Tax on goods ordered from or bought abroad
If you order goods from abroad for your own personal use - including over the Internet - or buy them abroad and send them to the UK, Customs Duty, Excise Duty and/or Import VAT may be due.
On this page:
- Customs Duty, Excise Duty and import VAT: basics
- Tax and duty on goods bought from within the EU
- Tax and duty on goods bought from a non-EU country
- Gifts sent from outside the EU
- Who pays the tax and/or duty and when
- Banned or restricted goods
- Getting more help and advice
- More useful links
Customs Duty, Excise Duty and import VAT: basics
If you're ordering goods from abroad, or buying and sending to the UK goods from abroad for personal use, you may have to pay Customs Duty, Excise Duty or Import VAT. What's due - if anything - depends on the type of goods and where they come from. See below for what applies in different circumstances.
Note that this guide only deals with goods bought for personal use. If you're buying goods for commercial purposes the rules are different. See link below.
Find out about tax and duty on commercial imports (Opens new window)
Tax and duty on goods bought from within the EU
Alcohol and tobacco
- There is no Customs Duty payable.
- There is no Import VAT payable, unless the goods are purchased or sent from a European Union (EU) 'Special Territory' (see below).
- UK Excise Duty must have been paid regardless of the quantity - and even if the goods are a gift.
It is the responsibility of the person that you're buying the goods from to ensure that UK Excise Duty is paid before they send you the goods. You should therefore expect the price you pay to reflect the payment of UK duty. If the price is very low, UK duty has probably not been paid.
If the person you're buying the goods from does not pay UK Excise Duty before they send them to you, the goods can be seized by customs on arrival in the UK and you may not be able to get a refund on their value. It's therefore a good idea to check with them whether Excise Duty has been paid.
In addition, cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco must bear UK health warnings and fiscal marks, and containers of spirits that are larger than 35cl must bear a UK duty stamp.
All other goods
If you're ordering or sending purchased goods (other than alcohol and tobacco) to the UK from another EU country then it's just like shopping in the UK.
- There is no Customs Duty payable.
- There is no Import VAT payable, unless you're ordering or sending purchased goods from one of the EU 'Special Territories' and if the value of the goods is £18 or more.
- There is no Excise Duty to pay.
EU 'Special Territories'
The EU 'Special Territories' are The Aland Islands (Finland), The Canary Islands (Spain), The Channel Islands (UK), The French Overseas Departments of Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Reunion and Mount Athos also known as Agion Poros (Greece).
Check which countries are in the EU
Customs Duty, Excise Duty and Import VAT - find out more
Tax on goods bought from a non-EU country
If you're ordering or sending goods from a non-EU country to the UK - even as a gift - you may have to pay Customs Duty, Excise Duty and Import VAT.
Please note that where the guidance below refers to 'purchased goods' it makes no difference if the goods are new or used - for example goods bought on an auction site. And it doesn't matter if you buy them for yourself or to sell on.
Alcohol and tobacco
If you order or send purchased goods of alcohol or tobacco you have to pay:
- Excise Duty
- Customs Duty on goods with a value that exceeds £120
- Import VAT
Cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco must bear UK health warnings and fiscal marks and containers of spirits that are larger than 35cl must bear a UK duty stamp.
Perfume and toilet water
If you receive goods of perfume or toilet water as a gift from a country outside the EU then you:
- don't have to pay Excise Duty
- don't have to pay Customs Duty
- only pay Import VAT if you're ordering or sending more than 50g of perfume or 0.25l of toilet water
If you order perfume or toilet water (as an example) over the Internet from a country outside the EU then you:
- don't have to pay Excise Duty
- don't have to pay Customs Duty unless the value of the goods exceeds £120
- will have to pay import VAT on the full value of the goods
All other goods
If you order or send purchased goods other than alcohol, tobacco, perfume and toilet water from a country outside the EU then you:
- don't have to pay Excise Duty
- may have to pay Customs Duty on goods with a value that exceeds £120
- will have to pay Import VAT on goods with a value that exceeds £18
Note that on all goods from outside the EU, Customs Duty is waived if the amount of duty calculated is £7 or under.
Customs Duty, Excise Duty and Import VAT - find out more
Gifts sent from outside the EU
If you're sending or receiving a gift from outside the EU:
- Excise Duty is payable on any alcohol or tobacco products.
- Customs Duty is payable if the value of the gift exceeds £120, but will be waived if the amount of duty is £7 or under.
- Import VAT is payable if the value of the gift exceeds £36.
To qualify as a gift:
- It must have been sent from a private person outside the EU to a private person(s) in the UK.
- The Customs Declaration must be completed correctly (see link below).
- It must be for the use of either you or your family.
- There must be no commercial or trade element and it must not have been paid for by the recipient either directly or indirectly.
- It must be of an occasional nature only - for example for a birthday or anniversary.
- If it's perfume or toilet water it must be within the allowances described in the earlier section 'Perfume and toilet water'. If the allowances are exceeded than charges apply on the excess.
How to complete the Customs Declaration
Gifts ordered over the Internet - UK tax and duty still due
Ordering and paying for goods over the Internet to be sent to someone other than you, doesn't count as a gift. The recipient will be liable to UK duty and tax.Buying from abroad on the Internet - what to look out for
Packages with gifts for more than one person
If one package contains several gifts for different people - perhaps family members - then each gift can benefit from the Import VAT £36 gift allowance as long as it's individually:
- wrapped
- addressed
- listed on the customs declaration
Who pays the tax and/or duty and when
Excise Duty
If you're ordering or buying alcohol and/or tobacco from an EU country, Excise Duty must have been paid by the seller or sender before the goods are sent otherwise they can be seized by customs on arrival in the UK. Payment is made using the 'distance selling' procedures - see link at the end of the guide.
If you're ordering or buying alcohol and/or tobacco from a non-EU country, Excise Duty must be paid by the recipient once the goods have arrived in the UK but before the goods are delivered.
Customs Duty
If you're ordering or buying goods from outside the EU, any Customs Duty must be paid by the recipient once the goods have arrived in the UK but before the goods are delivered.Import VAT
If you're ordering or buying goods from outside the EU, Import VAT must be paid by the recipient once the goods have arrived in the UK but before the goods are delivered.In addition, there may be a handling fee to pay to the carrier. Follow the link below to find out more.
Goods posted outside the EU: tax payments, queries or refunds
Banned or restricted goods
There are certain goods that you are not allowed to send or have sent to the UK under any circumstances, and some goods are restricted. This is to protect the UK from crime, pests and diseases.
Find out more about what goods are banned or restricted
Getting more help and advice
If you need more information about ordering or buying goods abroad to post to the UK, you can contact the VAT, Customs and Excise Helpline on Tel 0845 010 9000. Lines are open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm, Monday to Friday except bank holidays.
More contact details for the VAT, Customs and Excise Helpline
More useful links
Sending personal goods back to the UK from abroad
Find out about distance selling excise goods in customs notice 203
