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Imports to the
UK
Uk
Import Services.
Excess Luggage
Import service can assist you with your inbound move from overseas into the
united kingdom. Whether you choose air freight, road freight from Europe or even
sea freight from around the globe for Importing into the Uk. You can be sure that your possessions will
be delivered to your chosen destination on time, safely and securely
Excess Luggage offers import services for expatriates, students and business
people into the UK, Excess Luggage can provide full customs clearance
and delivery services to ease your
relocation into the UK.
If you are importing household goods to the UK
from inside the European Union there are no customs processes to worry about
household effects are free to import.
Excess Luggage Door to Port import service.
If you are looking for an economical excess baggage moving service, our door to
arrival port luggage shipping service allows you to collect your shipment upon
arrival London Heathrow. We can Offer you customs cleared collect service from
our London Heathrow / Hounslow Depot*.
Used household and personal effects are allowed into the UK free of duty and
Value Added Tax (VAT) providing they have been in the owner’s possession and
used abroad for at least 6 months. In addition, the effects must be for
the sole use of the owner in the UK and must be retained by the owner for at
least 12 months after importation. When moving from outside the EU, the
owner must not have lived within the EU in the previous 12 months.
So How Does It work.
Importing used household / personal effects to the
UK from a country outside the EU
will be subject to UK customs clearance processes. The Uk Border customs
clearance procedure is relatively simple and requires the completion of
different UK customs forms depending on your circumstances. In all
situations a numbered packing list is required showing the total number of
packages in the consignment with a brief description of each package. Each
package should have a clearly visible number which corresponds with list
provided by the shipper.
All used household unaccompanied personal effects being imported for the purpose
of moving to the UK as the main place of residence are usually cleared through
customs using form C3.
Please note there are other categories of personal imports such as diplomatic
goods, inherited goods, new goods and furnishing second homes which require the
use of different documents. For more information on these and customs
requirements please see
UK Customs import, customs form
requirements and import tax/duty liability
·
Copy of the Passport
·
Valued packing List
·
C3
Uk Customs Form
*In most cases, as the owner/shipper will need to collect the baggage
personally; we clear it through UK customs and settle any terminal charges on
your behalf. You the importer then handle the charges with Excess Luggage.
We will require a form of Id Passport or
Driving license as proof of ID.
Excess Luggage, Metex House, 496a Great West Road. Hounslow. TW5 0TE
Excess Luggage Over sea’s Collection service
If you have had to leave your belongings overseas, Excess Luggage can arrange to
locate, pack and ship them - by air freight, sea freight and/or road freight -
to your home in the UK.
Importing Household Goods and Moving to UK
UK
CUSTOMS RULES
Providing Excess
Luggage International is in possession of all the correctly completed customs
documents prior to your vessel arrival then customs clearance for importing
household goods into the UK is normally a simple procedure.
Transfer of Residence
Normal Used Household Effects. Free
to Import; providing client has lived outside the European Community for more
then 12 months and is moving to the UK as the main place of residence. The
goods must have been in possession for at least 6 months in the country of
client’s normal home, and must be tax paid. Owner must have arrived in the
E.C. (European Community) before customs clearance can take place, and the goods
must arrive within 12 months of the arrival of owner. The owner must
retain the goods for personal use for at least 12 months. Documents required:
Passport, UK Customs C3 Form and
Valued packing list.
Students Moves in to UK.
Students require a
Letter from University, College, or Polytechnic certifying the importer is a
"student" giving residential period of educational course. Documents required:
Passport, UK Customs C3 Form and Valued packing list.
Diplomatic moves in to the UK
Diplomatic moves
are free to import and cleared using UK customs form
C426 + copy packing list. The C426 form can only be raised and released directly by the relevant Embassy or
High Commission and must be sent to Excess Luggage by the Embassy to enable
clearance of goods.
Some Embassies are
slow to issue this document which can result in customs clearance delays thus
causing unnecessary storage and demurrage costs which are chargeable to client.
To avoid such charges and delays occurring we recommend that the travelling
Diplomat obtains the name of the person at the London Embassy who is responsible
for authorising and issuing his C426 form an s liaise with excess luggage and
provide contact name well in advance of container arrival we will make contact
and explain the urgency of issuing the C426 without delay.
