Shopping Duty Free Tutorial Home >Internet >Basics >Planning a Trip Online >Working/Traveling Abroad >Shopping Duty Free Tutorial Home >Internet >Online services >Planning a Trip Online >Working/Traveling Abroad >Shopping Duty Free   Step 1:  Contact Customs Prior to leaving on your vacation, contact customs to find out more information about duty free shopping. The customs agencies website will likely have this information, or you could contact a local customs office to obtain any literature that they have on duty free shopping.   Step 2:  Determine Time Frame Research the windows of time required for duty free shopping. Often, you will be allowed a certain dollar value of duty free goods after a given time period has elapsed and this value will increase the longer that you are away.   Step 3:  Research Limits Limits may apply to more than just dollar values of goods. You may be given limits on certain items, such as alcohol, or tobacco, before levies are charged on these items. If you are planning to purchase any goods that are subject to these limits, ensure that you know what your limits are before you begin your holiday.   Step 4:  Consider Additional Fees As well as knowing your limits, it may be helpful to know what fees you may be required to pay on entry to the country. Conduct research on what these fees may be and what value they will be. Find out what payments you may be required to make on items such as sales tax, tariffs and fines. Doing so now may eliminate a surprise expense later!