Portuguese Customs Seized €30 Million of Goods in 2025, With Counterfeits the Biggest Haul

Portugal's customs service seized goods worth some €30 million in 2025 across 9,272 separate operations, according to figures from the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (Tax and Customs Authority) reported this week. The single largest slice of that haul was counterfeit merchandise — fake branded goods that increasingly arrive not by the container-load but parcel by parcel.

The annual tally offers a rare, concrete look at what actually gets stopped at Portugal's ports, airports and postal hubs. Alongside the counterfeits, the customs service (Alfândega) intercepted substantial quantities of contraband.

• 9,272 seizures recorded over the year, worth roughly €30 million in total.
• Counterfeits — clothing, accessories and branded fakes — made up the biggest share by value.
• Around three tonnes of narcotics were confiscated.
• More than three million cigarettes were stopped, a perennial target of tobacco smuggling.

Why counterfeits now dominate

The shift toward fake goods tracks the explosion in cross-border e-commerce. Where customs once focused on freight, a growing share of the workload is now sifting the torrent of small packages flowing from non-EU marketplaces. That same surge prompted Portugal to apply a €3 handling charge on non-EU parcels and to close the duty-free window for cheap imports on 1 July. More parcels crossing the border means more opportunities for fakes to slip through — and more work for the inspectors trying to catch them.

Counterfeiting is not a victimless bargain. Fake goods dodge safety testing, starve legitimate manufacturers and the state of revenue, and are frequently tied to organised crime. The European Union lists intellectual-property enforcement among its customs priorities precisely because knock-offs undercut the single market and can carry genuine health risks, from untested cosmetics to faulty electronics.

What this means for expats and residents

• Online shopping: If you order from non-EU marketplaces, expect closer scrutiny of low-value parcels — and remember that a bargain that looks too good may be a seizure waiting to happen.
• Consumer safety: Seized counterfeits are often unsafe as well as illegal; buying "dupes" of branded electronics or cosmetics carries real risk, not just legal exposure.
• Delivery delays: Heightened inspection at postal hubs can slow legitimate packages, especially in peak periods.
• Border footprint: The figures underline how much of Portugal's enforcement effort now sits at airports and postal centres rather than only at the big cargo ports.

Thirty million euros is a snapshot of what was caught, not of what got through — and with parcel volumes still climbing, the customs service's workload looks set to grow rather than shrink. For a country that has just tightened its import rules, the 2025 numbers are an early read on how the new regime is being tested at the border.