View Full Version : Spending Allowance into UK
I know this must have been asked many times but to save trawling through past postings can someone tell me how much in £s we are allowed to bring back to the UK. I seem to remember somthing about perfume/makeup not being in the allowance and if we buy clothes take labels off and wear them?
My son wants to take his laptop with him (he thinks he is going to do some college work while he is away!) I noticed that someone has advised on a previous posting to take his proof of purchase with him any other helpful hints would be welcome. We want to buy a digital camera what do you think here in the UK or wait until we get there?
Have a lovely day [msnsmile2] Dorothy
Nostromo
20-02-2005, 15:23
Theoretically, one is only allowed £145 worth of GOODS to bring back Customs-free and so if your son wants to get a Digital Camera in the US, he would be exceeding his limit. A lot of people have bought them over there of course, and walked through the Green Channel with the camera around their necks, but it could be tricky if questioned. Moreover, these days the UK Digicam prices drop to US levels within 6 weeks of the camera being released if you shop around. With places like Digital First, you get near US prices and a cast iron UK warranty.
As for taking out or bringing back GBP in cash, I think the official limit is £10,000 but I may be way wrong.
Ray&Sarah
20-02-2005, 15:29
Ray takes his laptop abroad all the time and doesn't have a receipt for it. Just by switching it on and checking the dates on some of the documents they can tell that he couldn't have bought it on his current trip. [msnsmile]
Does anyone know how long the limit has been £145, it never seems to change even though inflation has gone up.
It has been £145 for a long time and is set, I think, by the EU (fairly sure I read someewhere recently that the government were going to speak to Europe about changing it to a more realistic amount).
steph_goodrum
20-02-2005, 18:06
I heard something like £1000 being quoted as they have realised it is unrealistic at £140.
The annoying thing is it isn't exactly a £140 allowance as such, we bought some tools for my husband and because it was a set of 5 cordless tools in one case it was classed as 1 item, valued around $600.
They charge the vat and duty on the whole $600 and don't deduct the £140 (or equivalent) from the price. If however they had been individually packaged then we could have taken £140 worth and just paid duty on the remainder. So he effectively had no spending limit.
Nostromo
20-02-2005, 19:29
If I recall correctly, there is a question somewhere asking if we are carrying over £10,000 (or is it $10,000?) in cash. So I assumed that this must be the maximum allowed - not that anyone would actually carry so much currency.
steph_goodrum
20-02-2005, 20:02
Nostromo
Isn't that going into US? Technically I am sure many of us are actually over the limit, as I'm sure the way it is worded it actually includes credit cards, can't remember the exact phraseology but implication is any means of getting over that amount of money, and the way the credit card companies keep upping the credit limits on our cards we are over that even though we wouldnt be going to the cash point in US to take it out.
Nostromo
20-02-2005, 20:05
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steph_goodrum
Nostromo
Isn't that going into US? Technically I am sure many of us are actually over the limit, as I'm sure the way it is worded it actually includes credit cards, can't remember the exact phraseology but implication is any means of getting over that amount of money, and the way the credit card companies keep upping the credit limits on our cards we are over that even though we wouldnt be going to the cash point in US to take it out.
[/quote]
Yes, it is going into the US. But I am sure that the question alludes to cash. They cannot take Credit Card limits into account - this would mean that professionals who often have total limits exceeding £50,000 (and businessmen who probably have a LOT more!) cannot take their cards!
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Lyn
Does anyone know how long the limit has been £145, it never seems to change even though inflation has gone up.
[/quote]
Definitely was £145 in December 1998, I hope this gets amended soon as it is so out of touch.
Brizzle.
With regard to the laptop, if it were bought in the UK it should have a UK kite mark on it for safety, that is usually a good indication of where it came from.
I had the same problem with a camcorder i brought back a few years ago, the customs guy said he could keep it and make me bring a receipt for it, to prove i bought it in the UK, but he let it go as it had the kite mark on it.
Hope this helps!
Neil
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
20-02-2005, 21:58
The main thing that worries me is I do not always keep receipts for things and when I do I often file them away in a safe place and thus can never find them again.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Frosty
With regard to the laptop, if it were bought in the UK it should have a UK kite mark on it for safety, that is usually a good indication of where it came from.
I had the same problem with a camcorder i brought back a few years ago, the customs guy said he could keep it and make me bring a receipt for it, to prove i bought it in the UK, but he let it go as it had the kite mark on it.
Hope this helps!
Neil
[/quote]
Steve and Dawn
20-02-2005, 22:18
£145 is laughable really isn't it? I don't think anyone on the plane has under that amount.[msnsmile] This came more to our attention after a certain young footballer mentioned in the press that he gave his fiancee £10,000 for a shopping trip to New York. To which the Customs guys must have said thank you very much, let's make an example.... [msnsmile]
Steve & Dawn
steph_goodrum
21-02-2005, 00:52
"Yes, it is going into the US. But I am sure that the question alludes to cash. They cannot take Credit Card limits into account - this would mean that professionals who often have total limits exceeding £50,000 (and businessmen who probably have a LOT more!) cannot take their cards!"
Nostrom
I am sure the term used is cash or "monetary instruments" which I take to mean Travellers cheques, bankers drafts or credit/debit cards. I have never specifically seen that they are included but assumed that is what they mean as I couldn't think of anything else to whcih they could be referring.
Steve and DawnWhat was more worrying about that incident was that it was reported afterwards that it wasn't the footballer concerned who told anyone about the amount but the size of the withdrawal from the bank meant the relevant authorities were informed automatically in case there was any suspicion of money laundering (of course this could have been the press sensationalising again).
Cruella DeVilla
21-02-2005, 14:56
Shame Wayne Rooneys girlfriend did not ask this question[laugh]
Nostromo
21-02-2005, 15:39
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Cruella DeVilla
Shame Wayne Rooneys girlfriend did not ask this question[laugh]
[/quote]
She probably did not have the brains to realise that she was going over the limit. if she did, she would not be dating Rooney.
steph_goodrum
21-02-2005, 16:33
"Shame Wayne Rooneys girlfriend did not ask this question"
She wouldnt have cared if she had, just flashed a gold credit card to pay the fine anyway, and judging by the amount of shopping she does at his expense maybe she does have something besides brains.
Nostromo
21-02-2005, 17:15
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steph_goodrum[br
She wouldnt have cared if she had, just flashed a gold credit card to pay the fine anyway, and judging by the amount of shopping she does at his expense maybe she does have something besides brains.
[/quote]
Even so, she must lack something to be caught dead with a moron like Wayne Rooney, no matter how much money was availble. Ugh![xx(][xx(][xx(]
Let's not get personal here guys:D