From 1 October 2026, changes will be made to some duty-free alcohol allowances.
The changes are intended to simplify travellers’ duty-free alcohol allowances by grouping similar alcohol products together. From 1 October 2026:
- Cider will have a duty-free allowance of 42 litres and be included in the ‘beer’ category (up from 9 litres); and
- Sparkling wine will have a duty-free allowance of 18 litres and be included in the ‘wine’ category (up from 9 litres)
The revisions will give some travellers greater flexibility to bring back a wider mix of products within the beer and wine allowances, rather than being limited by separate category thresholds. However, travellers who currently make full use of allowances across multiple alcohol categories may see a reduction in the overall quantity of alcohol they are entitled to bring back duty-free.
Alcohol duty is a ‘common duty’ shared between the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom under the Customs and Excise Agreement 1979. The Agreement requires the Isle of Man and the UK to maintain broadly aligned legislation in relation to common duties, including alcohol duty.
The simplified rates for bringing personal goods into the UK and Isle of Man can be found on GOV.uk.
For further information, please contact Isle of Man Customs and Excise on +44 1624 648190.
For general enquiries please email customs@gov.im or call +44 1624 648130 (Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm).
