Sail through UK Customs and Excise by following the rules
The last hurdle before entering the United Kingdom is passing through HM Customs & Excise. It's really not very complicated as long as you obey a few simple rules.
It's also faster than you might expect. European Union (EU) countries use three "channels" for customs processing. If you arrive from another EU country, whatever passport you hold, choose the Blue Channel once you've collected your luggage. Arriving from outside the EU, choose either the Green Channel - if you have nothing to declare based on the allowances outlined below - or the Red Channel, if you have goods over the duty free allowance.
The whole thing is based on an honor system. But keep in mind that, though it doesn't happen often, you can be stopped for a spot check in the Green or Blue Channels, and the penalties for breaking the law are pretty stiff.
What you can bring to the UK from outside the EU
As of December 1, 2008, Duty Free Allowances for visitors from outside the EU have more than doubled. Here are the latest allowances, if you arrive in the UK on a transatlantic flight or from anywhere outside the EU:
· tobacco products for personal use - 200 cigarettes, or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250g of loose tobacco. As of December 1, while allowances remain the same, you can make up your duty free allowance from a mixture of tobacco products. For example, 100 cigarettes, and 25 cigars would meet the tobacco limits.
· 4 litres of still table wine
· 1 litre of spirits or strong liqueurs over 22 per cent alcohol by volume, or 2 litres of fortified wine(such as port or sherry), sparkling wine or other liqueurs.( As with the change in tobacco allowances, you can now make up your alcohol allowance from a mix and match of alcohol products.
· 16 liters (or 28 imperial pints) of beer
· £300 worth of all other goods including gifts and souvenirs - rising to £340 after January 1, 2009
The tobacco and alcohol allowances only apply if you are over 17 years old.
You can also bring in personal effects reasonably required for your journey, including clothing, toiletries, personal jewelry and other clearly personal articles.
As an arriving visitor to the UK, there are some goods that are banned completely while others require special licences.
These goods are banned completely:
· unlicensed drugs
· offensive weapons
· Child pornography
· Pornographic material
· counterfeit and pirated goods
· meat, milk and other animal products.
And some goods are restricted and require special licences:
· firearms
· explosives and ammunition
· live animals
· endangered species
· certain plants and their produce
· radio transmitters.
I always believed that the restriction against meat, milk and some plants meant visitors couldn't bring any food, flowers or plant materials into the UK. In fact, if you are coming from the USA, there are a few surprising things you can bring along:
· 1 kg of food not containing meat or milk derivatives
· 2 kg of fruit and raw vegetables (but not potatoes)
· a bouquet of cut flowers
· 5 retail packets of seeds (but not seeds for potatoes).
