Landed cost guide · 2026-10-15

Import duty from the United Arab Emirates to the United Kingdom

For a typical commercial shipment of cotton T-shirts from the United Arab Emirates to the United Kingdom worth 10,000.00 GBP, duties, taxes and fees come to about 3,732.40 GBP, or 37.32% of the goods value. Use the calculator below with your own figures.

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Duty is charged on: CIF value (goods + freight + insurance)
Duty-free threshold: £135 for customs duty only. VAT is charged from the first pound. The relief is due to end by October 2028.
VAT / sales tax: Import VAT 20% on CIF + duty.
Trade agreement: None. Standard (MFN) rates apply.
Extra tariffs on goods from United Arab Emirates: No country-specific additional duty beyond the normal tariff.
Other fees: No government processing fee; carriers charge their own clearance fees.

Detailed calculator: United Arab Emirates to United Kingdom

1Route

Country of origin Destination

2Shipment type

3Values

Goods value (invoice) Freight Insurance Units

4Product and rates

Product group Duty rate %A typical rate is filled in; change it to match your HS code.

I have preferential origin proof

China Section 301 list Distinct item types in parcel Extra duty % (anti-dumping, Section 232, retaliation)Any product-specific extra duty.

Typical duty rates

Product	MFN
Apparel – cotton knit (HS 6109)	12%
Leather footwear (HS 6403)	8%
Towels / home textiles (HS 6302)	12%
Computers / phones (HS 8471, 8517)	0%

Typical rates for common tariff lines, for orientation only. The rate for your goods depends on the full HS code; look it up in the UK Trade Tariff.

Worked example: 10,000.00 GBP of cotton T-shirts by sea

Goods 10,000.00, freight 800.00, insurance 50.00 GBP; commercial import; duty rate 12%.

Line	GBP
Customs duty 12% × 10,850.00 CIF	1,302.00
Import VAT 20% × 12,152.00	2,430.40
Total duties and fees	3,732.40
Landed cost (CIF + duties)	14,582.40

Small parcel: 80.00 GBP online order

A consumer ordering goods worth 80.00 GBP plus 12.00 shipping by post would pay about 18.40 GBP in import charges.

Line	GBP
Customs duty Under £135: duty relief (until Oct 2028)	0.00
Import VAT 20% × 92.00 — collected by seller at checkout	18.40
Total duties and fees	18.40
Landed cost (CIF + duties)	110.40

Frequently asked questions

How much is import duty from the United Arab Emirates to the United Kingdom?

It depends on the product's tariff code. As an example, cotton T-shirts worth 10,000.00 GBP shipped commercially by sea pay about 3,732.40 GBP in duties, taxes and fees (37.32% of the goods value). No country-specific additional duty beyond the normal tariff.

Is there a duty-free limit for parcels to United Kingdom?

£135 for customs duty only. VAT is charged from the first pound. The relief is due to end by October 2028.

Does United Arab Emirates have a trade agreement with United Kingdom?

There is no preferential agreement that covers most goods, so standard MFN rates apply.

How is import VAT calculated in United Kingdom?

Import VAT 20% on CIF + duty.