Bringing gifts home
Flying back with gifts from Somalia? Choose the country you're flying to: you'll see how much you can bring tax-free, when to declare cash and gold, and which Somali foods customs will take away.
Where are you flying home to?
United Kingdom
- Gifts & goods allowance
- £390 of gifts and other goods per person, duty- and tax-free. Over £390 you pay tax on the whole item, not just the part above the limit.
- Cash
- Declare £10,000 or more (in any currency) — you can do it online up to 72 hours before you arrive.
- Food
- Meat and dairy from Somalia are banned — that includes dried meat (muqmad/oodkac), ghee (subag) and camel milk. Commercially packed sweets, tea, spices, dates and incense are generally fine.
- Gold
- Gold jewellery and gold bars count towards your £390 allowance — declare anything above it.
- Not allowed
- Khat (qaad) has been illegal in the UK since 2014.
United States
- Gifts & goods allowance
- Returning residents: US$800 duty-free per person after 48 hours abroad (once every 30 days). Families living together can combine their allowances on one declaration.
- Cash
- More than US$10,000 (all currencies together) must be reported on FinCEN Form 105 — undeclared cash can be seized in full.
- Food
- Declare ALL food. Meat (including dried meat) from Somalia is not allowed. Commercially packed sweets, tea, spices and dates are usually allowed once declared.
- Gold
- No limit on gold, but declare it: jewellery and bars bought abroad count towards the US$800 exemption.
- Not allowed
- Khat (qaad) contains controlled substances (cathinone) and is illegal to bring in.
EU — incl. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany
- Gifts & goods allowance
- €430 of goods per person when you arrive by air. Some countries set a lower limit for children under 15 (as low as €150).
- Cash
- Declare €10,000 or more when entering the EU. Gold coins and gold bars count as cash for this rule.
- Food
- Meat and dairy from outside the EU are banned — no muqmad, ghee or camel milk. Small exceptions exist only for infant milk and special medical food.
- Gold
- Gold jewellery counts towards the €430 allowance. Gold coins and bars of €10,000 or more must also be declared as cash.
- Not allowed
- Khat (qaad) is illegal in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and most other EU countries.
Norway
- Gifts & goods allowance
- NOK 6,000 of goods per person after more than 24 hours abroad (NOK 3,000 for shorter trips). Gifts you bring for others count too.
- Cash
- Declare more than NOK 25,000 (any currency). Not declaring costs a fine of 20% of the whole amount.
- Food
- Meat and dairy from outside the EEA are banned — no muqmad, ghee or camel milk.
- Gold
- Gold jewellery counts towards the NOK 6,000 allowance; above it you pay 25% VAT.
- Not allowed
- Khat (qaad) is classed as a narcotic and is illegal.
Canada
- Gifts & goods allowance
- Returning residents: CAN$800 per person after 48 hours abroad (CAN$200 after 24 hours). Allowances can't be pooled or given to someone else.
- Cash
- Report CAN$10,000 or more (all currencies together) to the CBSA when you arrive.
- Food
- Declare all food. Meat and dairy from Somalia are restricted or refused — leave the muqmad and ghee at home. Check items in CFIA's AIRS tool.
- Gold
- Gold jewellery counts towards your personal exemption — declare its value.
- Not allowed
- Khat (qaad) is a controlled substance in Canada and illegal to import.
Australia
- Gifts & goods allowance
- AUD 900 of general goods per adult (AUD 450 under 18).
- Cash
- Declare AUD 10,000 or more (any currency) on your Incoming Passenger Card.
- Food
- Strict biosecurity: declare ALL food, spices, seeds and incense. Undeclared items mean on-the-spot fines; meat and dairy from Somalia will be refused.
- Gold
- Gold jewellery bought abroad counts towards the AUD 900 allowance.
- Not allowed
- Khat (qaad) is a prohibited import unless you hold a government permit.
Official sources:abf.gov.au — can you bring it in?
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