What does United Kingdom require before the cargo can be imported?
United Kingdom is served from China by ocean, air and express, and the arrival-side requirements below are the part that most often changes a landed cost or holds a shipment at the port. Each position is the one we publish for this market and is confirmed per shipment against the actual commodity code and destination city.
What duty, tax and levies apply on arrival?
| Duty and tax | Import VAT at 20%, reclaimable with a valid UK VAT number, plus duty by commodity code |
Who is allowed to import into this market?
| Importer of record | An importer holding a UK EORI; where the consignee has no EORI we confirm the arrangement before booking |
| Import requirements | EU EORI and an import-of-record arrangement; import VAT is charged at destination and is normally recoverable by a VAT-registered importer |
What certification or product rules must be in place before shipping?
| Product rules | GPSR responsible person, EUDR for timber and furniture, CE marking for regulated categories |
How long does shipping from China to United Kingdom take?
Typical door-to-door transit on this lane, by mode. These are working ranges rather than carrier-published schedules, so the exact window is confirmed on booking.
| Mode | Typical transit | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight FCL | 35–45 days | Felixstowe / Southampton, door to door |
| Ocean freight LCL | 40–55 days | Consolidated, door to door |
| Air freight | 6–12 days | Door to door incl. customs |
| Express courier | 3–6 working days | DHL / FedEx / UPS |
Which gateway does cargo arrive through in Europe?
The gateway is the same for every country in Europe; what changes between countries is the duty, importer and certification position above.
| Gateway ports | Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, Felixstowe, Le Havre; Genoa, La Spezia, Barcelona, Valencia, Piraeus |
| Gateway airports | FRA, CDG, AMS, LHR |
How do you turn this into a landed cost?
Duty is assessed per commodity code, so the positions above tell you what to prepare rather than what you will pay. Screen the official duty range for the HS chapter your product falls in with the HS chapter duty lookup, then put the rate for your actual code through the landed cost calculator to see duty, import tax and levies on the CIF value. Transit times, loading ports and the operating detail for this lane are on the China to United Kingdom route page.
Positions reviewed 2026-09-15 by Helen Peng. Duty, importer-of-record and certification answers are confirmed per shipment: a change of commodity code, origin documentation or destination city can change the position.
