead, you can bring back an unlimited amount of goods from travel in any EU country, as long as it is for your personal use or as a gift. In practice if you are over 17 you will be allowed up to 800 cigarettes, 10 litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer. If you bring in more you will have to persuade customs that it is for personal use. There are further allowances for different tobacco products and alcoholic drinks.
There are still duty-free allowances for travel from other countries outside the EU which are much smaller.
If you are aged over 17, you are allowed to bring in:
- 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco;
- 4 litres of still table wine;
- 2 litres of sparkling wine or 1 litre of spirits;
- 16 litres of beer and
- £390 worth of other goods including perfume and souvenirs.
If you are bringing in more than that, you must declare the goods at customs, and may have to pay duties. If you don’t, you are breaking the law. Your undeclared goods can be seized, you may have to pay penalty charges, and you might even be prosecuted.
The same duty-free allowances apply for business trips as well as holidays."
What about the designer Boots I will be wearing that cost me $1000 that I bought in NY 3 days ago, do I have declare them?
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