If the Diplomat is
also shipping a car the relevant Embassy or High Commission must also complete
the part of the C426 that relates to cars and then send to the UK Foreign and
Commonwealth office for approval and stamping and then send back to Excess
Luggage to enable us to clear the goods.
Furnishing
a Second Home
When importing
goods to furnish a second home, taxes and duties will be calculated according to
the exact description of each item. The customs form C33 must be completed
together with a packing list.
New
Furniture, Household items
Importing non bona fide transfer of
residence is treated as commercial imports and is therefore liable to import
taxes and duty. The rates vary according to exact description, age,
current value, purchase price, country of origin, CIF value etc, to import these
goods we need a packing list and copy invoice for each item.
New furniture, household items,
presents and souvenirs etc., are liable to payment of customs duty and VAT if
they have not been in the owner's previous use and possession for more than 6
months. These articles are liable to payment of customs duty and VAT and
must be separately declared on the C3 import declaration
Inheritance
Goods
Inherited goods can
be imported duty free providing the legatee is permanently domiciled in the E.C.
and will not use the goods for trade or business purposes. At least 2
months before the arrival of the goods a special application must be made to
Customs and the goods should not be dispatched until the Customs have given
authority for duty free entry.
·
The
documentation required is:-
·
Customs
notice 368 with attached Customs form C1421.
·
Certified copy of the Will of the deceased or a certified relevant extract there
from or copy of Probate from the Court if the deceased died interstate.
·
An
English translation is necessary if document is not in English.
·
Inventory (detail the goods to be imported) with supporting declaration from the
Lawyer confirming that the goods to be imported are the legatee's rightful share
of the estate.
·
Declaration from the legatee confirming that he is a permanent resident in the
E.C. and a beneficiary under the Will of the deceased
Foodstuff
We strongly recommend you
do NOT import foodstuffs. If foodstuffs
are mentioned on the inventory without precise details, Uk Port Health
Authorities may stop and checked prior to release. This will obviously increase
costs to you, the customers and increase the risk of damage to effects.
Alcohol, Tobacco & Perfumes. These items all attract duty and taxes, there is no
free allowance. Taxes are calculated according to exact description, quantity,
value and country of origin and must be declared on the C3 customs form. In
general, the costs can be quite high and rarely makes economical sense. We
recommend your client does not import these items because they attract customs
inspections.
Prohibited & Restricted.
Clients MUST NOT import prohibited items and we
strongly recommend they do not import restricted items. Please read C3
customs form for detailed list. Typical prohibited items include: Drugs,
offensive weapons, firearms, explosives, fireworks, flick knives etc,
pornographic material, animal products, Furs, skins, tusks, meat, poultry, etc,
plants, vegetables, seeds, counterfeit products, articles derived from protected
species such as coral etc.
Wedding Gifts / Trousseaux.
Wedding trousseaux, gifts and similar articles
must be declared on the C3 form and may be imported duty/VAT free where it can
be shown that:-
·
The
newly wed (or shortly to be married) individual must have had his/her normal
home outside the E.C. for at least 12 months and be transferring his/her home to
the E.C.
·
The
goods must be tax paid at country of origin.
·
The
goods must arrive in the U.K. up to 2 months before the wedding, not later than
4 months after, and must be retained for personal use for at least 1 year. A
duty deposit must be paid where goods arrive before the wedding or where proof
cannot be provided to Customs Authorities of the wedding details. No gift must
exceed £800 in value per donor.
·
No
allowance for alcoholic drink or tobacco is given.
·
The
owner must retain the goods for personal use for at least 12 months.
FIRE ARMS / GUN Importers
We do not recommend
your clients to import guns due to the additional cost of customs inspections,
together with storage, demurrage due to customs delays and risk of damage to
other goods that the inspections may cause. However, if the client insists on
importing guns in to the Uk He or She must have a valid Uk fire arms / Gun
license. The client must have available a
secure gun cabinet. The Uk Police will have to be informed and may contact
client to ask a few questions or even visit his home. We will need a copy of the
gun license in advance of fire arm arriving into the Uk.
Importing Motor cars/bikes/boats in to
the UK
Motor cars/bikes/boats.
If the owner has
lived abroad over 1 year and owned and used the motor more than 6 months prior
to shipping he can import free of tax and duty. An original customs form
C104 A must be completed and the
following documentation must be supplied to Excess Luggage in advance of
shipment arrival in UK.
Documentation
required:
·
Foreign
motor vehicle registration document (official ownership document / certificate
of title)
·
Proof
of vehicle ownership over 6 months (e.g. Purchase invoice, road insurance,
garage bills).
·
Service
documents.
·
Insurance certificate.
·
Proof
of residence abroad for over 12 months (e.g. bank statements, household bills,
employment contracts, correspondence).
·
Passport (clear copy of relevant pages).
To claim a relief on 10% (6-8% for motorcycles-depending on size of
motorcycle) customs duty based on original purchase value & V.A.T. based on
original purchase value, the owner of the motor vehicle must have lived abroad
for a minimum of 1 year. This will
enable the owner to qualify for 'transfer residence relief' upon arrival into
the U.K. The motor vehicle must also
be owned and used for a minimum of 6 months (from the date of purchase to date
of shipping). An original customs
form C104 A must be completed and the following documentation must be
supplied to the Excess Luggage port agent who will in turn forward the
documentation to the U.K. customs.
In order to be able
to use the motor on UK roads, and if car did not originally come from the UK,
the client will have to present it to the Department of Transport for an IVA
(Individual Vehicle Approval) test. In order to pass the IVA test
modifications may be required, typically to lights and speedometers. We
recommend client does some research via the manufacturers to assess modification
costs to understand the viability of work involved. Excess Luggage can recommend
specialist companies who will make the alterations and also complete all
paperwork and submit car to test on your behalf.
Uk Origin
Motor cars/bikes/boats
If the motor vehicle is being
re-imported / returning back to/into the U.K after having been shipped out of
the UK.
Following documents are required:
·
Customs
form C179B
·
UK
motor vehicle registration document V5 or export certificate from DVLC.
·
U.K. registration Number.
·
Overseas country official ownership document.
·
Service
documents.
·
Insurance certificate.
·
Clear
copy of relevant pages of Passport.
In order to process personal effects through UK Customs we require a properly
completed Customs form C3. The following is a guide to completing the form
How to complete your C3 Customs Form
Please do not rush through the form as incorrectly completed C3 forms can
delay clearance and delivery of your effects and may incur additional charges
Please complete and sign each form
Each form must be an original as Customs will not accept photocopies or
facsimiles
Should you have more than one shipment (i.e. sea and airfreight) you must
complete a C3 for each shipment
Page One
·
Please just complete the
Personal Details section.
Enter your Full Name and Date
of Arrival in the U.K. You should
also enter the ‘Total Number of Packages Containing Your Belongings’. If in doubt, leave number of packages
blank, or contact Excess Luggage
·
The Request to Clear will be completed by Excess Luggage
Page Two
·
After referring to the detailed instructions given, please answer these
questions carefully. It is vital that you follow the instructions. If you are
directed to proceed from one response to another (thereby passing over certain
interviewing questions) then do so. Otherwise Customs may reject the form and a
new C3 will need to be completed.
Please note: Once you have completed Section One you do not have to complete
Section Two or vice versa
please read the questions and explanations carefully. Section One is for people
intending to stay in the UK for less than 6 months or moving to the UK to study.
Page Three
·
If your answer to any question on Page 3 is none you must write “NONE” clearly in each space
provided. The use of “N/A”, “NIL” or drawing a line etc.. will result in Customs
rejecting the form.
·
All alcohol, tobacco, perfumes and aftershave is dutiable if included in your
shipment. These items must be declared on your C3. Failure to provide detailed
information on these items increases the chances of inspection by UK Border
Customs & Excise.
Page Four
·
New items and items less than 6
months old (including gifts) must be declared on this page. In most cases duties
and taxes will then be assessed on any such items. If you do not have any items
under six months old you must write “NONE”.
List any items, which have not been in your use and possession
abroad for more than six months. If
you have no items to declare and are moving your Normal Home to the U.K. you
should write ‘NONE’ and the following declaration: “Used Personal and Household Effects as Per Attached List, all of which have been in
my Use and Possession Abroad in my Normal Home for More than Six Months”
·
All Lists Must Be in ENGLISH
Please sign and date the form and list your home address. If you do not yet have
a permanent residence please list your hotel / temporary accommodation address
or work address. Please attach a comprehensive packing list to your Customs
form.
If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to
contact the Excess Luggage Imports dept.
Tel: 0845 270 7186
Fax: 0845 270 7196
Email; info@excessluggage.co.uk
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