If you fly into Madeira from another EU country, there is no customs limit on goods for your own use. If you fly in from the UK, the US or anywhere else outside the EU, the usual allowances apply: per adult, 1 litre of spirits (or 2 of fortified wine), 4 litres of wine, 16 of beer, 200 cigarettes and €430 of other goods. Going home, the rules are your own country’s, and Madeira wine counts as fortified.
In short
- From the EU: no limits for personal use, only guidance levels.
- From the UK, US and other non-EU countries (and the Canary Islands): the lower allowances below.
- Declare cash of €10,000 or more.
- Pets can fly straight into Funchal. It is an approved entry point.
- Bring back Madeira wine in the hold, or buy it after security.
First: where does your flight come from?
This decides which rules apply, not your passport.
- From another EU country (Lisbon, Porto, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam and so on), goods you bought with tax paid are free to travel, in any sensible quantity for your own use. You normally walk straight out.
- From outside the EU (London, Manchester, Geneva, Oslo, New York), the allowances below apply. The UK has been outside the EU for customs purposes since 1 January 2021. Switzerland and Norway are outside the EU customs area too.
- From the Canary Islands: they are Spanish and in the EU, but outside its VAT and excise area. For alcohol, tobacco and goods, a flight from Tenerife or Gran Canaria is treated like a flight from outside the EU.
Connecting through Lisbon from outside the EU? You still count as arriving from outside the EU. Where exactly you meet customs (Lisbon or Funchal) depends on how your bags are checked, so keep within the allowances either way.
Alcohol and tobacco
Per traveller aged 17 or over. Under-17s arriving from outside the EU have no alcohol or tobacco allowance at all.
| Arriving from outside the EU | Arriving from the EU (guidance level) | |
|---|---|---|
| Spirits over 22% | 1 litre | 10 litres |
| Fortified or sparkling wine, drinks up to 22% | 2 litres | 20 litres |
| Still wine | 4 litres | 90 litres (up to 60 sparkling) |
| Beer | 16 litres | 110 litres |
| Cigarettes | 200 (or 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 250 g tobacco) | 800 |
| Cigarillos (max 3 g each) | 100 | 400 |
| Cigars | 50 | 200 |
| Smoking tobacco | 250 g | 1 kg |
Two things worth knowing about the table:
- From outside the EU, the first two alcohol lines are one allowance. You can take half the spirits and half the fortified wine, for example, but not the full amount of both. The same goes for the tobacco lines.
- From the EU, those are not limits. They are the point above which customs may ask you to show that the goods are for you and not for resale.
Vapes, pouches and heated tobacco
These have their own small allowances, and unlike cigarettes they do not change with where you fly from. Per adult: 30 ml of e-liquid, 20 g of nicotine pouches, 20 g of heated tobacco, and 250 g each of snuff and chewing tobacco (Portuguese customs leaflet, February 2026). A vaper’s week of refills can pass 30 ml quickly, so count the bottles.
Gifts and everything else
Arriving from outside the EU on a normal flight, each adult can bring €430 worth of other goods (clothes, electronics, gifts, perfume) without paying duty or VAT. Children under 15 get €150. The lower €300 limit is for people arriving overland or on a private plane or yacht, which is unlikely on an island.
Allowances are per person and cannot be pooled to cover one expensive item. If you go over, declare it: on goods worth up to €700 in total, customs normally charges a flat 2.5% duty, plus VAT; above that, the normal tariff for each type of goods applies. Your own laptop, camera and phone, bought at home and going home with you, do not count.
Which channel?
At Funchal, walk through the green channel if you are within your allowances and carry nothing restricted. Use the red channel if you have anything to declare or you are not sure. Customs officers can check either.
Cash
Carrying €10,000 or more in cash (or the equivalent in other currencies, or things like bearer cheques) into or out of the EU? Declare it. The declaration is free. Not declaring can lead to the money being held and a fine.
Medicines
Bring what you need for your trip, in the original packaging, with a copy of the prescription or a letter from your doctor. For strong painkillers and other controlled medicines, check the rules before you fly: some need a specific certificate. Pharmacies on the island are good and can often supply the same medicine, sometimes under a different brand name.
Food, plants and animal products
From outside the EU, the rules are strict, and they are about disease rather than tax.
