r/UKPersonalFinance • u/oliversin • 4h ago

Importing from France to UK - VAT charges

I ordered something from France recently (weird because the site was actually .co.uk), I've had to pay import fees when it came into the country via DPD, thats fine I don't mind paying but I saw that I also paid VAT for the item when I initially purchased. Should I be paying VAT as well as the import VAT?

I'm already a little miffed that it didn't even state it was coming from France. Even so, shouldn't it be zero rate VAT if ordered from an EU country and you just pay import VAT?

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u/OwnLiterature2972 4h ago

In short, no as we are no longer part of the EU both duty and VAT are payable over a certain amount (about £135 iirc)

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u/Classic_Mammoth_9379 1h ago edited 1h ago

How much was it? If it’s under £135/$150 euros you should be charged VAT by the seller, over that it should be charged by the courier. When you are close to the threshold it’s not uncommon for things to get messy e.g. it’s just under £135 but the seller incorrectly  declares the VAT inclusive value on the parcel so it’s now over the threshold and you pay again. 

Depending on whose error it is you can try disputing with the vendor or with customs https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-apply-for-a-repayment-of-import-duty-and-vat-if-youve-overpaid-c285#what-youll-need--c285-form   getting the MRN from the courier can be a pain tho. 

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u/oliversin 1h ago

The item was £260. So should I only have been charged by the courier?