Shipping from China to United Kingdom
A major corridor whose rules changed sharply after Brexit. Royal Mail and Evri handle most final-mile deliveries of Chinese parcels into Britain.
How long it takes
| Standard shipping | 12–28 days on standard shipping |
| Express courier | 4–7 days by DHL, FedEx or UPS |
Door-to-door including customs. The gap between the two rows is mostly flight frequency and clearance priority, not distance.
Customs and taxes
VAT from the first pound; customs duty above £135
The UK removed its low-value VAT relief in January 2021. Sellers registered for UK VAT collect it at checkout on orders under £135; above that, it is collected on import.
Who carries it
- Cainiao
LP + 14 to 16 digits
- China Post
Two letters + 9 digits + CN
- Royal Mail
Two letters + 9 digits + GB
- Evri
16 digits
- InPost
9-24 alphanumeric characters
- PostNL
3S + 9-13 digits, or UPU format ending in NL
What to expect on this route
- Royal Mail charges a handling fee when it pays import VAT on your behalf, which is billed before the parcel is released.
- Parcels are usually held at a local delivery office until any charge is paid.