a66es

Hello,

I am a new user, I know its rude to show up and ask a single question, so I promise I will make an effort to be a part of this community.

I am sending some personal items back to the UK from Asia.

It is several boxes, about 100 kilos in total. Mostly books and clothes, and a few non electrical items for my various interests. Nothing of any value to others, all of it want to keep.

I contacted several shipping companies (as many asian people I knew in the UK sent personal items home using shipping companies) however all the shipping companies I contacted fobbed me off and advised me to use the local post office. If they dont want my money fine! however I dont want to use the post office as some stubborn staff has screwed up a few deliveries of gifts to family members before (long story). secondly the shipment from here would be handled by Parcel Farce when it arrives in the UK, and again that gives me some reservations which I was hoping to avoid by spending more money with a shipping company.

next i need to email HMRC and apply for a ToR certifcate/form, and they will email/post me a reference number?

so that is some background information to avoid any questions.

questions

1) is there any difference between me sending parcels to myself in the UK, and my partner sending me a parcel? as we may put off the shipment for a few weeks, would that change the rules and make it more complicated?

2) "Transfer of Residence" sounds really seriously worded, as if its an official declaration to the UK government "I AM NOW LIVING HERE" instead of the old C3 which was more along the lines of "I am sending stuff, don't tax me", so I am a bit nervous/anxious about that, what if I just went to my local post office and posted a smaller box of personal items back to the UK, like when I send gifts to people? and put "personal items" on one of those customs declaration stickers? Surely it would get through? I wouldnt have to tell Teresa May anything, would I?

3) after I have emailed/faxed HMRC with the ToR form, how long is the wait for the clearance number?

Pulaski

For a few boxes I would use a global courier such as FedEx, UPS, or DHL, because they will handle the whole shipment and delivery end-to-end and you will have a tracking number so you can go online and see exactly where each box is on its journey. The cost may be a bit more than parcel post, but not much considering the increased security of using a courier with end-to-end tracking.

a66es

the post service in my country has a reliable tracking service.

Pulaski

But that likely stops at the border - tracking parcels after they have left the country where they started their journey can be a bit hit-or-miss.

a66es

nah, i sent/received parcels before the system works internationally believe it or not, the tracking isnt the problem its avoiding the ***** at Parcel Farce.

TheEmperorIsNaked

This is excellent advice, and in my view, vitally important.

In my case all packing and shipping was done....., until I discovered the contents of a cupboard had not been packed, very close to departure. I had two boxes to ship in a hurry... I went with a 'send parcels' type of company (Australia), and signed an 'Accept all Charges' (at UK docks) form.
I had inadvertently signed a blank cheque.

The account I received from the receiving company had every imaginable charge you could possible think of, I expected a charge for the crane drivers new dentures!!
Except it wasn't funny. They could do that. I had signed acceptance of all charges, the amount vastly outweighing the value of the boxes. I tried to refuse to accept the boxes. I was told that I would accumulate a debt of £10 per day for every extra day I left them there.

What ensued was 'horse trading' emailing back and forth as they took minimal amounts of the bill. I finally told them I would go to a UK programme 'Rip Off Britain' before they reduced the bill to less than half the original cost levied.

Be very, very careful how you go about this. An 'end to end' deal is the only safe bet.

Celticprince_86

Speaking ToR, when should that be filed? I'll be selling most of my stuff as they were impulse buys and have no real value (monetary or otherwise) but I expect at least a few boxes will be brought to the UK.

kirstyp

ToR application should be sent ASAP so you can give the approval reference (Unique reference number) to your removal company before your goods depart. They are no agreed/guaranteed timescales agreed by customs as yet but currently we're experiencing they are taking between 3-5 weeks to process.

kirstyp

@A66es Quick question, are you moving your permanent residence to the UK or just sending items?

MonsterP

Are you / will you actually be moving back to the UK? If so, then you are allowed 12 months in which to import personal effects without being charged duty. If not, then they will be classed as a commercial shipment and not your personal effects, and hence full duty applies.

Secondly, which country will you be exporting from? Then I can possibly give you some specific recommendations.

cdfergus

Really? I am leaving the US for UK in November (permanently, going home!) So I do not need a ToR? I am just shipping books, cd's, kitchen supplies, clothing etc.

Chris

mstiggiewinkle

You need the TOR. My shipping company wont touch the shipment without the HMRC assigned number.

kirstyp

You will still need to complete ToR application as this is what HMRC use to decide if you are eligible for duty free import or not. I think what MonsterP means is that goods can arrive up to 12 months after the date you personally arrive in country and still be eligible for duty free entry.

some useful info in section 5 of this page. https://www.gov.uk/government/public...outside-the-ec

MonsterP

Hi Chris,
You've got plenty of time to do this. The ToR has replaced the C3 customs entry form, and absolutely, everything imported into the UK needs to have customs clearance first, so yes, you need to do this online. I imported my things in February and just beat the deadline, so I used the C3 which was much easier, or at least, my removals company did.

I would suggest you start the ball rolling in finding companies to help you pack and ship. You can start with the bigger companies, like Santa Fe, Pickfords, etc., who usually do more of the commercial work and the bill is picked up by an employer. They'll probably quote you quite highly, but it will give you some benchmarks and you can ask them for suggestions of smaller local removals companies who will charge a lot less.

Don't forget insurance, usually charged at 3% of the value in total, which the removals company will love to sell you. You might, however, find that the insurance won't cover any damages if the goods are not packed by the removals company.

Either way, they'll use a partner in the UK which could still charge the substantial amount of any quote. I imported 12cbm from Thailand, and eventually used a 20'FCL to avoid other charges associated with groupage and handling etc. For your small amount, you will definitely be shipping LCL and if the removals company has regular groupage containers to the UK, then hopefully a decent timeframe to ship too. You could also start in reverse and contact a company in the UK who will advise you who their partner is in the USA. For my shipment, the company this side was Movecorp.

I didn't have chance to sort any of my stuff before it needed to be packed up, but I would advise you do so and consider if you really want what you're shipping vs replacing it with new items once you're back in the UK. Additionally, you might want to add to it anything special that you can get in the USA but not the UK, just as long as you will have possession of it for 6 months prior to shipping.

Hope that helps.

cdfergus

Thank you very much; helpful indeed!