Ship boxes from United Kingdom to Ireland
1 to 10 boxes, collected from your door in United Kingdom and delivered to the door in Ireland. Price up front, customs paperwork prepared for you.
- Typical transit
- 2–4 business days
- Duty-free up to
- From another EU country there is no customs clearance and usually nothing to pay, and boxes from Northern Ireland also move with no customs declaration or duty
United Kingdom → Ireland
Enter a weight to see your price.
Who ships on this route
- Anyone sending belongings to family or to themselves
- Households moving a few boxes, not a whole home
- Students heading to or home from university
Operationally straightforward regional lane.
Leaving United Kingdom
Sending boxes out of United Kingdom
Sending your own belongings out of the UK is straightforward for everyday things. The courier prepares the export paperwork from your packing list. The UK rules that matter most are export licenses for antiques and art, and the import rules where the boxes land.
Documents
- Itemized packing list with a fair value for each item, marked as used personal effects or gift
- Sender's passport or ID
- The receiver's tax or ID number if the destination requires one
- A UK export license from Arts Council England for any object of cultural interest that needs one; a digital copy is attached to the export declaration
Can't leave United Kingdom
- Objects of cultural interest, such as antiques and artworks, need a UK export license to leave Great Britain for any destination outside the UK. Arts Council England runs licensing, including an Open General Export Licence, and can confirm whether an item needs its own license.
- From Northern Ireland, cultural objects going directly to non-EU countries need an EU export license, and those going to the EU need a UK license. Arts Council England issues both.
- Medicines containing controlled drugs: other countries have their own import laws, so check with the destination's embassy before sending any.
- Items made from protected species (CITES), such as exotic leather, furs, or some wooden instruments, may need permits. Check with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) before you ship.
- Couriers won't carry cash, weapons, or dangerous goods.
Arriving in Ireland
Ireland customs, in short
- Duty-free threshold
- From another EU country there is no customs clearance and usually nothing to pay, and boxes from Northern Ireland also move with no customs declaration or duty. From outside the EU, including Great Britain, there is no longer a value below which a box is automatically tax-free: VAT applies from the first euro, and the €150 (about $175) customs duty relief ended on July 1, 2026. Gifts from one private person to another worth up to €45 (about $53) are still free of duty and VAT. Most online purchases worth €150 or less now pay a flat €3 (about $3.50) duty per item type until July 1, 2028.
- Import tax
- VAT at the rate that applies in Ireland: 23% standard, with reduced rates of 13.5% and 9%, and 0% for a few goods such as some medical devices. VAT is charged on the customs value (goods plus transport and insurance) plus any duty. Customs duty depends on the item, for example 0% for laptops and 12% for adult clothing, and non-commercial goods worth up to €700 (about $820) may be charged a flat 2.5% instead. Alcohol and tobacco also pay excise duty.
- Who pays
- Shipments are sent DAP. If duty or VAT is due, the receiver pays it before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee for handling the payment.
- Moving there?
- Transfer of Residence relief lets you bring used personal and household belongings in free of customs duty and VAT when you move to live in Ireland from outside the EU, including from Great Britain. You must have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months in a row, owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, and paid tax on them where you bought them. Import them within 6 months before or 12 months after your move, and email form C&E 1076 with your proof to Revenue two weeks before they arrive. Don't sell, lend, or hire them out for 12 months. Alcohol, tobacco, trade tools, and commercial vehicles are not covered. Moving from another EU country or Northern Ireland? No relief is needed, because there is no customs.
Not allowed into Ireland
- Aerosols, spray cans, and compressed gas cylinders
- Flammable liquids and solids: fuel, lighter fluid, paint, nail polish, matches
- Loose or spare lithium batteries and power banks not installed in a device
- Cash, gift cards, checks, and other negotiable items
- Firearms, ammunition, replicas, and weapon parts
- Perishable food, and meat, dairy, or fresh produce
- Cannabis, CBD, and THC products, even where they are legal at origin
- Meat, milk, and products made from them, sent from outside the EU (including Great Britain)
United Kingdom to Ireland: questions
How long does it take to ship boxes from United Kingdom to Ireland?
