Customs Act 2015 section 31

Powers relating to persons entering or leaving State

Section 31 sets out the powers of customs officers to stop, question and search persons and their baggage when entering or leaving the State, and the limitations on those powers when dealing with travellers to or from other EU Member States.

• Customs officers may stop anyone entering or leaving the State to ask about their journey, identity, residence, address within the State and their baggage, and may examine that baggage and its contents.
• For travellers arriving from or departing to another EU Member State, these powers may only be used where the officer has reasonable grounds for suspicion.
• Reasonable grounds include suspecting the person is importing non-Community goods, exporting goods from the Community, or carrying goods subject to import or export prohibitions or restrictions.
• The powers also apply where the officer suspects the person has not actually come from, or is not actually travelling to, another Member State.