MetEx House, 496a Great West Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW5 0TE  ·  Shipping since 1998
0800 096 38 39
🗻 & ✈ Shipping to Pakistan • UK’s Pakistan specialists • Since 1998

Shipping to Pakistan from the UK
Luggage, personal effects & household goods — by air or sea

Everything you need to ship to Pakistan in one place. We collect from your door anywhere in the UK, handle the customs paperwork, and deliver to Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and beyond. Air freight in 4–8 working days, or economical sea freight in roughly 4–7 weeks, subject to space and flight availability with the carriers. These sea transit times are approximate — the actual time depends on when your LCL container finishes loading and consolidating, the vessel’s sailing date and route, any transhipment hub before the final destination, and customs clearance, so please allow a week or two either side. Shipping to Pakistan since 1998.

Get a quote 📞 0800 096 38 39

Pakistan is one of our busiest diaspora routes — from a few boxes sent home to a full household relocating for good. The key to a smooth, low-cost clearance is the Transfer of Residence concession and an honest, detailed inventory. This guide brings together everything that actually matters for a UK–Pakistan shipment, drawn from our Heathrow-side operation and 25+ years on this lane.

Every way we ship to Pakistan

Not sure which service you need? Start here — each links to full details, transit times and what’s included.

How shipping to Pakistan works, step by step

1
Quote & book

Tell us what you’re sending and where. We’ll give you a clear quote up front.

2
Door collection

We collect from your address anywhere in the UK. No depot or airport drop-off needed.

3
Pack & document

Goods are export-packed and we prepare your itemised inventory and the customs declaration.

4
Ship by air or sea

Air freight from Heathrow, or consolidated sea freight to the Port of Karachi.

5
Customs clearance

Pakistan Customs assess your shipment. The owner needs to be present with passport and CNIC.

6
Delivery

Your goods are delivered to your Pakistan address, or ready to collect from the arrival depot.

Transfer of Residence — how used effects clear duty-free

Pakistan lets returning nationals bring their used personal and household effects in under a Transfer of Residence (TR) concession — but new items and electricals are treated differently.

The TR concession: Pakistani nationals who have lived abroad for at least 2 years (and not spent more than about 4 months in Pakistan during that time) can import used clothing and used household effects in reasonable quantity free of duty. Foreign nationals coming for 2+ years may also qualify.
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You must be present. The owner needs to be in Pakistan at clearance, with an original passport (generally 2+ years old) and, for nationals, a CNIC.
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Electricals & appliances are dutiable. TVs, fridges, washing machines and similar are charged duty (often one of each per family at concessional rates). Pakistani citizens pay full duty on electricals.
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New items don’t qualify. Anything new, boxed, or bought for the move is dutiable — as are tobacco, perfumes and foodstuffs. Don’t pack invoices or insurance papers showing value.
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Documents: passport, CNIC, visa copy, a TR certificate, a detailed English inventory and packing list, and a signed baggage declaration. We prepare these with you.

Moving-to-Pakistan shipping guide ›

What you can’t ship — and what slows shipments down

Some items are prohibited in freight and others attract duty. Packing sensibly and declaring honestly keeps your clearance quick.

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Prohibited in freight: aerosols and pressurised cans, perfumes and aftershaves (flammable), loose batteries, and tobacco. Firearms and weapons need an exemption certificate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Dutiable: new electricals, appliances, and anything bought for the move — plan for these separately.
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List everything clearly. A detailed English inventory is what a smooth Pakistan clearance is built on. Number your boxes to match.
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When in doubt, declare it. Everything is subject to customs inspection.

What we see most often — and how to avoid it

Most UK–Pakistan shipments clear without drama. The ones that don’t nearly always come down to the same short list:

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The passport-age trap. TR usually needs a passport 2+ years old and proof of 2+ years abroad. Sort this before shipping.
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Owner not in the country. Pakistan needs the owner present for clearance — plan the shipment to arrive around when you do.
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Assuming everything is duty-free. Electricals and new items are dutiable even under TR — budget for that.
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Value papers in the box. Don’t pack invoices/insurance showing values — they can inflate the assessment.

What a shipment to Pakistan actually looks like

An illustrative example of a common scenario — your quote is always to your exact shipment.

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A family relocating to Lahore after several years in the UK would typically send a home’s contents by sea freight to Karachi, with us collecting from their UK door, export-packing, and preparing the TR paperwork and a detailed inventory. Used furniture, kitchenware and clothing clear under the TR concession; any electricals are declared for duty. Transit is usually 4–7 weeks. Urgent items go ahead by air.

Door-to-door across Pakistan

We deliver nationwide. Here are our most popular destinations — each with local delivery detail and transit times:

Which is right for your shipment?

Air freight suits a few boxes or anything urgent — 4–8 working days, priced on weight and size. Sea freight suits volume — a room, a family’s contents or a whole home — at a fraction of the per-kilo cost, over roughly 4–7 weeks door-to-door. Many customers split the two: air for the essentials, sea for the rest.

Shipping to Pakistan — your questions answered

Should I ship or pay the airline for extra bags? +
For more than a bag or two, shipping is usually cheaper than airline excess-baggage fees — and you’re not carrying the weight through the airport. We collect from your door and deliver across Pakistan.
How long does it take? +
Air freight is typically 4–8 working days. Sea freight is typically around 4–7 weeks door-to-door, plus customs clearance.
Will I pay duty? +
Used clothing and household effects can clear free of duty under the Transfer of Residence concession if you're a Pakistani national who has lived abroad for 2+ years. Electricals, appliances and new items are dutiable.
What paperwork do I need? +
Passport (usually 2+ years old), CNIC, visa copy, a Transfer of Residence certificate, a detailed English inventory and packing list, and a signed baggage declaration. We prepare these with you.
Can I send electrical items and furniture? +
Yes, but note electricals and appliances are dutiable in Pakistan, and Pakistan runs on 230V. We'll flag which items are likely to attract duty when we quote.
Is my shipment insured? +
We offer marine transit cover — we’ll explain the options and cost when we quote, and we always recommend cover for a long-haul shipment.
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Lak Kharod, Director
Excess Luggage Co. • overseeing UK–Pakistan shipping since 1998 • MetEx House, Hounslow, next to Heathrow

Excess Luggage Co. has shipped personal effects, luggage and household goods from the UK to Pakistan for over 28 years — through our own Heathrow-side warehouse and collection fleet. We know this route and exactly what Pakistan customs looks for. For a quote or advice on your paperwork, call us on 0800 096 38 39.

Ready to ship to Pakistan?

Tell us what you’re sending and where it’s going. We’ll come back with a quote and a realistic transit-time estimate — before you commit to anything.