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GOODS ACROSS BORDERS

DUTY-FREE ALLOWANCES

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

REGIONEUROPE
CUSTOMS AUTHORITYHis Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
VAT RATE20%

Duty-Free Allowances

CategoryAllowance
Alcohol4L
Cigarettes200
Personal goods valueUS$1100
Post-Brexit allowances: 18L still wine, 4L spirits or sparkling wine, 42L beer. Tobacco: 200 cigarettes OR 100 cigarillos OR 50 cigars OR 250g tobacco (or proportional mix). Goods up to £900 (approx. $1,100 USD) duty-free. Allowances apply when arriving from outside Great Britain.

Post-Brexit allowances: 18L still wine, 4L spirits or sparkling wine, 42L beer. Tobacco: 200 cigarettes OR 100 cigarillos OR 50 cigars OR 250g tobacco (or proportional mix). Goods up to £900 (approx. $1,100 USD) duty-free. Allowances apply when arriving from outside Great Britain.

Cash Declaration Threshold

US$12,500DECLARATION REQUIRED ABOVE THIS AMOUNT

Local currency equivalent: GBP

Travelers carrying cash, traveler's cheques, or negotiable instruments above this threshold must declare them at customs on arrival.

Special Notes

  • 01Since Brexit (January 2021), UK customs rules apply separately from EU rules.
  • 02Northern Ireland follows different rules under the Windsor Framework — EU single market rules apply for goods.
  • 03Goods from the Channel Islands are treated as imports from outside UK for VAT purposes.
  • 04The UK Global Tariff (UKGT) applies to imports; check gov.uk trade tariff tool.
  • 05Customs declarations via CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight) or CDS (Customs Declaration Service).
  • 06Import VAT is 20% standard rate; reduced rate of 5% applies to some goods.
RULES5,339COUNTRIES85ITEMS111CARRIERS28GUIDES37UNIQUE SOURCES614LATEST VERIFICATION2026-05-13MethodologyChangelog