Bringing your own used belongings into Great Britain without paying duty and VAT is possible, and it is called Transfer of Residence relief. You apply for it yourself, before the goods arrive, and you get a reference that goes on the customs entry.
This is the one part of the relocation your mover cannot do for you. International movers will remind you, chase you and file the entry using your reference, but the application is between you and HMRC.
Start it before the packing begins. The most common expensive mistake on this route is leaving the application until the container is at sea. Approval takes time, and a container waiting at Felixstowe for a reference number accrues charges every day. Your relocation coordinator will chase you, but they cannot apply for you.
The process is not complicated. The timing is what catches people.
You apply to HMRC. The application is made before your goods arrive in Great Britain. It is free and it is made by you, not by your mover, because it asks about your circumstances rather than your shipment.
HMRC assesses it. They are establishing that you have genuinely been living outside the UK and are genuinely moving your home here, rather than sending belongings ahead of a possible move or importing goods for someone else.
You receive a reference. This goes on the customs declaration when the goods arrive. Without it, the entry cannot claim the relief and duty and VAT become payable.
Your mover files the entry. They use your reference. They cannot obtain it for you and they cannot proceed without it.
The goods clear and deliver. Provided everything matches, this is routine.
Where it goes wrong is almost always step one. People treat the application as paperwork to do while the container is at sea, and then the container arrives before the reference does. At that point the goods sit at the port and the charges start. Apply as soon as you know you are moving, not when the shipment is booked.
Conditions generally include having lived outside the UK for a continuous period, bringing goods you have owned and used for a period beforehand, and importing them within a set time of moving. There are also restrictions on selling or lending relieved goods for a period after they arrive. Check the current detail on GOV.UK, because the specifics do change.
The relief itself is free to apply for and can save a substantial sum, since duty and VAT on a household shipment adds up quickly. The cost sits entirely on the other side: what happens if the reference is not ready when the goods land.
No additional cost
The normal outcome. Goods clear and deliver on schedule.
Port storage daily
Charges accrue while HMRC processes the application.
A significant sum
Payable on the assessed value of the whole shipment.
Tell us when you are moving and where the goods are coming from. We will make sure the timing gives your application room to breathe.
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A few things that make the difference between a smooth application and one that comes back.
Have your evidence ready before you start. Proof that you were living outside the UK and evidence that you are settling here. Employment records, tenancy agreements, permits and utility records all help. Gathering them mid application is what causes people to abandon it and come back later, which is how the timing slips.
Keep the inventory consistent. What you tell HMRC and what appears on the customs entry should match. A shipment described one way in the application and another way on the manifest invites a question at exactly the moment you least want one.
Be honest about what does not qualify. If part of your shipment is genuinely outside the relief, declare it as such and pay what is due on that part. Trying to bring non qualifying goods in under the relief risks the treatment of the whole consignment, which is a poor trade.
Note the restrictions afterwards. Goods brought in under the relief generally cannot be sold, lent or otherwise disposed of for a period after arrival without telling HMRC and paying what would have been due. That matters if you were planning to sell furniture that does not fit your new home.
If you are moving to Northern Ireland rather than Great Britain, the position differs. Check which procedure applies to you before you begin.
Check GOV.UK for the current detail. Time periods, qualifying conditions and the application route are all subject to change, and this page is orientation rather than the authority.
The Chinese export side is a separate process and needs handling at the same time.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Chinese flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
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Relief from duty and VAT on used personal belongings when you move your normal home to Great Britain. You apply to HMRC before the goods arrive and receive a reference that goes on the customs declaration. It is free to apply for and can save a substantial sum.
As soon as you know you are moving, not when the shipment is booked. Processing is not instant and the reference has to exist before your goods land. A container waiting at a UK port for a reference number accrues charges every day it sits.
No. The application asks about your circumstances rather than your shipment, so it has to come from you. Your mover will remind you, chase you and use the reference to file the entry, but they cannot obtain it on your behalf.
Generally someone who has been living outside the UK for a continuous period and is genuinely moving their normal home here, bringing belongings they have owned and used. The specific conditions and time periods are set out on GOV.UK and do change, so check the current position.
Alcohol and tobacco, goods intended for sale or for a business, items bought new specifically for the move, and anything you have not owned and used for the required period. Certain vehicles follow their own separate procedure.
Not immediately. Goods brought in under the relief generally cannot be sold, lent or disposed of for a period after arrival without telling HMRC and paying what would otherwise have been due. Worth knowing if you were planning to sell furniture that does not fit.
Duty and VAT become payable on the assessed value of the shipment, which on a household container is a significant sum. There is no benefit to skipping the application, since it is free and the relief is designed for exactly this situation.
Declare that part separately and pay what is due on it. Trying to bring non qualifying goods in under the relief risks how the whole consignment is treated, which is a poor trade for the sake of a few items.
The position differs for moves to Northern Ireland rather than Great Britain. Check which procedure applies to you before you begin the application, because starting the wrong one costs time you may not have.
Send your collection address, your Chinese destination, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the paperwork and the access, then comes back to you with the price.
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