Essential documentation for shipping to the UK
If you are sending products within the UK, you do not need to fill in any additional paperwork.
If you are sending products from outside the UK, you must attach a Commercial Invoice to your parcel.
The Commercial Invoice tells customs what is in your parcel and who you are sending it to.
You can download this invoice to print it off here. It’s available in two different sizes, A4 and US Letter.
Your parcel will have to clear UK Customs when it reaches the UK, so it’s important that you fill in the information correctly. Mistakes could mean your products’ arrival is delayed by several days - or even returned to you.
How to fill in your commercial invoice
You should fill in all of the pink boxes in your Commercial Invoice. The guide below will help you.
If you prefer to use your own in-house Commercial Invoices, click here for the information you will need to fill it in.
Classifying your product
Alcohol-free wine and beer are clearly categorised. For other drinks, we recommend using the term 'non-alcoholic beverage' when describing your package.
You will also need to specify a 'commodity code' which classifies what type of product you are shipping.
De-alcoholised wine - 2202 9919 95
Non-alcoholic beer - 2202 9100 90
All other AF drinks - 2202 9991 90
Value of your product
You need to record the value of what you are sending us. Your samples have no commercial value, so do NOT fill in their cost or retail price. But equally, the value CANNOT be zero.
Instead, you should fill in a token value of £1 or $1 or €1 per bottle/can.
Totals
The Number of Boxes is the total number of cases/packages you are sending in your shipment.
Total Shipment Value is the value of all the bottles/cans.
Duty/tax charges
Because your entry is non-alcoholic, there is no excise duty.
But if you do not follow the instructions regarding the Value of Your Product (see above) your shipment could still attract other charges.
If the total cost of the samples is £135 or more, your shipment will be liable for customs import duty and 20% VAT.
This is why it is so important that you record the value of your products as £1 or $1 or €1 per bottle/can - so you don’t unnecessarily have to pay import charges.
You can see an example of a correctly filled-out Commercial Invoice here
Choosing a courier
Big international courier firms such as UPS, DHL and FedEx are well versed in all these issues and can help ensure that you fill in everything correctly. We strongly recommend checking that whichever courier you use has experience of getting products through UK customs.
Your courier will need to pay any charges when the consignment arrives in the UK, then charge it back to you. To do this, you will need to have an account with them. We strongly advise discussing this with your courier prior to shipping to ensure that everything is correct.