Shipping from India to the UK
Home Trolley buys Indian groceries and essentials for you, forwards parcels from Indian stores, and ships them to the UK. Here is what GOV.UK says about VAT, customs duty and food for a parcel arriving from outside the UK, with a link to each source.
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Shop & Parcel
Pick Indian groceries and essentials from our catalog. We buy them in India and ship them to you.
Parcel Forwarding
Order from any Indian store to your Home Trolley address. We receive and consolidate your packages and ship them as one parcel.
Combination
Add catalog items to the packages waiting at our India address, in one checkout and one parcel.
VAT and customs duty
If you bought the goods yourself and they are not excise goods, worth £135 or less, the seller will have included VAT in the total you paid, and there is no Customs Duty on non-excise goods worth £135 or less.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
For goods worth more than £135 you pay import VAT to the delivery company before delivery or when you collect the goods. Customs Duty on non-excise goods over £135 depends on the goods and their origin, and you can check the rate in the Trade Tariff service.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
Customs Duty is charged on the price paid for the goods plus postage, packaging and insurance.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
VAT is not charged on gifts worth £39 or less.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
Who collects the charges, and when
VAT is paid when you buy the goods, or to the delivery company before you receive them. Royal Mail, Parcelforce or the courier contacts you if you owe charges.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
Northern Ireland has its own rules. For goods considered at risk of entering the EU sent to a non-business recipient, goods worth £135 or less can be charged 3 euros per item plus a 2 euro handling fee per item, charged in sterling.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
Food and groceries
For personal imports into Great Britain from countries outside the EU, meat and meat products and milk and milk-based products are banned, except powdered infant milk, infant food and special medical food.
Source: GOV.UK, bringing food into Great Britain: meat, dairy, fish and animal products, checked 3 November 2026
Honey is allowed up to 2 kg per person, and fish and fish products up to 20 kg per person in total.
Source: GOV.UK, bringing food into Great Britain: meat, dairy, fish and animal products, checked 3 November 2026
Questions people ask
Will I pay customs duty on a parcel from India to the UK?
If you bought the goods yourself and they are not excise goods, worth £135 or less, the seller will have included VAT in the total you paid, and there is no Customs Duty on non-excise goods worth £135 or less.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
For goods worth more than £135 you pay import VAT to the delivery company before delivery or when you collect the goods. Customs Duty on non-excise goods over £135 depends on the goods and their origin, and you can check the rate in the Trade Tariff service.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
Do I pay VAT on goods sent from India to the UK?
If you bought the goods yourself and they are not excise goods, worth £135 or less, the seller will have included VAT in the total you paid, and there is no Customs Duty on non-excise goods worth £135 or less.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
For goods worth more than £135 you pay import VAT to the delivery company before delivery or when you collect the goods. Customs Duty on non-excise goods over £135 depends on the goods and their origin, and you can check the rate in the Trade Tariff service.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
VAT is not charged on gifts worth £39 or less.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
Who do I pay the charges to, and when?
VAT is paid when you buy the goods, or to the delivery company before you receive them. Royal Mail, Parcelforce or the courier contacts you if you owe charges.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
Does Northern Ireland have different rules?
Northern Ireland has its own rules. For goods considered at risk of entering the EU sent to a non-business recipient, goods worth £135 or less can be charged 3 euros per item plus a 2 euro handling fee per item, charged in sterling.
Source: GOV.UK, tax and customs for goods sent from abroad, checked 3 November 2026
Can I bring milk or dairy products from India into the UK?
For personal imports into Great Britain from countries outside the EU, meat and meat products and milk and milk-based products are banned, except powdered infant milk, infant food and special medical food.
Source: GOV.UK, bringing food into Great Britain: meat, dairy, fish and animal products, checked 3 November 2026
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