Guide: What to do when you import goods

Guide: here is what you should do once you receive your ordered goods in the UK

At UNITRAILER, we devote ourselves to making sure that all our customs procedures run as smoothly and hassle-free as humanly possible. 

The first step into making sure that your experience with UNITRAILER is as pleasant as possible starts right after we receive your order information. A customs declaration form will be fixed to all packages. The declaration includes a description of the goods and their value.

2.2 Paying taxes on goods sent to you

Goods arriving in the UK are liable to any or all of the following taxes:

• Customs Duty
• Excise Duty
• Import or supply VAT

2.3 Limits for Customs Duty and Import VAT

Private customers:

UK supply VAT, rather than import VAT, will be due on consignments from outside the UK not exceeding £135 in value. This is going to be cleared by UNITRAILER upon shipping the order.

The £135 limit applies to the value of a total consignment that is imported, not the separate value of individual items that are in a consignment. In other words, Customs Duty becomes payable if the value of the goods is over £135 (including transport costs). If the value of your order does not exceed £135, we pay the VAT for you.

Customers with valid VAT numbers and EORI numbers:

IMPORTANT: If you have a valid VAT number and a valid EORI number, you have to pay VAT in the UK. Reverse charge rules apply.

2.3 How to pay customs charges

If you are receiving a parcel from outside the United Kingdom, DPD has to declare it through HM Customs and Revenue (HMRC). Such goods purchased from overseas may be liable for import Customs charges. In this case, in order to receive your parcel, you must first pay these import charges that apply.

The entire process is super easy and can be done in a few simple steps. Please read the DPD guide here to find out more about the whole process.

In short: DPD will request payment of these charges by email or text and they will detail the import duties and taxes as well as a Clearance fee. This fee covers the cost of customs processing and administration cost associated with collecting the import charges.

In summary: