Why the United Kingdom

FedEx offers you a choice: premium services when timing is urgent and economy services when reliability and savings are most important. Take advantage of our most popular FedEx^® services for shipping to the United Kingdom.¹

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Every country has its own customs requirements and shipping specifications. We’ve simplified international shipping with FedEx^® Electronic Trade Documents. By automating the preparation and flow of international documents, this service saves you money while ensuring on-time delivery of shipments to the United Kingdom. The required documents are country-specific, with prompts to help you prepare everything needed for a shipment to the U.K. and other international destinations.

• "Consignee" is the recipient, the person to whom a shipment is being sent.
• "Shipper" is the sender, the person with whom the shipment originates.
• The value to declare for customs purposes is the price paid or payable for the goods, including any selling commissions, assists, royalties, packing and proceeds. It does not include freight and insurance charges.
• The Schedule B number, or Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code, is the commodity classification number. For the correct number, go to FedEx^® Global Trade Manager or the U.S. Census Bureau website — or call the U.S. Census Bureau at 1.800.549.0595, option 2.
• Genuine samples up to the value of US$200 are not subject to duties. The Commercial Invoice and air waybill must state "Sample supplied free of cost," and contents need to be marked as samples.
• A description of the contents includes:
• What the product is
• What material it’s made of
• Schedule B or HTS code
• Intended use
• Country of manufacture
• Parts or serial numbers (if applicable)
• Quantity and unit of measure
• Value, per unit and in total

• Review the United Kingdom country profile. Avoid surprises by checking the U.K. country profile, which includes the latest information on import and export provisions.
• Research your market thoroughly. The marketplace, economy, customs and laws in the U.K. are quite different from those you may be accustomed to in the U.S.
• Ensure your project is economically feasible. U.S. companies should be especially thorough about revenue projections and business goals when entering a market outside the U.S. — other markets may be different than your own.
• Know your associates. Get to know your business contact in the U.K. through your legal counsel, in addition to doing your own research.
• Establish a very specific contract. With a business associate who resides in another country, it’s a good idea to employ more detailed terms than you might with a U.S. associate, just to make sure everyone’s in agreement.
• Understand your payment terms. The U.K.’s payment customs differ from those in the U.S. in many ways, so include very specific payment terms to ensure you are paid in full and on time.
• Protect your intellectual property rights. U.S. businesses should not rely on the same protection of their intellectual property that they enjoy in the U.S. Your best strategy is to protect yourself from infringement before you encounter a problem.
• Make sure the goods are not prohibited. Check the list of import prohibitions for the United Kingdom.
• Be aware of the varying policies and regulations governed by separate administrations in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
• Know your currency. The U.K. is a member of the European Union but has chosen to continue using the pound, rather than adopt the euro.
• Shipments with a value exceeding 18 pounds sterling require a Commercial Invoice.

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