Scots_Boy

I'm going back to the UK for Chritmas and I'm taking a few reasonably expensive presents with me, is there a risk that the UK Customs & Excise (or whatever they're called nowadays) will hit me up for tax in these items? Should I take them out of the packing to make them look less obviously new?

I am a UK citizen currently living in the US on an L2 visa, my girlfriend will be travelling with me, she is an American.

Thanks.

NSBlake

I travelled a lot and I never got stopped by customs in Heathrow (not sure where you are flying into though) - in fact I would say nobody is there 9 times out of 10, you just walk through.

I have just done the same as you (brought pressies back to the UK) and no one was there...........I'd say you would be ok. But perhaps walk through separately without your girlfriend (thought you'd have to be married to get an L2 but that's another matter) - then you look like you are visiting for business instead of what they might assume a couple who's returning from NYC with lots of shopping and in theory they could charge tax on it.

tonrob

I've gone through customs at LHR roughly 5 times a year for the last 7 years since moving here and not seen anyone!

GeoffM

Ah but they are there. Watching. Waiting. Hiding. Ready to swoop. Cameras in the ceiling. Never been stopped though. In fact I think the only airports I've had my bag searched were Lima (Peru) and JFK (only a sniffer dog roaming behind the passport desks and before baggage claim).

(Unless you arrive at Bristol on a flight from Newcastle, get herded into the international arrivals hall, and find nobody there - to even let you out the aforementioned hall)

Yorkieabroad

Who said he wasn't married?

NSBlake

Guindalf

Wait. There's NO tax due on items where tax is already assumed to have been paid in the country of purchase.

IOW, if you bought the items in the US, you technically have already been taxed on the purchase, so there should be nothing due when you take them with you.

AFAIK, you only pay duty/tax on anything you bought while you were out of the country on a visit.

sir_eccles

I'd be more worried about TSA and baggage handlers at this end. Remember current rules recommend not wrapping Xmas presents as this alerts TSA to nice goodies worth stealing (or they will unwrap suspicious ones to check).

lansbury

or which you are importing into the UK, which gifts would be.

Bob

By the username, the girlfriend being a US citizen....I'd guess the OP was the son of a L1 visa holder, or he'd be married to the primary to have gotten the L2 benefit.

Either that or he's got brass balls to be married while having some on the side and posting about it

Anyway, chances of getting stung for duty taxes are minimal...not much you can do about it if you are though but either pay it or ditch the items.

joto

Keep the gifts with you in carry-on to avoid having them lifted by baggage handlers, if possible, and have the receipts with you incase of any ?'s

Squirrel

Never been stung flying in, but on mail from the US to the UK I have. Apparently if the goods you are bringing in are worth more than £18, you have to pay duty on them. I had to pay £7 on a parcel with a couple of T-shirts in it from CafePress.

What annoyed me most was I bought some medication from a US-based drugstore (that they don't sell in the UK), and deliberately kept it below £18 so as to avoid tax. When the parcel came with my invoice, they cheeky bastards had charged me £6 in 'duty and VAT.'

I clearly found loads of stuff online, on official UK Customs sites, saying under £18 no duty or VAT payable. But I could not for the life of me get through to anyone at the drug company to get an explanation. They did not take calls from international customers, just emails, which they didn't reply to.

Needless to say I have never shopped with the company again. I suspect they kept the extra money themselves!

Of course the rules may be different flying in with stuff. In the US, residents can bring $300 worth of gifts, visitors $100. Tax due at 10% on anything over. First time DH came back from the UK with stuff he got charged $60! There may be similar UK rules. IF you happen to be there when they have a blitz at the airport!

Scots_Boy

Hi, Thanks for the replies.

One small point, I'm on a L1b, not an L2... my bad (help! I'm picking up terrible American phrases!).

rallybug

Although duty isn't payable on all items - some are zero-rated.