As Brexit has taken place, this means that there are now new rules to duty-free allowances! But worry not, you are still allowed to bring a fair amount of goods and services into the UK without being charged extra tax! We will go over all the new rules and try to make it as simple as we possibly can for you.
When you are bringing the goods to the UK, you must be bringing them in yourself. They can be for your personal use or you could give them away as a gift. You must not go over your allowance and if you do, you have to declare them before arriving in the UK, to whichever category they fit. We will talk about the different categories and the allowances you have below.
You are allowed to bring a generous amount of alcohol! You may bring in:
For tobacco allowance, there is a generous amount available too! You may bring in:
If you're under the age of 17, then, unfortunately, you are not allowed any personal allowance. However, if you still wish to bring it, you will have to pay tax and duty on them before your arrival in the UK.
If you want to bring other goods, you can bring up to £390. If you want to bring more, you will have to pay duty and tax on the total sum, not just the sum that's gone above the allowance. Make sure that you don't go over because you may have to pay import VAT too as well as duty and tax. We're sure you don't want to do that so ensure your total sum doesn't go over the limit!
You can choose to do your duty-free shopping from the comfort of your own home with Heathrow; simply select the items you wish to purchase, which store and terminal you will pick up from and that's it!
It's a completely free service for passengers and you won't be charged for your items until you pick them up in-store - so if you change your mind about that designer handbag, you aren't obligated to collect it..!
With Shop and Collect, simply purchase your goods as normal at the airport and then opt to have them stored at Heathrow until your return. You can choose a convenient location to collect your items when you land back in the UK and all retailers at Heathrow offer this service. Check out our shopping page for more information!
