Overview of Customs
All tourists must make general declarations of goods being imported and exported. As such, be prepared when going through customs to experience a thorough luggage screening.
Staying in Italy
If you are staying in a private home, you must register with the local police department within three days of arrival. Hotels will handle this for you.
Duty-Free Shopping
Visitors are allowed two unopened bottles of wine or one bottle of hard liquor. In addition, you are allowed to import 200 cigarettes or 500 grams of pipe tobacco. Anything over a value of 175 euros must be claimed on entry and duty-paid.
Value Added Tax (VAT)
VAT is a tax on Italian purchases that can be refunded by nonresidents. Shopping with merchants that are VAT-friendly allows them to remove the tax or provide you with proper documentation for refund at customs.
Import and Export of Counterfeit Products
According to SeeItalia.com, Italy passed legislation governing the import/export of counterfeit products such as designer purses, sunglasses, belts and watches. The penalty for having these items in your possession at customs can be a steep 10,000 euros.
