Can I send alcohol or tobacco to Hong Kong?
No.
Spirits over 30% and tobacco need a customs license and pay duty from the first item. E-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and smokeless tobacco are banned. Wine and beer pay no duty, but couriers generally refuse alcohol.
For every Onvoyo box: Onvoyo and most express couriers don't carry alcohol, tobacco or vaping products in personal boxes, whatever the destination allows.
More rules for Hong Kong
Not allowed
- E-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, herbal cigarettes, and their parts, accessories, and refills, in any quantity
- Smokeless tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco
Allowed with conditions
- Spirits over 30% alcohol
- Need a C&ED import license and removal permit, and pay duty: 100% on the first HK$200 (about US$26) of value and 10% on the rest, per bottle of up to 1 liter. Larger bottles are worked out on the value per liter. There's no allowance for boxes, including gifts and personal effects.
- Cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco
- Need a C&ED import license and pay duty from the first stick: HK$3,306 per 1,000 cigarettes (about HK$66, or US$8.50, per pack of 20) and HK$4,258 (about US$546) per kg of cigars. No allowance for boxes.
- Wine, beer, and drinks at 30% alcohol or less
- 0% duty and not a dutiable commodity, but many couriers refuse alcohol in personal boxes.
Quantity limits
- Personal shipments
- No duty or tax on ordinary belongings at any value. Spirits and tobacco in a box get no allowance.
- Spirits over 30% (travelers only)
- 1 liter per traveler aged 18 or older. HKID card holders must have been away 24 hours or more. Does not apply to shipments.
- Tobacco (travelers only)
- 19 cigarettes, or 1 cigar (or 25 g of cigars), or 25 g of other manufactured tobacco per traveler aged 18 or older. Does not apply to shipments.
Before you ship to Hong Kong
- Tax-free limit
- No threshold applies, because ordinary goods pay no duty or tax at any value. Dutiable goods (spirits over 30% alcohol, tobacco, certain fuels, and methyl alcohol) are taxed from the first bottle or stick. Shipped personal effects get no duty-free concession for them.
- Receiver ID
- Hong Kong has no import tax number to give. The courier needs the receiver's full name, the full address with flat and floor, and a local phone number to arrange delivery.
- Transit
- 1-3 business days from elsewhere in Asia; 3-5 from Europe or North America
Questions
Can I send alcohol or tobacco to Hong Kong?
No. Spirits over 30% and tobacco need a customs license and pay duty from the first item. E-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and smokeless tobacco are banned. Wine and beer pay no duty, but couriers generally refuse alcohol.
Can I send e-cigarettes or heated tobacco to Hong Kong?
No. Importing e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, herbal cigarettes, and their parts and refills is banned in any quantity, and so is smokeless tobacco. The maximum penalty is a HK$2,000,000 (about US$256,000) fine and 7 years in prison. Since April 30, 2026, carrying capsules, heat sticks, or herbal cigarettes in public places is also banned.
Can I send wine or whisky to Hong Kong as a gift?
Wine and drinks at 30% alcohol or less pay no duty, though many couriers refuse alcohol. Whisky and other spirits over 30% need a customs license and pay 100% duty on the first HK$200 (about US$26) of value and 10% on the rest, with no gift allowance.
Ask about a specific item
Official sources
- 1.
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department
Controlled Imports (opens in a new tab) - 2.
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department
Types and Duty Rates (opens in a new tab) - 3.
Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office, Department of Health
Tobacco Control Legislation (opens in a new tab) - 4.
Centre for Food Safety, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
Imported Food Control: Frequently Asked Questions (opens in a new tab) - 5.
Centre for Food Safety, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
The latest control measures on food imported from Japan (opens in a new tab) - 6.
Department of Health, Drug Information and Import/Export Control Division
Guidance for Application for Import and Export Licences for Pharmaceutical Products and Medicines (opens in a new tab) - 7.
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department
Customs and Excise (fact sheet, September 2025) (opens in a new tab) - 8.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
Personal or Household Effects (opens in a new tab) - 9.
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department
Duty-free Concessions (opens in a new tab) - 10.
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department
Personal Effects (opens in a new tab) - 11.
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department
Controlled Exports (opens in a new tab)
General guidance, not legal advice. Customs in Hong Kong makes the final decision on every box.