The State Customs Committee has published clarifications on importing non-alcoholic beer from abroad. It turns out that everything depends on the alcohol content.
“If the alcohol concentration in non-alcoholic beer does not exceed 0.5% abv (note to Annex No. 1 of the Decision of the EEC Council of December 20, 2017, No. 107), this product is not classified as an alcoholic beverage. Such beer may be imported within the general duty-free allowance, under which the total value of all transported goods must not exceed the equivalent of 500 euros and the weight must not exceed 25 kg. It should be borne in mind that the volume of non-alcoholic beer must correspond to personal use in order to prevent it from being recognised as a commercial consignment,” the clarification says.
If the alcohol content exceeds 0.5%, the beer is considered an alcoholic beverage regardless of what is stated on the label.
“If more than 3 litres of beer with an alcohol concentration exceeding 0.5% abv are transported, even if the labels indicate that it is non-alcoholic, such goods will be subject to customs duties at a rate of 10 euros per litre for the portion exceeding the quantitative limit of 3 litres. For personal use, no more than 5 litres of alcoholic beverages may be imported,” the State Customs Committee explained.