Shopping in Andorra: what you can bring back
Check allowances before buying, keep the receipts and remember that limits apply to travellers, not just to the car boot.
A low price in Andorra is only useful if the purchase still makes sense after customs rules are applied. Check what you may bring into France or Spain before buying, especially for tobacco, alcohol and expensive individual items.
The allowances are for non-commercial purchases carried by travellers. They are not permission to bring unlimited goods back for resale.
The main limits to check
As checked on 8 September 2026, Spanish customs lists a general goods allowance of €900 per traveller, reduced to €450 for children under 15. Separate quantity limits apply to regulated products.
Examples in the French Andorra customs guide include 300 cigarettes, or the permitted equivalent of other tobacco products, and 1.5 litres of spirits above 22% or 3 litres in the specified lower-strength category. These alcohol and tobacco allowances are for travellers aged 17 and over. Still wine has a separate allowance.
Read the complete table for the destination you are entering. Tobacco categories are alternatives or proportional combinations, not a list of amounts you can automatically add together. Food, perfume and other products have their own limits.
Keep the shopping easy to explain
Retain itemised receipts and keep purchases accessible for inspection. Do not assume several passengers can pool allowances to make an expensive single item exempt. Ask customs if you are unsure how a particular purchase is treated.
Tell the shop which country you are returning to, but treat the customs authority's guidance as the final reference. A retailer's claim that “everyone buys this amount” is not a rule.
If you exceed an allowance or carry something restricted, use the required declaration procedure. Hiding goods or dividing a purchase misleadingly can create a much more expensive problem than the saving at the till.
Count the trip itself
Add fuel, parking, luggage space and the time needed for border formalities before making a special shopping journey. An attractive shelf price may be less impressive after the travel cost.
For document requirements on the same trip, read entering Andorra from France or Spain.