Bringing personal items to the UK if you’re coming from Ukraine
Check what you must do when you enter the UK if you’re coming from Ukraine with personal belongings and you have been issued a visa on the Ukraine Family or Sponsorship visa schemes.
What you should do when arriving in the UK
When you bring personal belongings to the UK, you will usually not need to stop or speak to a customs officer.
You can walk through a customs control point (usually a green channel marked ‘nothing to declare’), unless you arrive with any of the following:
- a pet
- prohibited or restricted goods
- £10,000 or more in cash (or the equivalent in another currency)
There is no value limit on items you bring into the UK.
If you arrive in a personal vehicle
When entering the UK, you can drive past a customs control point (usually a green channel marked ‘nothing to declare’) without speaking to a customs officer.
You will need to apply for your vehicle to stay in the UK longer than 6 months without paying import duties. This also applies if you have extended your visa under the extension visa scheme.
You do not need to pay vehicle tax or register your Ukrainian plated and registered vehicle for the first 3 years you are in the UK if your vehicle is eligible for this exemption. Read more information about bringing a Ukrainian vehicle into the UK – tax and registration.
You must register and tax your vehicle with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if you stay in the UK longer than 3 years.
If you arrive with a pet
Find out what you must do if you’re bringing a pet to the UK from Ukraine.
If you arrive with prohibited or restricted items
You must go to the red point or into the red channel at the port or airport and speak to a customs officer if you have any of the following:
- controlled drugs
- offensive weapons, for example flick knives
- self-defence sprays, for example pepper spray and CS gas
- endangered animal and plant species
- rough diamonds — you can bring in items of jewellery for personal use
- indecent and obscene materials, such as books, magazines, films and DVDs
- personal imports of meat and dairy products
- firearms, explosives and ammunition — you need a special licence to bring these items into the UK
If you arrive with cash
If you arrive in the UK with £10,000 or more in cash (or €10,000 or more if you’re coming to Northern Ireland) or the equivalent in other currencies, you must tell a customs officer when you arrive.
You do not need to:
- do anything if you bring in cash under £10,000 (or equivalent)
- pay tax or duty on cash brought into the UK
If you move to the UK and another person moves your possessions
If another person (for example, a courier) transports your personal goods to the UK, check if you can claim transfer of residence relief.
If you’re successful in claiming relief, it means you’ll pay no import duties on your personal items (including vehicles) and household goods.
This relief is for people who make the UK their main home for a period of time. You do not need to move to the UK permanently to be eligible for relief.
The process is easier if you claim before your goods are moved, but if you were charged duty when your goods entered the UK, you can make a late claim and get a refund.
This relief can also be used if you bring your own goods with you into the UK.
Last updated 24 August 2023 + show all updates
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Guidance about arriving in the UK in a personal vehicle has been updated to explain that if you are eligible, you do not need to tax or register your Ukrainian plated vehicle in the UK for the first 3 years you are in the UK.
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If you move to the UK, and another person moves your possessions, you can claim transfer of residence relief. If your claim is successful, you will not pay import duties on your household goods and personal possessions.
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If you have a permit issued by the Home Office allowing you to stay longer than 6 months, you can apply for your vehicle to stay longer without paying import duties. Otherwise, you can choose to apply for transfer of residence relief.
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A link to guidance on what you must do to bring a pet into the UK from Ukraine has been added.
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Added translation
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Added translation
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If you arrive in the UK with £10,000 or more in cash (or €10,000 or more if you’re coming to Northern Ireland) or the equivalent in other currencies, you must tell a customs officer when you arrive.
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A link to check the legal obligations of drivers and riders in the UK has been added.
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Ukrainian translation added.
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Information explaining how to subscribe to updates has been added.
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You should now press option 2 when phoning HMRC about bringing a pet to the UK as a Ukrainian refugee.
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First published.