Can I send cosmetics to the United Kingdom?
Yes, with conditions.
Creams and toiletries are fine. Couriers refuse aerosols, nail polish, and flammable perfumes. Beauty products containing caviar extract need a CITES permit.
For every Onvoyo box: No aerosols, perfume, nail polish or other flammable liquids. Keep liquids sealed and bagged.
Before you ship to the United Kingdom
- Tax-free limit
- Gifts from one individual to another worth £39 (about $53) or less pay no VAT or duty, unless they are alcohol or tobacco, which always pay excise duty. There is no general tax-free limit: other goods, including your own used things sent without Transfer of Residence relief, pay VAT from the first pound. Customs duty is not charged on goods worth £135 (about $183) or less in total, except alcohol and tobacco, which pay duty at any value. The government plans to remove this £135 duty relief on a date still to be set, by October 2028 at the latest.
- Receiver ID
- No UK tax number is needed for a personal shipment. If you claim Transfer of Residence relief, the courier needs your ToR unique reference number for the declaration. Without a valid one, you may be billed for import duties and administration charges.
- Transit
- 1-3 business days from Europe; 2-4 from North America; 3-6 from Asia
Questions
Can I send cosmetics to the United Kingdom?
Yes, with conditions. Creams and toiletries are fine. Couriers refuse aerosols, nail polish, and flammable perfumes. Beauty products containing caviar extract need a CITES permit.
Ask about a specific item
Official sources
- 1.
HM Revenue & Customs
Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad (opens in a new tab) - 2.
HM Revenue & Customs
VAT rates (opens in a new tab) - 3.
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Animal and Plant Health Agency, and Border Force
Bringing food into Great Britain (opens in a new tab) - 4.
Animal and Plant Health Agency, Border Force, and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Bringing plants and wood into Great Britain (opens in a new tab) - 5.
- 6.
Border Force and HM Revenue & Customs
Bringing goods into the UK for personal use (opens in a new tab) - 7.
HM Revenue & Customs
Transfer of residence to the UK (opens in a new tab)
General guidance, not legal advice. Customs in the United Kingdom makes the final decision on every box.