Customs Documentation Guide
What you need to ship personal effects internationally

Every item in every bag must be listed individually with a specific description and a declared value in GBP. Not "personal effects" — that causes holds. Not "miscellaneous clothing" — that causes holds. "5 x men's shirts — £75 total", "1 x Nikon DSLR camera — £400", "12 x books — £60 total". Be specific. Be honest with values — significantly under-declaring can lead to seizure.

Declared values are not insurance values and not replacement values. They are the honest current secondhand value of each item as it sits in your bag. A three-year-old laptop worth £300 second hand should be declared at £300, not its original £1,200 purchase price. Customs authorities compare declared values against known market prices for the items listed. Obvious under-declaration triggers manual inspection and potential duties.

The Air Waybill is the contract of carriage between Excess Luggage Co. and the airline carrier. We prepare the AWB as standard for every shipment. You need the AWB number to collect your shipment from the cargo warehouse at your destination. Keep it safe. If you lose it, collection becomes significantly more complicated.

For personal effects classification, the person who ships in the UK and the person who collects at the destination must be the same person. Different receiver — even a spouse, parent or family member — triggers reclassification as a gift or commercial import, with full import duties applied. This is the rule that most often catches people by surprise.