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

Shipping to the Philippines from the UK
Balikbayan boxes, luggage, personal effects & household goods

Everything you need to ship to the Philippines in one place. We collect from your door anywhere in the UK, handle the balikbayan box and personal-effects paperwork, and deliver to Manila, Cebu, Davao and beyond. Air freight in 5–8 working days, or economical sea freight in roughly 5–8 weeks. 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 the Philippines since 1998.

Get a quote 📞 0800 096 38 39

The Philippines is one of our busiest routes — and for two very different reasons. Some customers are sending balikbayan boxes of gifts and essentials to family back home; others are moving their whole life to Manila or Cebu. The good news is that the Philippines is generous with duty and tax relief for both, as long as you qualify and document it properly. This guide brings together everything that actually matters for a UK–Philippines shipment, drawn from our Heathrow-side operation and 25+ years on this lane.

Every way we ship to the Philippines

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

How shipping to the Philippines 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

Boxes and effects are packed and we prepare your itemised inventory with values — the basis of your balikbayan or duty-free claim.

4
Ship by air or sea

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

5
Customs clearance

The Bureau of Customs assess your balikbayan box or personal-effects claim. We prepare the paperwork so it clears cleanly.

6
Delivery

Your shipment is delivered to the Philippine address, or ready to collect from the arrival depot.

Balikbayan boxes & duty-free relief

The Philippines gives two kinds of relief — one for sending boxes to family, one for moving home. Both are generous if you qualify and document them.

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Balikbayan boxes: Qualified Filipinos abroad (OFWs, Filipinos residing overseas, dual citizens) can send personal and household effects to family free of duty and tax — up to a total value of PHP 150,000 per calendar year, across up to three shipments. Contents must be non-commercial and not for resale.
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Moving home: returning residents, OFWs and former Filipinos who have stayed abroad for at least 6 months can bring their used personal and household effects free of duty and tax — excluding luxury items and vehicles. This needs a Tax Exemption Indorsement from the Department of Finance, which we help arrange.
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Documents: an itemised inventory with values, your passport and proof of status (OFW certification, foreign passport or dual-citizenship papers), and — for a home move — an affidavit of ownership. We prepare these with you.
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What’s taxed: commercial quantities or goods for resale, luxury items, vehicles, and anything above the allowances are charged duty and 12% VAT.
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Declare honestly and value fairly. Under-valuing or mis-declaring a box can mean it’s held, inspected or seized. A clear, valued inventory keeps clearance quick.

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

Some items are prohibited in freight and others invite a customs hold. 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, ammunition and drugs are strictly prohibited.
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Food in balikbayan boxes: sealed, non-perishable foodstuffs and canned goods are fine and popular; fresh or perishable food is not — it won’t survive the transit and can cause a hold.
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List everything with a value. The Bureau of Customs work from your inventory — a complete, honestly-valued list is what a smooth clearance is built on. Number your boxes to match.
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Keep it non-commercial. Brand-new items in commercial quantities look like goods for resale and lose the balikbayan exemption.

What we see most often — and how to avoid it

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

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Under-valuing the box. It feels harmless, but the Bureau of Customs check values — an unrealistic inventory invites inspection. Value things fairly and the exemption does its job.
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Going over the allowance. Balikbayan relief is PHP 150,000 across three shipments a year. Big senders should plan across the year so nothing tips into dutiable.
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No proof of status. The relief depends on being a qualified Filipino abroad — have your OFW certification, passport or dual-citizenship papers ready.
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Perishable food. Fresh food doesn’t survive sea freight and causes holds. Stick to sealed, non-perishable goods.

What a shipment to the Philippines actually looks like

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

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An OFW in the UK sending several balikbayan boxes to family in Cebu — clothing, canned goods, toiletries and gifts — would typically go by sea freight, with us collecting from their UK door and preparing a valued inventory. Kept within the PHP 150,000 allowance, the boxes clear free of duty and tax. Transit is usually 5–8 weeks. A family relocating to Manila would instead ship household effects under the returning-resident relief, with anything urgent going ahead by air.

Door-to-door across the Philippines

We deliver nationwide — across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. 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 — 5–8 working days, priced on weight and size. Sea freight suits volume — a run of balikbayan boxes, a room or a whole home — at a fraction of the per-kilo cost, over roughly 5–8 weeks door-to-door. Most balikbayan senders choose sea; keep essentials for air.

Shipping to the Philippines — 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 the Philippines.
How long does it take? +
Air freight is typically 5–8 working days, subject to space and flight availability with the carriers. Sea freight is typically around 5–8 weeks door-to-door, plus customs clearance.
Are balikbayan boxes really duty-free? +
Yes — for qualified Filipinos abroad, up to PHP 150,000 total value across three shipments per calendar year, for personal and household effects that aren’t commercial. Anything above that is charged duty and 12% VAT.
Can I ship household goods duty-free if I'm moving back? +
Returning residents, OFWs and former Filipinos who’ve stayed abroad 6+ months can bring used personal and household effects free of duty and tax (excluding luxury items and vehicles), with a Tax Exemption Indorsement from the Department of Finance. We help arrange it.
What paperwork do I need? +
An itemised inventory with values, your passport and proof of status (OFW certification, foreign passport or dual-citizenship papers), and an affidavit of ownership for a home move. We prepare these with you.
Can I send electrical items and furniture? +
Yes — used appliances and furniture are fine. The Philippines uses 220V with mostly UK-incompatible plugs, so items usually need adapters.
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–Philippines shipping since 1998 • MetEx House, Hounslow, next to Heathrow

Excess Luggage Co. has shipped balikbayan boxes, luggage and household goods from the UK to the Philippines for over 28 years — through our own Heathrow-side warehouse and collection fleet. We know this route, the balikbayan rules and exactly what the Bureau of Customs looks for. For a quote or advice on your shipment, call us on 0800 096 38 39.

Ready to ship to the Philippines?

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.