Depending on your work or activity in the UK you may be considering bringing ‘commercial goods’ to the UK. Commercial goods are items to sell such as artworks or merchandise, as well as items to use in your business such as touring props and equipment, musical instruments, or exhibition artwork. You might need to do some extra planning to make sure you are satisfying the customs requirements of the UK, this includes thinking about how you’re going to bring your goods to the UK (usually by post, vehicle or haulage) and what you need to do at the border.
As a starting point, you can check whether you need to declare goods you are bringing into or taking out of the UK on the UK Government website here. You may be required to pay customs duties (which is a type of tax paid to UK Government) and VAT.
Where possible, you might also want to consider how you can avoid bringing commercial goods to the UK, by sourcing what you need when you get to the UK. For example, you might want to work with UK partners to source props for a theatre performance.
There are different processes for moving goods between Northern Ireland and Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). You will be able to find out what some of those processes are when visiting UK Government guidance.
Some things you should consider are:
- Are you bringing goods permanently to the UK, for example to sell?
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Visit our 'Moving goods permanently to the UK' page below for a brief introduction.
- Are you bringing goods temporarily to the UK, for example for touring?
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Visit our 'Moving goods temporarily to the UK' page below for a brief introduction.
- Will you need an Economic Operators Registration and Identification number (EORI)?
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An EORI is a specific registration and identification number for importing and exporting goods to and from the EU.
The European Commission has information on EORI numbers here. - Will you need a CITES certificate, and where can you declare it?
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A CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Certificate is an international agreement to control import and export of items which include endangered species.
Learn more about CITES Certificates on the UK Government website here.
PEARLE and the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) have developed an online questionnaire to check whether you need a CITES certificate.
Take the questionnaire here.Learn more about CITES-designated points of entry and exit on the UK government website here.
- Will your tour be impacted by cabotage rules?
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HM Revenue and Customs is the governmental department that oversees import and export.
Get in touch with them on their website here.