- Meat and dairy (ham, sausages, cheese, milk, sandwiches with them): not allowed from outside the EU.
- Fruit, vegetables, plants, seeds and cut flowers: restricted. Leave them at home.
- Protected species: anything made from protected animals or plants (some shells, coral, ivory, reptile leather) needs permits, whatever its origin.
From another EU country, you can bring food for your own use.
Bringing a pet to Madeira
From another EU country, a pet with its EU passport in order simply travels with you. From outside the EU, pets must enter through an approved traveller entry point, and Funchal airport and the port of Funchal are both on Portugal’s list, so a dog or cat from the UK can fly straight in without going through Lisbon. The basics for a dog, cat or ferret:
- A microchip, fitted before the rabies vaccination.
- A rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel.
- An EU pet passport (from an EU country) or an animal health certificate (from the UK and other non-EU countries), issued by a vet within the time limit before you fly. From some non-EU countries a rabies blood test is needed too, months ahead.
- No more than five animals, unless for a competition or show.
Airlines set their own rules on which pets fly in the cabin and which in the hold, and not every airline flying to Madeira carries pets. Book the pet with the airline first, then the vet.
Taking things home from Madeira
This is the half people forget. Going home, it is your own country’s rules that count.
Madeira wine and poncha
- Madeira wine is fortified (about 17 to 22%), so it falls in the fortified or sparkling category, not in wine or spirits.
- Bottled poncha varies in strength. Check the label: over 22% counts as spirits.
- Liquids over 100 ml cannot go in hand luggage through security. Pack bottles in the hold, wrapped in clothes, or buy them after security, where they are sealed in a bag.
Flying home to the UK
The UK allowances from the EU are generous for alcohol:
| Per adult | |
|---|---|
| Beer | 42 litres |
| Still wine | 18 litres |
| Spirits over 22% | 4 litres, or 9 litres of fortified or sparkling wine (can be split) |
| Cigarettes | 200 (or 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 250 g tobacco) |
| Other goods | £390 |
Since April 2025, you cannot bring meat or dairy products into Great Britain from the EU for personal use. That includes cheese and cured ham from the market. Rules on plants, fruit and cut flowers also changed after Brexit. Check gov.uk before you buy the boxed strelitzia flowers sold in Funchal.
Flights from Funchal to the UK can buy duty-free at the airport, after security.
Flying home to the US
Returning US residents generally have an $800 exemption, which can include 1 litre of alcohol duty free if you are 21 or over, and must declare food, plants and animal products. Madeira wine beyond that litre pays duty and tax, even within the $800.
Flying home within the EU
No limits for your own use. Just the liquids rule for hand luggage.
Where to check
The Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) publishes a travellers’ leaflet, Guia para Viajantes, on portaldasfinancas.gov.pt, most recently updated in February 2026. Rules change, so check it, and your home country’s customs site, before you fly. For the rest of the arrival (taxis, the Aerobus, the car) see Getting here and around.
Questions people ask
How much alcohol can I bring into Madeira from the UK?
Per adult of 17 or over: 1 litre of spirits over 22%, or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine, plus 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer. You can split the first allowance between spirits and fortified wine in proportion.
Is there a customs limit flying to Madeira from another EU country?
Not for goods for your own use on which tax was paid in the EU. There are guidance levels, such as 10 litres of spirits or 800 cigarettes, above which customs may ask you to show the goods are for personal use.
How much Madeira wine can I take back to the UK?
Madeira wine is fortified, so it falls under the UK allowance of 9 litres of fortified or sparkling wine, alongside 18 litres of still wine and 42 litres of beer. You can swap part of the spirits allowance for more fortified wine. Bottles go in the hold, or buy after security.
Can I bring my dog to Madeira?
Yes. From another EU country, a dog with an EU pet passport, microchip and valid rabies vaccination can simply fly in. From the UK or elsewhere outside the EU, Funchal airport and the port of Funchal are approved entry points, so you do not have to route through Lisbon; you need an animal health certificate as well. Check your airline's own rules too.
Do I need to declare cash when flying to Madeira?
Only if you carry €10,000 or more, or the same value in other currencies, entering or leaving the EU. The declaration is free.
