Buy phone in EU/Ireland and taking it back to the UK

snae

If I buy a phone in an EU country (Ireland specifically), would I need to pay VAT and duty when bringing it back to the UK?

The phone is quite a bit cheaper here than in the UK (including VAT) and I will be carrying it back in my pocket. Would I need to declare it? Should I discard the boxes?

I'm considering travelling to Belfast for a few days then flying back but not sure yet. 

I'm super worried that they might take it off of me or get in trouble. I haven't been abroad since we left the EU, and before then I had only travelled to EU countries, so I'm not sure how things would work. 

Thanks.

J_B

New phone?

No officer, I've had it ages, honest guv!

NoodleDoodleMan

When you say Ireland - do you mean the Republic or the Six Counties, the latter is part of the UK obviously so it would cost the same in Belfast as on the British mainland ?

You should also check the frequencies it operates on if buying in the RoI - to ensure the same as the UK - I can't think that would be a problem, however best to be sure in advance.

There is also the warranty issue - is an EU purchase covered in the UK ?  

DullGreyGuy

snae said:

If I buy a phone in an EU country (Ireland specifically), would I need to pay VAT and duty when bringing it back to the UK?

The phone is quite a bit cheaper here than in the UK (including VAT) and I will be carrying it back in my pocket. Would I need to declare it? Should I discard the boxes?

I'm considering travelling to Belfast for a few days then flying back but not sure yet. 

I'm super worried that they might take it off of me or get in trouble. I haven't been abroad since we left the EU, and before then I had only travelled to EU countries, so I'm not sure how things would work. 

Thanks.

How much is the phone? If it is over £390 then you would be required to declare it and pay UK VAT & Duty on importation... former is 20%, later may be 0% depending on its country of origin etc. 

Obviously what many people do is discard the packaging and claim they've always had it. Obviously this is smuggling and lying to a customs officer which can have notable consequences if you are caught. 

Ultimately your risk to decide if you want to take it or not

Mark_d

https://www.gov.uk/bringing-goods-into-uk-personal-use/declaring-goods

la531983

"I bought the phone in Belfast, guv"

In any case the chances of a stop are near nil and the chances of being questioned of where a phone (out of its box and being used) has come from is even lower than that. 

CKhalvashi

If buying in the EU, the VAT can often by negated by asking for tax free forms. Make sure these have full item descriptions and not product key numbers and present to Customs at the airport on exit. You should be given a paper receipt and it should be uploaded electronically to the Customs database.

I've only done tax free under the new system going from Poland to Ukraine (with a boiler of all things plus some business-related equipment) and there's a 50/50 chance of it not being accepted, so ensure that the paperwork is correct before leaving any store.

Of course any items MUST be declared in the UK on arrival and it should not be advised to do anything else. This is a money saving, not a tax evasion forum.

Neil49

I'd be more concerned about the warranty being valid in the UK. 

snae

NoodleDoodleMan said:

When you say Ireland - do you mean the Republic or the Six Counties, the latter is part of the UK obviously so it would cost the same in Belfast as on the British mainland ?

You should also check the frequencies it operates on if buying in the RoI - to ensure the same as the UK - I can't think that would be a problem, however best to be sure in advance.

There is also the warranty issue - is an EU purchase covered in the UK ?  

Ireland, as in the country in the EU, not the six counties. 

From my understanding, frequencies are harmonised to ITU regions, are they not?
Also, ETSI's independent of the EU. 

I'll be getting insurance anyway so I'm not too fussed about the warranty. 

Phoenix72

snae said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

When you say Ireland - do you mean the Republic or the Six Counties, the latter is part of the UK obviously so it would cost the same in Belfast as on the British mainland ?

You should also check the frequencies it operates on if buying in the RoI - to ensure the same as the UK - I can't think that would be a problem, however best to be sure in advance.

There is also the warranty issue - is an EU purchase covered in the UK ?  

I'll be getting insurance anyway so I'm not too fussed about the warranty. 

You will need to check any insurance T&C's carefully. A lot will specify proof of purchase from a UK VAT registered company.

twopenny

If it was your phone, a 'working phone' then it would have a UK sim for it and some numbers, apps in place.

It would have to be sim free to work for you here, using an Irish sim and system may bring difficulties or may not.

There is the point about frequencies etc. All needs checking out.

You say it's a bit cheaper? Enough for return flights, parking etc?