Brits are being warned they could face fines of up to £5,000 for taking cash on holiday this summer.
You must declare cash of £10,000 or more to UK customs if you are carrying it between England, Wales or Scotland, and a country outside of the UK.
If you are travelling as a family or in a group with people who are carrying more than £10,000 in total, even if individuals are carrying less than that, you will still need to declare the cash at customs.
Failure to do so could lead to a fine of up to £5,000 and having your cash seized.
Do I need to declare cash when going on holiday?
Government guidance states that you must declare cash worth more than £10,000 when leaving Great Britain for a country outside of the UK.
It adds: “If you’re travelling to Northern Ireland and carrying more than €10,000 (or equivalent) you must follow the rules for taking cash into Northern Ireland.
“The earliest you can make a declaration is 72 hours before you plan to travel.”
Not declaring the cash can lead to a fine and confiscation of the money.
The government guidance warns: “Border Force officer. You may have to pay a penalty of up to £5,000 to get it back. This can be taken from the cash before the rest is returned.
“Any cash can be seized if customs authorities have reasonable grounds to suspect a crime. They can keep the cash for 48 hours - after that they need a court order.”
How do I declare cash when going on holiday?
If you are leaving the UK, you must declare cash before you leave the country. While those entering the UK must declare the cash before you travel or as soon as you arrive in the UK.
This is what the government says you will need to provide in order to declare the cash:
- who’s carrying the cash, the owner of it and the recipient of it - including passport or ID document number, and address
- your journey - with any countries you pass through in transit, including flight numbers or ferry routes
- the amount and type of cash being carried
- the source of the cash - the country it came from and how it was generated (for example, through earnings or selling something)
- what the cash will be used for
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