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    Entering or leaving the EU with € 10,000 or more, where do you declare?

    Are you entering or leaving the European Union (EU) with money or other liquid assets worth € 10,000 or more? Then you must always declare them at the place where you enter or leave the EU. Where you declare depends on how you are travelling: by plane, boat or car.

    Select your situation:

    • You are travelling into or out of the EU by plane

      Are you leaving the Netherlands for a country outside the EU? Or are you arriving in the Netherlands from a country outside the EU?

      You are travelling from the Netherlands to a country outside the EU

      If you are departing from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam: declare at the tax refund office Customs desk in departure hall 3 (kantoor Tax refund/OB-teruggave).

      If you are departing from another airport in the Netherlands: go to Customs at the airport upon arrival or departure.

      Make sure you declare before you check in your hold luggage and go through security.

      You arrive in the Netherlands from outside the EU

      Choose the exit with the 'Goods to declare/ Aangifte goederen' sign when you get to Customs. You can declare there.

    • You are entering or leaving the EU by sea

      You can declare at the customs office at the port where you enter or leave the EU. You can look up which customs office this is for Dutch ports in the Customs Offices List.

      You can make a declaration in 2 ways:

      • without the intervention of a shipping agent (scheepsagent) or shipbroker (cargadoor)
      • with the intervention of a shipping agent or shipbroker

      Declaring without the intervention of a shipping agent or shipbroker

      Crew members and ship passengers can make their own declaration without the intervention of a ship's agent or shipbroker. You can declare by handing in the 'Cash declaration form' at the customs office at the port of entry or departure.

      Declaration with the intervention of a shipping agent or shipbroker

      Crew members and ship passengers can file a declaration through a shipping agent or shipbroker. A shipping agent can also make the declaration themselves if the captain orders cash or other liquid assets to be brought on board or taken off board.

      Before the cash or liquid assets are brought on board or taken off board, the shipping agent will send the 'Cash declaration form' by email to the customs office at the port of entry or departure.

    • You travel into or out of the EU by car

      You declare to Customs where you are entering or leaving the EU.

      Example: Istanbul - Rotterdam

      You are travelling by road from Istanbul (Türkiye) to Rotterdam (the Netherlands). You must declare at the place where you enter the EU, for example Greece or Bulgaria.

      If you then travel out of the EU, for example to Serbia or Montenegro, to re-enter the EU in Slovenia, then you must declare at the following places:

      • the place where you leave the EU, in this example Greece or Bulgaria
      • the place where you re-enter the EU, in this example Slovenia

      Example: Rotterdam - Tanger

      You travel by road from Rotterdam (the Netherlands) to southern Spain and then sail to Tangier (Morocco). You must then declare at the place where you leave the EU, in this example Spain.