UK Import duty on bikes taken on holiday

[timbdesign]

Hi, I am hearing reports that holiday makers are being charged UK import duty on bikes they have taken on holiday to Europe. Extensive searches on the web have not found any concrete examples and the HMRC web site has nothing specific.
Does anyone have first hand experience of this? Thanks.

[Grandad]

This dredges up vague memories of a similar situation with cameras in the late 1940's / early 50's.

[Jdsk]

There's a thread where the concern was expressed if a group sent several bikes in a van. I think that was about into the EU. And the logic is understandable.
viewtopic.php?p=1655250#p1655250

I haven't heard of a solo rider having problems.

And it's wise to carry the original receipt, as it was and still might be for those cameras.

Jonathan

[simonhill]

I am hearing reports that holiday makers are being charged UK import duty on bikes they have taken on holiday to Europe. Where, when, how, who from???

If Border Force think you bought the bike abroad then they will investigate and may charge you appropriate import duty if you can't prove it was UK purchased. As jsk says, make sure you have your original receipt of purchase in the UK.

This is a bit of an old chestnut, morphing into a marron glace due to Brexit. It has always been a potential issue when returning from abroad. I have been stopped coming from Asia and a friend from Canada. If your bike is new and shiny then more chance of being stopped. Although, I returned in Dec from Portugal and have brought my bike back to the UK over 50 times and only been stopped that once which was quickly sorted.

If you have any firm news that things have changed, please post.

[Blondie]

Well refer back to those who are reporting it and ask them what happened. If it’s not a first hand report, take it with a pinch of salt.

[hamster]

It used to be an issue returning with MTBs from the USA in the 1990s. I always made sure I had a UK dealer sticker on the bike. A photo of the bike outside the house / identifiably in the UK also worked.

[TrevA]

Yes, before you go, take a photo on your phone of you and your bike outside your house, or somewhere that is recognisably in Britain - such as leant against the sign of your local village, town or city. The photo will be time stamped, so you can prove you had it before you travelled.

[Mick F]

What about everything else you take on holiday?
Laptop, phone, binoculars?

What's so special about a bike?

[Vorpal]

What about everything else you take on holiday?
Laptop, phone, binoculars?

What's so special about a bike?

There isn't anything special about them, but you can't hide them in your luggage. I have been stopped by customs a couple of times with a bike. I just explained that I'd had it with me travelling. Once they asked to look at it & saw it was dirty & clearly used.

I have tried on a few occasions to declare goods bought abroad, and always been sent through without paying any taxes or fees, usually after being asked what, where, & how much. I think they decided it wasn't worth the paperwork, but a couple of times they have been moderately expensive items (new DSL camera, laptop, etc.)

[PH]

What about everything else you take on holiday?
Laptop, phone, binoculars?

What's so special about a bike?

I was once questioned about my camera gear when returning from Taiwan, nothing serious, just a few questions about where and when I'd bought it, having bought it for the trip it still looked very new. They took my details and said I might be contacted to verify, I heard no more.

[simonhill]

MickF - you have a total allowance of £390 of goods bought outside the UK. Everything and anything counts towards this, except for other duty free goods eg alcohol and tobacco. Nothing special about bikes, except that was what was asked and this is a bike forum. Most people are unaware of the rules and even a liberal pile of pressies for friends can exceed the limit.

If taking any high value goods abroad, having proof of UK purchase would equally apply.

Extract from Govt website, the "other" means other than specific duty free goods: https://www.gov.uk/bringing-goods-into- ... 0allowance.

"Allowance for other goods
You can bring in other goods worth up to £390 (or up to £270 if you arrive by private plane or boat).

If you go over your allowance you pay tax and duty on the total value of the goods, not just the value above the allowance.

You may have to pay import VAT and customs duty if you exceed your allowance."

[Mick F]

Thanks guys, you've answered my question.

I've been in a privileged position maybe. My Mercian has been in many many countries when carried on my ships in the RN. Cameras too, and all sorts of stuff. Bought prezzies galore over the years with no questions asked EVER.
Only things we had to declare were booze items.

On a trip to OZ in 1988, the OZ customs chaps came on board and quizzed us all regarding wood and vegetable matter that we may have brought on board. They are particularly fussy regarding the import of fungus etc ............ or they were in 1988. We had called in at Sri Lanka and Indonesia previously.

[gxaustin]

[quoteThis dredges up vague memories of a similar situation with cameras in the late 1940's / early 50's.][/quote]

Coming back from a school trip in the mid 60s (I was 15) a sneering customs man took my Voigtlander camera and said he was impounding it since it was clearly bought abroad. I thought, 'you cant be serious', but he wasn't smiling. Then I remembered the distance scale was in feet, not metres; and the rotten so and so had to give it back.

[mumbojumbo]

What is the duty on a bike?Sounds like a spoof.If this is true take an old bike away and gift it to a nice European etc.Saes a load of hassle getting bike on plane.

[Slowtwitch]

I've advocated before about the pitfalls of taking and bringing stuff (and bicycles) back from Europe. My friend (who works providing travel insurance) said that when bringing your own bike back into the UK (we were coming back from Porto) was 'make sure its nice and dirty'. Which I did, with some gusto. The other two, who traveled ahead of us didn't. And were duly quizzed for 45 minutes at Stansted about their bikes.

Strange times in which we live in.