TOT: non-EU raspberries

I remember back in the '60s that there was a limit to how much cash we as a family could take when going on holiday to 'the Continent'.

How was that enforced? Did travellers go through UK customs on the outward journey?

I don't think currency is 'goods' as currency is intangible but you would need to check relevant legislation. All I am saying is that I have never in my life in any country I have ever visited gone through customs control at the point of exit. I very very much doubt if at time in question ROI was imposing exit controls. This must have been a courtesy stop to let the driver know about the road hazard, which I what I was suggesting.

In message <110rh0t$14ctb$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 13:53:49 on Tue, 16 Jun

I don't think it was limited to holidays just "On the Continent".

In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, at 14:46:14 on Tue, 16 Jun 2026, Scott snipped-for-privacy@gefion.myzen.co.uk> remarked:

I have. It was because I was carrying some trade samples, and needed to prove I'd taken them out of the country, otherwise they'd have wanted some import duty (which they'd waived on import, with that proviso).

Maybe so, but if you read the sentence correctly Davey was reporting his recollection.

I am not disagreeing with that because I recognise that export controls exist. I just wonder how this works in practical terms. Can you actually get to the customs on the way out?

even more - "abroad" or "outside the Sterling Area".

I don't remember. I was too young to remember details, all officials looked the same to me.

It wasnt just "back in the 60s" - Exchange controls were abolished in

Currency controls are still in place in certain EU member states (I believe Czechia may be one)

The idea that "free movement of capital" is mandated by the EU is a myth.

In fact, having a suitable legal instrument to control capital flows was always a requirement of EEC membership

If you really have nothing better to do ....

yes, but it isn't the normal route, In the early '70s, I had to attend an exhibition in Switzerland, and had to have goods checked out at Dover, in at Calais and out and in at the Swiss/French border.

Exactly. I was carrying a PC clone in my car and I got the carnet stamped at the German Danish border,and again at customs at Ejsberg, when I took the ferry back to the UK

I got a strange letter in Danish from the customs the German border asking me why (I assume) I hadn't taken the PC out of Denmark again.

I photocopied the stamp from Ejsberg and sent it to them. Never heard from them again.

I remember that relatives in country B funded us on holiday and we funded them when they came to the UK :-)

I once had to take an item into Japan on a carnet, swap it with another such item in situ, and bring the original item back under the carnet. I was fairly nervous bringing it through customs...

Oh my boss did worse than that: We took out a clapped out Cossor valve oscilloscope and returned with a brand new HP spectrum analyser and high speed scope....

As far as I remember (it was a long time ago) it was a rather tiny amount like £50 and was enforced by the banks and other travel money outlets - you couldn't convert more than that sum in Sterling into another currency. I have an even vaguer memory that there was a system to stop you doing several such conversions, e.g. recording the details in your passport.

I went on school trip to France, I think in 1970 and it was enforced by requiring money changers to record exchanges in your passports.

In the 50s it was somwhere in the region of £5 or £10. There was a public information film about it.

In about 1978 it was £50. I wanted to buy a one off copy of aperiodical from the USA, and had to send a money order. The form filling was silly.