Import to 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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