Ordering alcohol or tobacco from China: UK checks
Alcohol or tobacco sent from China attracts UK excise duty, including gifts. Ask for separate import VAT, customs duty and carrier fee calculations, and confirm transport acceptance before paying. Accompanied traveller allowances do not cover posted orders. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to coordinate the supplier information.
Separate excise goods from ordinary personal purchases
Alcohol and tobacco sent from outside the UK attract Excise Duty at current rates. Receiving them as a gift does not remove this charge. Our guide to personal purchases from China covers ordinary goods and expressly excludes alcohol, tobacco and gifts.
Before paying, ask HMRC or your customs agent for a shipment-specific assessment separating excise duty, import VAT and customs duty. Give the delivery address and identify whether it is in Great Britain or Northern Ireland. Ask the carrier to add its clearance and handling fees separately. Use our import duty and VAT guide for the wider costing method.
Check a gift's treatment before promising free delivery
For a gift, ask HMRC to confirm whether any customs duty or import VAT relief applies to the actual value and quantities. Explain who bought it, who paid, who is sending it and the occasion. Keep the excise charge separate when reviewing the answer.
For a purchase intended as someone's present, describe the transaction fully rather than asking the supplier merely to mark the parcel as a gift. Obtain a written calculation and agree whether the sender or recipient will pay the carrier's bill.
Review the declaration and tobacco packaging
Incorrect customs declarations can lead to seizure. Ask the sender and carrier to review the proposed declaration before dispatch. Provide the actual product description, value, quantity and supporting invoice or gift information. For alcohol, include its strength and container sizes; for tobacco, include its type, pack contents and net weight.
HMRC's fiscal marking guidance expressly includes cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco posted for personal use. Send photographs of every face of the retail packaging to your customs agent and ask them to check the applicable marks and warnings. Use our customs clearance document guide for the document handover.
Confirm the exact carrier service accepts the goods
HMRC states that undenatured ethyl alcohol and alcoholic drinks containing more than 24% alcohol by volume are prohibited in international mail. Do not book an ordinary postal service for these goods. Ask a specialist carrier to assess a suitable transport route.
For any alcohol or tobacco shipment, request written acceptance for the exact product, strength, quantity, packaging and destination. Ask whether a private sender and private recipient are accepted, what documents are needed, and what happens if clearance fails. A supplier's shipping estimate is not a substitute for the chosen carrier's confirmation.
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Keep accompanied traveller allowances separate
Great Britain's traveller rules require you to transport the goods yourself and use them yourself or give them away as a gift. Those accompanied allowances therefore do not cover an order posted or couriered from China. If you will carry the goods home yourself, check the relevant traveller guidance separately.
Before authorising dispatch, keep the tax assessment, carrier acceptance, packaging photographs and reviewed declaration together. Cambridge China Bridge's own staff in China can help gather supplier information for that review. Ask us to confirm the sourcing and shipping scope before committing to the order.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay excise duty on tobacco ordered from China?
Yes. Tobacco sent from outside the UK attracts excise duty at current rates. Ask for a separate assessment of import VAT, customs duty and carrier fees before ordering.
Is alcohol sent from China as a gift tax-free?
Excise duty still applies. Ask HMRC to check any customs duty or import VAT relief against the gift's circumstances, value and quantities before promising the recipient free delivery.
Can spirits from China be sent by post?
Alcoholic drinks containing more than 24% alcohol by volume are prohibited in international mail. Ask a specialist carrier to assess the exact product and proposed route before buying.
Can I use my duty-free allowance for a courier order?
No. Great Britain's accompanied traveller rules require you to transport the goods yourself. A posted or couriered order needs its own tax and clearance assessment.