Typically 2 to 4 business days door to door after pickup, plus any time customs in Ireland takes to clear the shipment.
Do I pay duty on used belongings sent to Ireland?
From another EU country there is no customs clearance and usually nothing to pay, and boxes from Northern Ireland also move with no customs declaration or duty. From outside the EU, including Great Britain, there is no longer a value below which a box is automatically tax-free: VAT applies from the first euro, and the €150 (about $175) customs duty relief ended on July 1, 2026. Gifts from one private person to another worth up to €45 (about $53) are still free of duty and VAT. Most online purchases worth €150 or less now pay a flat €3 (about $3.50) duty per item type until July 1, 2028. Shipments are sent DAP. If duty or VAT is due, the receiver pays it before or on delivery. The courier may add a clearance or disbursement fee for handling the payment.
What paperwork do I need to send boxes from United Kingdom?
A commercial invoice listing what's in each box and what it's worth today. Onvoyo prepares it from your contents list for you to review and approve. Sending your own belongings out of the UK is straightforward for everyday things. The courier prepares the export paperwork from your packing list. The UK rules that matter most are export licenses for antiques and art, and the import rules where the boxes land.
Is there still a €150 duty-free limit for Ireland?
No. The €150 customs duty relief ended on July 1, 2026. Most online purchases worth €150 or less now pay a flat €3 duty per item type until July 1, 2028. Other boxes from outside the EU pay normal duty rates, or a flat 2.5% for non-commercial goods worth up to €700, plus VAT. Gifts up to €45 are still free.
Do I pay VAT on used belongings sent to Ireland?
Not from another EU country. From outside the EU, VAT is due from the first euro unless the box is a gift worth €45 or less or you qualify for Transfer of Residence relief. The rate is the Irish one: 23% for most goods.
Do I pay customs on boxes from the UK to Ireland?
From Great Britain, yes. The UK is outside the EU, so a customs declaration, VAT, and any duty apply, and the usual reliefs can help. Boxes from Northern Ireland move like boxes from the EU, with no customs declaration or duty. Food rules follow the same split.
Official sources
Export rules for United Kingdom and import rules for Ireland, checked against these official pages. Customs makes the final decision on every shipment.
- 1.Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Animal and Plant Health Agency, and Border Force · Bringing food into Great Britain (opens in a new tab)
- 2.Home Office · Travelling with medicine containing controlled drugs (opens in a new tab)
- 3.Department for Culture, Media and Sport · Exporting or importing objects of cultural interest (opens in a new tab)
- 4.Revenue (Office of the Revenue Commissioners) · Buying goods from outside the European Union (EU) (Excluding Northern Ireland) (opens in a new tab)
- 5.Revenue (Office of the Revenue Commissioners) · Rules for duty relief on gift consignments (opens in a new tab)
- 6.Revenue (Office of the Revenue Commissioners) · Removal of the De Minimis Relief for Low Value Consignments - FAQs (opens in a new tab)
- 7.Revenue (Office of the Revenue Commissioners) · What rules apply to the relief? (opens in a new tab)
- 8.Revenue (Office of the Revenue Commissioners) · Current VAT rates (opens in a new tab)
- 9.Revenue (Office of the Revenue Commissioners) · Prohibitions and restrictions (opens in a new tab)
- 10.Publications Office of the European Union (EUR-Lex) · Council Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009 of 16 November 2009 setting up a Community system of reliefs from customs duty (codified version) (opens in a new tab)
- 11.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine · Information on Personal Consignments in Luggage or through Postal, Courier & Online Services (opens in a new tab)
- 12.Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) · Dangers of buying prescription medicines online (opens in a new tab)
- 13.Citizens Information (Citizens Information Board) · Shipping your personal belongings back to Ireland (opens in a new tab)
Going the other way? Ship boxes from Ireland to United Kingdom