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09/11/2011
Know Your Overseas Shopping Limit
Customs and Excise have issued advise for those engaging in overseas shopping this year to stop shoppers getting fined for overdoing it.
HM Revenue & Customs’s Angela Shephard advised Wednesday that those going abroad to do Christmas shopping, or buying goods online from non-EU countries, needed to know how much you can buy before you have to pay import duty or VAT.
Ms Shephard, said: “We know many people like to go abroad at this time to buy their Christmas gifts, or buy online from non-EU countries, and think that the ‘cheaper’ price they see is always the price they finally pay. HMRC is keen to remind the general public how much they can actually bring back from abroad or buy from an online overseas seller without having to pay import duty or VAT.
“You don’t want to be faced with unexpected extra charges, when you thought you had found a bargain.”
Arriving in the UK by commercial sea or air transport from a non-EU country, you can bring in up to £390 worth of goods for personal use without paying customs duty or VAT (excluding tobacco and alcohol, which have separate allowances, and fuel).
Arriving by other means, including by private plane or boat for pleasure purposes, you can bring in goods up to the value of £270.
Above these allowances and up to £630, there is a duty flat rate of 2.5%.
Detailed information on the non-EU limits for alcohol and tobacco products can be found on HMRC’s website.
Meanwhile, those thinking of going across the Channel to replenish beers, wines, spirits or tobacco products for Christmas can be happy in the knowledge that there are no limits on the amounts of duty and tax paid goods you can bring back personally from another EU country, as long as they are for your own use.
You may, however, be asked questions at the UK border if you have more than: 110 litres of beer; 90 litres of wine; 10 litres of spirits; 20 litres of fortified wines; 800 cigarettes; 200 cigars; 400 cigarillos or 1kg of tobacco.
(DW/GK)
HM Revenue & Customs’s Angela Shephard advised Wednesday that those going abroad to do Christmas shopping, or buying goods online from non-EU countries, needed to know how much you can buy before you have to pay import duty or VAT.
Ms Shephard, said: “We know many people like to go abroad at this time to buy their Christmas gifts, or buy online from non-EU countries, and think that the ‘cheaper’ price they see is always the price they finally pay. HMRC is keen to remind the general public how much they can actually bring back from abroad or buy from an online overseas seller without having to pay import duty or VAT.
“You don’t want to be faced with unexpected extra charges, when you thought you had found a bargain.”
Arriving in the UK by commercial sea or air transport from a non-EU country, you can bring in up to £390 worth of goods for personal use without paying customs duty or VAT (excluding tobacco and alcohol, which have separate allowances, and fuel).
Arriving by other means, including by private plane or boat for pleasure purposes, you can bring in goods up to the value of £270.
Above these allowances and up to £630, there is a duty flat rate of 2.5%.
Detailed information on the non-EU limits for alcohol and tobacco products can be found on HMRC’s website.
Meanwhile, those thinking of going across the Channel to replenish beers, wines, spirits or tobacco products for Christmas can be happy in the knowledge that there are no limits on the amounts of duty and tax paid goods you can bring back personally from another EU country, as long as they are for your own use.
You may, however, be asked questions at the UK border if you have more than: 110 litres of beer; 90 litres of wine; 10 litres of spirits; 20 litres of fortified wines; 800 cigarettes; 200 cigars; 400 cigarillos or 1kg of tobacco.
(DW/GK)
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