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Customs Information
United Kingdom
Goods must arrive within twelve months after Customer or up to six months before customers arrival
Other regulations vary according to the following:
Customer moving principal home or returning to the United Kingdom:
- Used household goods and personal effects including tools of trade, can be duty-free if:
- Items have been in Customer's own use for at least six months before they are imported
- Customer can prove that duty and tax have been paid on them prior to arrival in the United Kingdom
- Customer declares them on C-3
- Customer entering from outside the EC must have lived at least twelve months abroad and cannot sell, lend or hire out or otherwise dispose of the items in the United Kingdom within twelve months of importation, unless Customer obtains Customs authority first
- Customer who is setting up a secondary home in the United Kingdom
- Customers living in another EC country used household goods
- Household goods and personal effects can be duty and tax free if:
- Customer either owns a secondary home in the United Kingdom or is renting one for at least twelve months
- Items have been for Customer's own use at least three months prior to importation and will not be sold within twelve months after importation
- Customer can prove that duty and tax have been paid on them prior to arrival in the United Kingdom
- Customer declares them on C-33
- Customers living outside the EC
- Used household goods and personal effects can be duty, but not VAT free if:
- Customer has lived for at least twelve months outside the EC
- Customer either owns a secondary home in the United Kingdom or is renting one for at least twenty-four months
- Customer has owned and used the items for at least six months before they are imported
- Customer can not sell, lend, hire out or otherwise dispose of the items in the United Kingdom within twelve months of importation, unless Customs authority is obtained first
- Customer can prove that duty and tax have been paid on them prior to arrival in the United Kingdom
- Customer declares them on C-33
- Special regulations apply to students, newlyweds, visitors, inheritances, those shortly to marry, to goods originating from EC countries, personal antiques (not for resale), etc. Specific details in these cases must be obtained by Customer directly from Embassy/Consulate
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Transportation
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United Kingdom |
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Railways:
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Total: 17,186 km
standard gauge: 16,726 km 1.435-m gauge (5,243 km electrified)
broad gauge: 460 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2003)
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Highways:
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Total: 392,931 km
paved: 392,931 km (including 3,431 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2003)
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Waterways:
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3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2004)
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Pipeline:
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condensate 370 km; gas 21,446 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 6,420 km; oil/gas/water 63 km; refined products 4,474 km (2004) |
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Ports and Harbors: |
Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth, Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Ramsgate, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport, Tyne
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Merchant Marine: |
Total: 429 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 9,181,284 GRT/9,566,275 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 18, cargo 55, chemical tanker 48, container 134, liquefied gas 11, passenger 12, passenger/cargo 64, petroleum tanker 40, refrigerated cargo 19, roll on/roll off 25, vehicle carrier 3
foreign-owned: 202 (Australia 3, Canada 15, Denmark 38, Finland 2, Germany 56, Greece 4, Ireland 1, Italy 9, Netherlands 12, Norway 28, South Africa 4, Sweden 15, Taiwan 7, United States 8)
registered in other countries: 446 (2005)
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Airports:
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471 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways: |
Total: 334
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 150
914 to 1,523 m: 86
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Airports - with npaved runways: |
Total: 137
2438 to 3047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 112 (2004 est.)
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Heliports:
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11 (2004 est.)
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Geography
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United Kingdom
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Location:
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Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France
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Geographic Coordinates:
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54 00 N, 2 00 W
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Map References:
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Europe
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Area:
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Total: 244,820 sq km
Land: 241,590 sq km
Water: 3,230 sq km
Note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
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Area - Comparative: |
slightly smaller than Oregon
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Land Boundaries:
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Total: 360 km
border countries: Ireland 360 km
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Coastline:
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12,429km
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Maritime Claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries
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Climate
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temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
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Elevation Extremes:
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lowest point: The Fens -4 m
highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
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Natural Resources:
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coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land
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Land Use:
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arable land: 23.46%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 76.33% (2001)
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Irragated Land:
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1,080 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural Hazards:
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winter windstorms; floods
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Environment - Current Issues:
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continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move towards a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government aims to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3%
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Environment - International Agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
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Geography - Note:
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lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
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