UK Customs and Import Rules for Immigrants

Transfer of Residence Relief

If you are moving to the UK permanently on a Skilled Worker visa, spouse visa, or other route, you can bring your personal belongings without paying customs duty or import VAT. This is called Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief. To qualify:

• You must be moving your normal home to the UK
• Your belongings must have been owned and used by you for at least 6 months before you move
• You must have been resident outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months before the move
• You must intend to use the goods in the UK for the same purpose as before
• The goods must arrive within 12 months of you coming to live in the UK. Apply for approval before you ship them

The relief does not cover alcoholic drinks, tobacco products, commercial means of transport, or goods from a second home or holiday home.

Apply using form ToR1 on the GOV.UK Transfer of Residence page, and read the full conditions in the transfer of residence guidance. Apply well in advance of your shipping date.

What You Can Bring

Under ToR relief, you can bring:

• Furniture and household goods
• Clothing and personal items
• Electronics (computers, phones, TVs)
• Books, CDs, and personal collections
• A motor vehicle you have owned and used for at least 6 months
• Tools and equipment for your profession

Goods brought in under Transfer of Residence relief cannot be lent, used as security, hired out or transferred to anyone else within 12 months of the date you moved.

Prohibited and Restricted Items

Regardless of ToR relief, certain items cannot be brought into the UK:

Prohibited (Cannot Be Imported at All)

• Controlled drugs
• Offensive weapons (including certain knives)
• Indecent or obscene material
• Counterfeit goods
• Meat and milk products from outside the EU, and most meat and all dairy from the EU (see below)

Restricted (Need a Licence or Permit)

• Firearms and ammunition
• Certain prescription medicines (bring a doctor's letter)
• Plants and seeds (may need a phytosanitary certificate)
• Endangered species products (CITES permit required)
• Some food and agricultural products

Check the full list on the GOV.UK banned and restricted goods page.

Food and Drink

Food rules are strict, and they depend on where the food comes from. Bringing food into Great Britain for personal use:

• From the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands or Greenland: fish, poultry and products made from poultry, and other animal products such as eggs and honey are allowed. Because of animal disease outbreaks, cheese, milk and dairy products such as butter and yoghurt are not allowed, and neither are pork, beef, lamb, mutton, goat, venison or products made from those meats, such as sausages.
• From anywhere else: no meat or meat products, and no milk or milk-based products.
• Both cases: up to 2kg per person of powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food needed for medical reasons, if it does not need refrigerating before use and is in branded, unopened packaging.
• Bread, cakes without fresh cream, biscuits, pasta and noodles that are not meat-filled, packaged soups and stocks, and processed, packaged plant products can come from any country.

Check the current rules on the GOV.UK bringing food into Great Britain page before packing — they change when there is a disease outbreak. Seized items are destroyed. For finding foods from home once you are in the UK, see our supermarkets guide.

Cash and Valuables

You can bring any amount of cash into the UK, but:

• Travelling between Great Britain and a country outside the UK, cash of 10,000 pounds or more in any currency must be declared. Arriving in Northern Ireland from outside the EU, or from Great Britain, the threshold is 10,000 euros
• Cash means notes, coins, bearer bonds and travellers cheques. In Northern Ireland it also covers money orders, gold coins or bullion, and prepaid cards
• The total carried by a family or group travelling together counts, not each person separately
• Declare online or by phone on 0300 322 9434 before you travel, or at the border. Undeclared cash can be seized, and a penalty of up to 5,000 pounds may be charged to get it back. You have 30 days to appeal
• Jewellery and valuables do not need to be declared but may attract customs attention if they appear commercial

Once settled, you will want to open a UK bank account and build your credit score.

Arriving at the Border

When you arrive in the UK, use the correct customs channel:

• Green channel: Nothing to declare
• Red channel: Goods to declare

Personal allowances for goods you carry yourself into Great Britain from outside the UK are:

• Alcohol: 42 litres of beer and 18 litres of still wine, plus either 4 litres of spirits and other drinks over 22% alcohol or 9 litres of drinks up to 22% alcohol, such as sparkling wine, port, sherry and cider. That last allowance can be split.
• Tobacco: one of 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, 250g of tobacco, or 200 sticks for heated tobacco devices. This allowance can also be split.
• Other goods: up to £390 in value, or £270 if you arrive by private plane or boat.

There are no alcohol or tobacco allowances for anyone under 17. Go over an allowance and you pay tax and duty on everything in that category, not just the excess. You cannot combine your allowance with anyone else's. Goods can be declared online from 5 days (120 hours) before you arrive.

If your shipped goods arrive separately, you will deal with customs through your shipping company or freight forwarder. They can guide you through the process. For more on arriving, see our border control guide.

Next Steps

If you are moving to the UK, apply for Transfer of Residence relief well before your move date. Make an inventory of everything you are shipping. Check the prohibited and restricted items list. Declare anything that needs declaring at customs.

Related guides:

• Border Control: What to Expect
• First Week in the UK Checklist
• Finding Accommodation Before Arrival
• Cost of Living in the UK

You may also find our eVisa Guide and Home Office Contact Guide helpful.

Questions and answers