Shipping from Germany to the UK: auction purchases, antiques and parts, door to door.
Since Brexit every parcel from Germany to the UK is an export. We collect your purchase in northwest Germany, pack it in our own workshop, prepare the export declaration and the invoice with the right commodity codes, and ship insured to your door. You pay the UK import VAT to the carrier on arrival, at 5 % for art and antiques instead of 20 %.
Shipping to the UK: what to expect.
Next working day to most UK addresses with DHL Express or UPS, plus customs clearance.
Effective 5 %: import VAT is charged on 25 % of the value for works of art, collectors' items and antiques over 100 years. Everything else: 20 %.
0 % on art, antiques and collectors' items regardless of origin. 0 % on EU-origin goods such as machine parts with a statement on origin on the invoice.
Consignments up to GBP 135: no duty, VAT at the point of sale. Above GBP 135: duty and import VAT collected by the carrier. HMRC plans to remove the GBP 135 relief by October 2028.
The carrier (DHL, UPS, FedEx) pays HMRC and bills you before delivery. VAT-registered businesses can use postponed VAT accounting.
Private buyers: nothing. Companies: GB EORI number, and a VAT number if you want to reclaim the import VAT.
Facts checked October 2026. Rates and thresholds are set by British authorities and can change; your quote states what applies on the day.
From the hammer or the supplier to your door in the UK.
Auction purchases
Paintings, prints, sculptures, porcelain, glass, clocks, watches, coins, books and collectors' items from German auction houses. We collect with your authorisation, photograph the condition and pack each piece for its own risk.
Antiques and furniture
Chests, chairs, mirrors, small furniture and decorative objects up to about 1.3 m and a few hundred kilograms, in made-to-measure wooden crates from our workshop. Larger pieces we route to a specialist forwarder and tell you so in advance.
Spare parts and industrial goods
Machine parts, components, samples and small equipment from German suppliers, collected, consolidated, export-packed and shipped with commercial invoice, packing list and the origin statement where a trade agreement saves you duty.
Four steps from Germany to the UK.
- You write to us
Auction house and lot number, or supplier and order, plus your delivery address in the UK. We reply within one working day with a quote that covers collection, packing, export documents and transport.
- We collect
With your authorisation at the auction house, or at the supplier, across northwest Germany. Items are photographed on arrival in Hannover.
- We pack and declare
Made-to-measure packing or a wooden crate, export declaration with EU exit confirmation, commercial invoice with the right HS codes for British customs. You pay our invoice after packing, by card or PayPal.
- Delivery to your door
DHL Express, UPS or FedEx with tracking, insured on request for the value you name. Import duty and tax are collected by the carrier on arrival; this page tells you what to expect.
Importing into the UK: duties, VAT and rules.
General information for buyers and importers, not tax or legal advice. Duties and taxes are assessed by the customs authority of the UK on the day of import and collected by the carrier; we prepare the documents so that assessment goes smoothly. Checked October 2026; sources at the end of this page.
5 % import VAT on art and antiques
The UK keeps the reduced valuation for works of art (paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints), collectors' items such as coins and stamps, and antiques over 100 years: import VAT is calculated on 25 % of the value, which works out at an effective 5 % instead of 20 %. Customs duty on chapter 97 is zero whatever the origin. We classify every item with the correct commodity code and put the age of antiques on the invoice, because the reduced rate only applies when the declaration says so.
EU goods duty-free under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement
Machine parts, equipment and other goods of EU origin enter the UK duty-free when the invoice carries a statement on origin (with the exporter's REX number for consignments over EUR 6,000). Being shipped from Germany is not enough; the goods must actually qualify as EU origin, which we confirm with your supplier. Without proof the UK Global Tariff applies, typically 0 to 2 % on machinery parts. Import VAT at 20 % is charged either way; VAT-registered importers reclaim it or use postponed VAT accounting.
The GBP 135 threshold
Consignments up to GBP 135 are free of customs duty and the VAT is due at the point of sale; above GBP 135 the carrier collects duty and import VAT plus its handling fee before delivery. Auction purchases are nearly always above the threshold. HMRC has announced that the GBP 135 relief will be removed by October 2028.
German VAT refund
If the auction house or supplier charged German VAT, our export declaration with the EU exit confirmation and the commercial invoice are the documents the seller needs to refund it. We send them to you as soon as the shipment has left the EU.
Restricted items
The Ivory Act 2018 bans dealing in elephant ivory and, since 2025, hippo, walrus, narwhal, killer whale and sperm whale ivory; exemptions require registration or an exemption certificate before import. Other CITES materials need an import permit from APHA and entry via a designated port. Antique firearms need a DBT import licence even when they are obsolete calibre. We do not ship weapons or militaria, and alcohol carries excise duty at any value.
Frequently asked questions.
How much import VAT do I pay on an antique from Germany?
An effective 5 %: HMRC charges the 20 % rate on 25 % of the value for antiques over 100 years, works of art and collectors' items. The carrier collects it before delivery. For furniture under 100 years or modern design pieces the full 20 % applies.
Is there customs duty on art or antiques coming into the UK?
No, chapter 97 goods are duty-free in the UK Global Tariff. Duty only becomes a question for other goods, and EU-origin goods are duty-free with a statement on origin.
How long does it take from Hannover to London?
Express next working day after dispatch, two days to remote areas, plus the days for collection and packing in Germany. Pallets by road take three to five working days.
Do I need an EORI number?
Only if you import as a business. Private buyers do not need one; the carrier declares the goods in your name.
Can I get the German VAT back?
Yes, if the auction house or supplier agrees to the export procedure. We provide the export declaration with the EU exit confirmation; the seller refunds the German VAT to you.
Do you ship to Northern Ireland?
Yes. Northern Ireland follows EU customs rules for goods, so shipments from Germany move without import VAT or duty formalities. Tell us the postcode and we quote accordingly.
Question not listed?
Ask us directlySources and date checked
- HMRC, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad
- HMRC, how to value goods for import VAT (reduced valuation for art and antiques)
- HMRC, claiming preferential rates of duty between the UK and EU
- HMRC, reforming customs rules for low value imports (2026)
- DEFRA, dealing in items containing ivory
- gov.uk, CITES imports and exports
Shipping from Germany, question by question
Practical answers for companies buying in Hannover and northwest Germany: spare parts, suppliers who do not export, packing, customs, trade fairs, industrial auctions.
Other destinations
Country pages with the same facts for the other countries we ship to.
Something to ship from Germany?
Tell us what needs shipping, where it is now and where it is going. A photo or a catalogue link helps. You receive a personal quote by email from the person who will handle your shipment.
Thank you, we have your request.
We will reply by email within one working day.
Or message us directly on Telegram:
BFF Logistics is the international shipping service of BFF Business Services GmbH (HRB 209217, Amtsgericht Hannover). We run Mail Boxes Etc. centre 0051 in Hannover, which is why our email address ends in @mbe.de.
Your contact: Michael Leikine, Managing Director. We reply within one working day, in your language: write to us in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese or Arabic.
Günther-Wagner-Allee 13-17, 30177 Hannover, Germany.