What Can and Can’t I Import Into the UK?

The rules governing what you can and can’t import into the UK vary depending on whether you’re importing commercially or for your own use. In both cases, however, there are a number of items that are banned or at least require special licenses and permits in order to be imported from China. This article will look at those items in more detail.

What you can import

First, however, let’s look at what you can import into the UK providing you follow the correct procedures and pay required taxes and duties. UK Customs classifies products into the following broad categories, and other than items that have restrictions attached, these categories constitute the majority of what you can safely and legally import into the UK.

For items that have an asterisk next to them, there are some exceptions or restrictions to consider, so please keep an eye out for these under ‘what you can’t import’ and ‘Imports that are subject to conditions’.

Live animals and animal products*

Includes meat, offal, fish crustaceans, molluscs, dairy produce, birds eggs, and natural honey.

Please note that pets that are brought to the UK with the intention of rehoming must come from a list of approved countries.

Vegetable products*

Includes live trees and plants, bulbs, roots, flowers, foliage, vegetables, fruit, nuts, coffee, tea, spices, cereals, malt, starches, oil, seeds, straw, fodder, gums, resins, and saps.

Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products*

Includes prepared edible fats and animal or vegetable waxes.

Prepared foodstuffs

Includes beverages, spirits, vinegar, tobacco, sugars, cocoa and preparations of meat, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, cereals, flour, starch, milk, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.

However, for some specific products you may require a special import license. You can find out what these are by consulting the government website.

Mineral products

Includes salt, sulphur, earth stone, lime, cement, ores, slag, ash, bituminous substances, and mineral fuels, oils, and waxes.

Chemical products*

Includes pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, tanning or dyeing extracts, paints, varnishes, putty, inks, essential oils, perfumes, cosmetics, toiletries, soap, waxes, candles, explosives, pyrotechnics, and matches.

Plastics and rubber

Includes plastic, rubber, and other articles thereof.

Rawhides and skins

Includes leather, fur skins, saddlery and harness, travel goods, handbags, and articles of animal gut.

Wood and articles of wood*

Includes wood, charcoal, cork, straw, basketware, and wickerwork.

Wood pulp and cellulosic material*

Includes paper, paperboard, paper pulp, books, newspapers, pictures, and manuscripts.

Textiles and textile articles

Includes silk, wool, animal hair, yarn and woven fabric, cotton, man-made textiles and fibres, wadding, felt, twine, ropes, cables, carpets, lace, and knitted or crocheted fabrics.

Miscellaneous

Includes footwear, headgear, umbrellas, walking sticks, whips, riding crops, prepared feathers, artificial flowers, and articles of human hair.

Natural

Includes articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica, ceramics, glass, and glassware.

Jewellery

Includes pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, imitation jewellery, and coins.

Base metals

Includes iron and steel, copper, nickel, aluminium, lead, zinc, tin, and articles thereof.

Machinery and mechanical appliances

Includes electronic equipment, boilers, and machinery.

Vehicles and transport equipment

Includes trains, trams, tracks, signalling equipment, aircraft, spacecraft, ships, and boats.

Optical

Includes photographic, cinematographic, measuring, medical and surgical apparatus, clocks, watches, and musical instruments.

Arms and ammunition*

Includes arms and ammunition and parts and accessories thereof.

Miscellaneous manufactured articles

Includes importing furniture from China, furnishings, bedding, lighting, prefabricated buildings, toys, games, and sports requisites.

Works of art

Including collectors’ pieces and antiques.

What you can’t import

Despite the lengthy list of things that can be imported into the UK, there are a number of items that are banned and cannot be brought in under any circumstances. These include:

• Illegal drugs
• Offensive weapons such as flick knives
• Self-defence items like pepper spray and CS gas
• Rough diamonds
• Indecent and obscene materials
• Personal imports of meat and dairy products from non-EU countries
• Goods that infringe intellectual property rights (e.g. pirated films or music)
• Food and plant products that contain pests or diseases

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Imports that are subject to conditions

Almost any good that can be imported into the UK will be subject to certain conditions, but these conditions range from formalities to major obstacles. Here, we’ve tried to highlight some of the conditions that are particularly important to be aware of.

Import license and surveillance

Firearms, ammunition, explosives, industrial waste, and radioactive products including isotopes for medical use.

Compliance with British safety standards

Cars, trucks, telephone equipment, fertilizers, baby chairs, prams, children’s beds, outdoor equipment, ladders, scaffolds, barbecues, extinguishers, motorcycle helmets, pyrotechnics, products containing asbestos, gold jewellery, and measuring instruments.

CITES license

You must apply for export and import licences for certain animals and plants in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) if you’re importing them from outside the EU.

Health certification

All meat, fish, and dairy products.

Heat treatment and phytosanitary certification

Wood and wood products from outside the UK.

Import license and Quarantine Release Certificate (QRC)

Plant-health controlled fruit, vegetables, plants, and plant products.

ODS License

Ozone-depleting substances.

Compliance with UK Registration , Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)

Chemical substances including in preparations. Some aspects of REACH only come into effect when you import one tonne or more of chemical substances per year.

Wholesale, manufacturer or MA license

Medicines for human consumption.

Frequently Asked About

There are some products that we are asked about frequently. We thought it was worth providing a quick summary on the rules around importing these products.

CBD Products

CBD Products including oil, cosmetics, vapes, food and drinks can all be imported under UK law. However, you will need to demonstrate that your product contains less than 0.0025% THC, via testing at an accredited lab.

There are also additional requirements depending on what type of CBD products are being imported. Oil, food and drinks specifically need to comply with ‘novel food’ regulations.

If the CBD product is being promoted as a medicine, different procedures apply. You will need to get regulatory approval or license from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory agency.

Tobacco products

You do not need a license to import tobacco into the UK.

However, any tobacco products that you import must follow the UK’s regulations on packaging and traceability rules.

Alcoholic Beverages

If you are importing alcohol to sell to another business, you will need to apply for approval via the ‘Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme’ (AWRS).

You will also need to follow a long list of regulations on packaging, where the alcohol is stored and more. Find out more on the government’s official website.

Steps to importing goods into the UK

If you’re planning to import goods into the UK, you first need to find out whether they can be imported, what kind of restrictions, if any, are placed on them and how much duty and VAT you’ll have to pay to import them. The steps involved in importing are as follows:

• Get an EORI number. This can be done quickly and easily online.
• Determine the correct commodity code for your goods – this code classifies goods and determines the regulations and taxes that apply to them.
• Fill out a VAT Return if you’re VAT registered.
• Register with the CDS system (Customs Declaration Service). This system allows importers to complete customs information electronically and automatically checks for errors.

If you’re new to importing, a good source of help and information is the UK government website which you can access here. You should also consider hiring an import agent to help you avoid the pitfalls and guide you through the maze of regulations that surround the UK import/export scene.

See going it alone vs. using an agent for importing.