Antonio Mcgowan
When travelling to the UK, you may be required to pay customs duty on certain goods, depending on where they were purchased. If you are travelling to Great Britain (England, Wales, or Scotland) from outside the UK, you can bring in a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty, known as your personal allowance. This allowance includes a set amount of alcohol and tobacco, and other goods, such as perfume, worth up to £390. If you exceed your personal allowance, you will need to pay tax and duty on the full value of all your goods in that category. The rules for Northern Ireland differ, with no duty or tax on alcohol or other goods as long as they are for personal use or gifts and have been taxed in the country of purchase. It is important to be aware of the customs rules that apply to your specific situation before travelling to the UK.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Do I pay duty on perfume purchased at a UK airport? | You can bring in goods worth up to £390 without paying tax or duty. This includes perfume. |
| What if I go over my allowance? | If you go over your allowance, you will have to pay tax and duty on the total value of the goods. |
| What if I am travelling to the UK from the EU? | If you are travelling to the UK from the EU, you do not need to pay duty or tax on goods as long as you transport them yourself, use them yourself, or give them as gifts, and have paid tax in the country where they were purchased. |
| What if I am travelling to the UK from outside the EU? | If you are travelling from outside the EU, the rules are different. You can bring in a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty, but the allowances are lower than those enforced in Great Britain. |
| What if I am travelling to Northern Ireland? | If you are travelling to Northern Ireland from the EU, you do not need to pay duty or tax on alcohol or any other goods. If you are travelling from outside the EU, the limits for England, Scotland, and Wales apply. |
| What if I am bringing alcohol? | You can bring in 16 litres of beer and 4 litres of wine without paying duty. For other types of alcohol, the allowance is 1 litre. |
| What if I am bringing tobacco? | You can bring in 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, 250g of tobacco, or 200 sticks of tobacco for electronic heated tobacco devices. |
| What if I have prohibited or restricted goods? | If you have prohibited or restricted goods, you must go through the Red Channel and declare these items. |
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What You'll Learn
Personal allowance for goods
If you are travelling to Great Britain (England, Wales, or Scotland) from outside the UK, you can bring in a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty. This is known as your personal allowance. Personal allowance rules apply to any goods bought overseas and brought into the UK, regardless of where they were purchased.
Your personal allowance depends on the type of goods you are bringing in. For alcohol, you can bring in 4 litres of wine (not sparkling) or 2 litres of spirits and 4.5 litres of fortified wine (9 litres in total). You can also bring in 16 litres of beer. For tobacco, you can bring in 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, 250g of smoking tobacco, or 200 sticks of tobacco for electronic heated tobacco devices. You are allowed to split your allowance across categories. For example, you could bring in 125g of tobacco and 25 cigars.
If you are travelling to Great Britain from within the EU, there is no tax to pay on goods as long as you have paid tax and duty on them in the country of purchase, you transport them yourself, and they are for your own personal use or intended as a gift. There are technically no limits on the amounts of alcohol and tobacco you can bring back from the EU, but bringing in large quantities may lead to questioning at customs.
If you are travelling to Great Britain from outside the EU, the alcohol and tobacco allowances are lower than those enforced for travellers from within the EU. If you are travelling from outside the European Union, the limits for England, Scotland, and Wales apply.
For other goods, such as perfume, you are entitled to bring back items worth up to £390 (or up to £270 if you arrive by private plane or boat) without having to pay tax or duty. If you go over this allowance, you will pay tax and duty on the full value of all your goods.
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Tax and duty exemption for goods from the EU
If you are travelling to the UK from outside, you can bring in a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty, which is known as your personal allowance. The amount of allowance varies depending on the type of goods. For instance, you can bring in 16 litres of beer, 4 litres of wine, 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of fortified wine, 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, 250g of tobacco, or 200 sticks of tobacco for electronic heated devices. You can also bring in goods worth up to £390, such as perfume and souvenirs.
If you are travelling to Northern Ireland from the European Union, you do not need to pay duty or tax on alcohol or any other goods as long as you transport them yourself, use them yourself, or give them as gifts, and have paid tax in the country where they were purchased. The amount of alcohol and tobacco you can bring back from the EU without being questioned at customs is not limited, although you are more likely to be questioned if you bring back more than 16 litres of beer, 4 litres of wine, 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of fortified wine, 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, 250g of tobacco, or 200 sticks of tobacco for electronic heated devices.
If you are travelling to Great Britain (England, Wales, or Scotland) from the EU, you do not need to pay tax or duty on goods as long as they were grown or made in the EU using only EU ingredients or materials. If the total value of the items is over £1,000, you can claim a zero rate of customs duty if you can prove each item was grown or made in the EU. This proof could be an invoice or document from the business you bought the items from, including a statement of origin and their registered exporter number if the total value is over £5,500.
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Duty-free allowances for the UK post-Brexit
England, Scotland, and Wales
The duty-free allowances for England, Scotland, and Wales have changed after Brexit. The tax-free sales at airports, ports, and stations have ended. Now, the same duty-free allowances apply whether you're returning to Great Britain from the EU or outside it. You can bring in a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty, known as your personal allowance. This includes goods like alcohol, tobacco, and souvenirs. However, you must declare goods to customs if you have gone over your allowance, intend to sell any of the goods, or have any restricted or banned items.
Northern Ireland
The rules for Northern Ireland remain the same post-Brexit. If you're travelling to Northern Ireland from the EU, you do not need to pay duty or tax on alcohol or any other goods as long as you transport them yourself, use them yourself, or give them as gifts, and have paid tax in the country where they were purchased. The amount of alcohol and tobacco you can bring into Northern Ireland is unrestricted if coming from the EU.
General Rules
You cannot combine your personal allowance with anyone else's. If you go over your allowance, you pay tax and duty on the total value of the goods, not just the value above the allowance. You may have to pay import VAT and customs duty if you exceed your allowance. You do not need to pay any tax or duties on personal goods within your personal allowance.
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Customs allowances for personal use
When arriving in the UK, you may be required to pay customs duty on some goods. The UK's customs allowances must be checked before travelling to the country. British customs laws differentiate between goods from the EU and non-EU goods. Tax-free sales at airports, ports, and Eurostar stations ended on 1 January 2021.
If you are travelling to Great Britain (England, Wales, or Scotland) from outside the UK, you can bring in a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty. This is known as your personal allowance. The amount you can bring depends on the type of goods. For instance, you can bring in 16 litres of beer and 4 litres of wine (not sparkling) without having to pay tax or duty. You can also bring in either 1 litre of spirits and other liquors over 22% alcohol, or 2 litres of fortified wine, sparkling wine, and alcoholic drinks up to 22% alcohol. You are allowed to split this allowance. For example, you could bring in 1 litre of fortified wine and half a litre of spirits (both half of your allowance).
You can bring in 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, 250g of tobacco, or 200 sticks of tobacco for electronic heated tobacco devices. You are allowed to split this allowance. For example, you could bring in 100 cigarettes and 25 cigars (both half of your allowance).
You only need to declare goods to customs if you have gone over your allowance, intend to sell any of the goods, or if you have any restricted or banned items. If you go over your allowance, even by a little, you will need to pay tax and duty on all of your purchases in that category.
If the total value of all the items you declare is over £1,000, you can claim a zero rate of customs duty if you can prove each item was grown or made in the EU. This proof could be an invoice or document from the person or business you bought the items from.
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Goods declaration and restricted items
When travelling to the UK, you may be required to pay customs duty on some goods. The UK's customs allowances and rules are different depending on whether you're entering Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) or Northern Ireland.
Goods Declaration
If you are travelling to Great Britain from outside the UK, you can bring in a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty, known as your personal allowance. You can declare goods online up to 5 days (120 hours) before arriving in the UK, and you can calculate and pay any tax and duty owed at this time. Simplified rates are used to calculate the customs and excise duty owed when declaring online. You can also declare goods at the UK border using the red channel or red-point phone. If you do not declare goods when required, your items may be seized.
Restricted Items
Some restricted items that may be seized by customs include goods infringing on intellectual property rights, such as pirated movies or music. Certain items protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) may require a permit or certificate to bring into the UK. These include specific foods and beauty products, exotic leather goods, furs, wooden musical instruments, tourist curios, and some medicines.
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Frequently asked questions
No, you do not have to pay duty on perfume purchased at a UK airport. However, you are only allowed to bring a certain amount of goods without paying tax or duty, known as your personal allowance. You can bring goods worth up to £390 without paying duty.
If you go over your allowance, you will have to pay tax and duty on the full value of all your goods. You will also have to declare your goods.
No, you only need to declare goods to customs if you have gone over your allowance, intend to sell any of the goods, or have any restricted or banned items.
