I have some news which I would like to share with my fellow Kenyans. I believe that most people might be aware but still I will just bring it up as I was very pissed off with it! It is not allowed to buy duty free items especially drinks from any African airport except in Europe and the U.S, amazing! I was one of the victims who met this law head on. My ka-bottle was confisicated at schipol airport on my way back from Kenya on the 19 th December 08.
I tried to ask some questions but i got none. Eventually I made an appeal and recieved an e-mail explaining the situation to me. In short, they are not allowing drinks from our
continent saying that they do not recogonise the seals used at those airports. One friend of mine just managed to make it after going through some kind of check-in check-out procedure at the same airport before me. The point am trying to make is that lets pass over information to each other however small it might be as it will go along way in helping someone who might be in need,
Cheers Barry.
Dear Mister Odawa Owino,
I received your complaint regarding the confiscation of your duty-free articles. I understand that the procedure referred to in your complaint was an unpleasant experience for you.
The legislation and regulations concerning liquids and gels are laid down in European Regulation no. 820/2008 and Sections 37ab, 37b, paragraph 6, 37ac, 37f and 37hb of the Aviation Act. As of 6 November 2006, the European Commission set further restrictions on objects permitted to be carried as hand luggage on flights from member states of the European Community. These new rules are a consequence of the attempted terrorist attacks foiled at Heathrow Airport in 2006.
Liquids can be carried in hand luggage if they comply with the above mentioned rules, some of these rules are:
o You can only take liquids and gels in containers of no more than 100 millilitres on board the aircraft.
o These containers must be carried in transparent plastic bags.
o There is a limit of one transparent plastic bag per person.
o The volume of the transparent plastic bag may not be greater than 1 litre.
o The transparent plastic bag must be re-sealable.
For Duty-free liquid articles some of the rules are:
o The article must be bought at a European Community airport
o The article must be packed in a sealed bag that is both tamper evident and displays satisfactory proof of purchase at that airport. The seal is valid for 36 hours.
You bought the bottle of liquor at the a non-European Community Airport. Because your goods were bought at a non-European Community Airport it does not meet the rules as mentioned in the European regulations. I regret that you were not sufficiently informed at your departing airport and by the duty free shop’s personnel. The confiscation of the goods referred to in your complaint took place in accordance with the legislation and regulations mentioned above. I am sorry to inform you, that as a consequence, your complaint will not be considered any further.
This letter does not pass judgement upon the rightfulness concerning your claim, since this is the responsibility of the airport-operator.
With regard to the processing of your damages claim, your complaint will be forwarded to:
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
P.O. Box 7501
1118 ZG Schiphol
The security organisations are informed regularly about these types of incidents, in order to prevent complaints in the future. For any additional questions or comments, you may contact the complaints department of the Enforcement and Monitoring Division on telephone number +31(0)20-6039457.
<<filing a complaint.pdf>> <<L&G Brochure Engels.pdf>>
Met vriendelijke groet,
Patrick Ju
Klachtenfunctionaris
Afdeling Handhaving & Toezicht
District KMar Schiphol
* P.Ju@mindef.nl
( 020-6039457
Ñ Koninklijke Marechaussee
Postbus 7577
1118 ZH Luchthaven Schiphol
About the Author
Shopping at non-European airports and on board non-European airlines:
If you buy liquids or gels (duty-free or not) at a non-European airport and change planes at a European airport, you should allow for the possibility that your purchases will be confiscated at the security checkpoint. This can happen with purchases you make on board an aircraft operated by an airline from a non-EU country.
Do these rules apply everywhere?
The same rules apply at all airports in all 25 EU countries. These rules will therefore apply whenever you are departing from or changing planes in the EU. Similar rules for hand luggage apply in the US and Canada. Bear in mind that different rules may apply in other non-EU countries.
http://www.rotterdam-airport.nl/en/Homepage/Bagage/Veiligheid
This guy Barry was just unlucky. I know Kenya-Stockholmers who returned with drinks from the duty-free shops in Nairobi at the end of December 2008, and were not stopped.
My investigations show that they are more strict at Schipol Airport and other Dutch entry points compared to other EU airports. I have entered with drinks at Arlanda from non-EU countries after the 2006 restrictions, but have never lost them.
It is unfortunate that the duty-free shops in Kenya have not been informed of the rules, otherwise they would not be selling to passengers.
On the other hand, this is typical of the Western world to choke and kill African businesses through useless rules. The weird thing is, one is allowed to buy drinks from EU airports while traveling to Africa, yet they confiscate drinks from non-EU countries when we travel back. Pure racist rules.
Karibu bwana! Pole sana for the harsh treatment the Dutch melted on you. bwana kumiss hiyo drink ni tafash sana..sijui utasurvive aje? Well niko na kinyaji home..siutokea Sunday.. naniko free..Bw OO umekaribishwa lakini kuja na machozi yako..wewe sikuizi ni MDOS..
Well next time buy drinks kabla taxfree na uzicheck in that is how I go about kuleta mvinyo kutoka Jamu..