💰 How much cash may I carry across the border without declaring it?

With conditions

Quick answer

It depends: the threshold is €10,000. Crossing the EU external border you must declare that much cash or more to customs in writing; between EU member states you declare it only if a customs officer or police officer asks. The rule comes from Regulation (EU) 2018/1672, and the controls are run by FURS (customs). »Cash« is not only the money in your pocket: it also counts cheques, travellers cheques, bearer securities, gold coins of at least 90% gold and gold bars. The myth that spread when Croatia joined Schengen — »now I can carry as much cash as I like across the border« — is false: within the EU there is indeed no systematic declaration, but the duty to disclose on request remains, and full controls apply at airports for flights outside the EU. The threshold relates to the person and the journey — splitting a sum among fellow travellers to stay under it is treated as evasion. Money itself is not prohibited; what is punished is the failure to declare. You file the declaration in writing (a form) before crossing or at the border checkpoint.

📋 The rules

The threshold is €10,000 (or the equivalent in another currency): on entering or leaving the EU you must declare it to customs in writing (Regulation EU 2018/1672).
When crossing between EU member states you declare cash of €10,000 or more only on request of a customs authority or the police.
»Cash« includes banknotes and coins, cheques, travellers cheques, bearer securities and gold (coins of at least 90% and bars of at least 99.5% purity).
The declaration relates to the person and the individual journey; deliberately splitting a sum among several people to stay under the threshold counts as evasion of the declaration.
Carrying money is in itself not prohibited and not taxed — only the failure to declare or a false declaration is punished, and the cash may be temporarily detained.

🔓 Exceptions

Since Croatia joined Schengen (2023), Slovenia no longer has an EU external land border; the systematic written declaration is therefore relevant mainly at airports for flights to third countries, while the duty to disclose on request applies everywhere.
Beyond the customs declaration, a special control applies to unaccompanied cash (sent by post or freight) — the competent authority may require a declaration for it too when it crosses the border.
If there are signs that the cash is linked to a criminal offence (money laundering, financing crime), the authority may detain it even below the €10,000 threshold and open a procedure.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

Failing to declare or giving incorrect data is an offence: customs may temporarily detain the cash, and the offence authority imposes a fine. Slovenia publishes no fixed tariff — the sanction must be »effective, proportionate and dissuasive« and is set by the circumstances; in practice it has been about a quarter to a third of the undeclared sum (for example €6,600 on €20,000 or €12,000 on €40,000 of undeclared cash). The real danger is not only the fine: the detained money can be blocked for the whole procedure, and on suspicion of laundering a financial investigation and proof of the source of funds follow. For honestly earned money the greatest harm is the delay, cost and distrust triggered by a single forgotten declaration. Because the declaration is free and simple, avoiding this risk is increasingly worth more than staying silent and risking seizure.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

How much cash may I carry across the border without declaring it?

Up to €9,999.99 without declaring. At a sum of €10,000 or more you must declare it in writing to customs when crossing the EU external border, and when crossing between EU member states only if a customs officer or police officer asks. Foreign currency counts at its equivalent value.

Does the threshold also apply to travelling to Croatia?

Within the EU, which since 2023 also includes Croatia in Schengen, there is no systematic written declaration. Even so, on request of a customs authority or the police you must disclose that you are carrying €10,000 or more; the duty has not vanished, it is simply triggered on request rather than automatically.

What all counts as cash?

Besides banknotes and coins, also cheques, travellers cheques and bearer securities, and certain forms of gold, for example coins of at least 90 percent gold and bars of high purity. Everything is added together, so you can exceed the threshold with a mix of money and securities as well.

What is the penalty if I do not declare cash?

It is an offence, for which customs may temporarily detain the money and the authority imposes a fine. Slovenia has no fixed tariff and the sanction must be proportionate; in practice it has ranged from about a quarter to a third of the undeclared sum, for example €6,600 on €20,000.

Is carrying a large sum of money prohibited in itself?

No, carrying money is not prohibited and not taxed; only the failure to declare or a false declaration is punished. But if there are signs that the money is linked to a criminal offence, the authority may detain it even below the threshold and demand proof of the lawful source of the funds.

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