Tax board: Ordering e-cigarette paraphernalia from outside Estonia illegal
The Tax and Customs Board (MTA) has recorded over 1,000 e-cigarette violations to date, often the result of online ordering from overseas suppliers, with the customer unaware that they were violating rules which bar import of such goods.
"With the growing popularity of e-cigarettes, there is also more work for customs," Meril Klaos, head of the MTA's postal customs office, said.
"We are seeing the people are unaware that e-cigarettes and e-liquids ordered by mail from foreign online stores are classified under prohibited goods," she added.
The board reminds people to check that items they plan to order are not prohibited goods before placing an order, since the MTA will confiscate any packages which infringe the rules; other prohibited goods include snuff and most medicines, as well as fake goods ripped off from designer labels.
"Violations are most common in the case of distance selling, that is when a private person orders goods from a foreign company. In this case, we always recommend checking the Tax and Customs Board website for which shipments may encounter problems," Klaos went on.
Medicinal and tobacco products can be sent from private individual to private individual legally, inside Estonia, but limits apply – parcels may be no larger than containing five unopened packages.
Another area where consumers can get caught out is in the definition of a medicine, which may in Estonia cover goods classified as food supplements in other countries.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
