How to complete the new Transfer of Residence form (ToR) when moving to the UK and trying to get your stuff you are shipping, into the UK duty and tax free.

2.  As everyone knows, we are now in an era of heightened
security and stringent immigration rules.
 UK customs have adopted a pre approval system to ship
your items to the UK called Transfer of Residence or
ToR. We are sure other countries will follow shortly.
 Once you get your pre approval (ToR number) we can
then ship your items. When your shipment arrives in the
UK we enter the ToR number with Customs and we
should get a speedy customs clearance as you are pre
approved.

3.  If you are moving to the UK and would like to ship your
things duty and tax free, then please make a note of the
new procedures. The new system is called ToR’s
(Transfer of residence)
 The C3 Customs form is no longer acceptable.
 Please read all of our presentation before you complete
the ToR’s form.
 Please note you now have to submit the ToR’s form to
customs by email and then wait to hear back from them
via email with any further questions and a ToR approval
reference number, before we are possibly able to ship
and definitely customs clear your items.

4.  The ToR form is available online and has to be filled out in advance of your
move. Once the online ToR form is completed it must be printed, signed by you
and then scanned and emailed to customs together with other requested
documentation.
 In order to obtain duty and tax free entry of your used household items:
 You must be shipping your own belongings within 12 months of your personal
arrival to the UK.
 You must have lived outside of the EU for the past 12 months
 You must declare that all your items that you are going to ship have been used
for more than 6 months and that you are not going to sell them in the next 12
months.
 If you do not meet that criteria for example, all your items are less than 6 months
old, you have not moved to the UK within the last 12 months or you are sending
things to someone else, furnishing a secondary or holiday home, shipping items
from long term storage e.g. more than 12 months, sending items to another
member of the family or items left to you in a will, then you will need to provide a
packing list with used values and a letter explaining the circumstances why you
are shipping these items as well as completing the ToR form. UK Customs will
then probably charge duties and taxes if you do not qualify for duty free entry.

5. It is recommended that the application process is started as early
as possible to allow for UK Customs to process the application and
issue an authorization code prior to us shipping. We understand
customs are estimating a 10-14 day turn around.
For More Information from UK Customs web site click here.
To look at the ToR form online click here

6. Over the next few slides we are going to
try and help you fill out the form
correctly. Bear in mind depending how
you answer the questions will determine
what the next question might be so this
is just a sample based on an average
person moving from the USA or Canada.

7. So here we go…….
Applicants Details:
Full name…….
New UK Address (Lots of you will still be looking for a place to live so you will
not have an address, however customs want an address for you so its quite
ok to put down a temporary address or the company you are going to work
for, or a relatives address in the UK.
Do you have a phone number…… answer yes or no
Do you have an email address…. Make sure your email address is correct as
this is how customs will reply to you with the ToR ref number or if they have
any questions.
Do you have a National Insurance Number? This is a little like a SS number in
the USA. If you are a British national returning you probably have a NI number
to enter but others select No
Date of Birth….. Just the person completing the form

8. Your new situation in the UK
From what date have you lived, or what date do you expect to live in
the UK?
Enter date you have, or are arriving in the UK
What are you planning to do in the UK?
If you click Work then you will need to confirm if the address is in the
UK and then fill in the name of the company you will be working for
and the address.
If you click Study you will need to enter the name of the educational
institution and the address
If you click on other please explain the circumstances

9. Family and or partner details:
Answer if you are coming to the UK alone
or with family or a partner.
If you answer yes then add their names and
dates of birth.
If you answer No then explain why you are
leaving them behind and also how many
trips per year you are planning to go back
to visit them.

10. Your situation in the country outside the EU
Where did you reside before…..
Enter USA or Canada for example followed by the address you live or lived
at.
You then have to type the date you stopped living at that address.
This can be a date in the future if for example you are not moving to the UK
for another few weeks or months. Presumably in most cases the date
entered here will be a few days before the date you entered that you were
expecting to live in the UK.
Did you own your home or rent a home?
Answer this and don’t forget to enclose a purchase agreement or rental
agreement.
If there are other circumstances like I was living with my Mom then please
explain that on the form.
It might be wise to complete a rental agreement if you don’t have one. They
are available at Staples.

11. During your stay in the country outside the EU
Did you already own a home in the UK?
Most will probably answer no but if your are a Brit returning and you still own a home
in the UK then click yes and type in the address and the date you left the UK. Don’t
forget you need to have been outside of the EU for at least 12 months to obtain duty
free entry of your shipment.
Have you ever lived in the UK or another EU country?
Most Brits returning will answer this as yes and enter the date they departed and why.
Others will probably answer as no.
One presumes they are looking to check that you have indeed been out side of the
UK or EU for the last 12 months in order to get duty free entry.

12. Are you importing a means of transport?
This is a British way of saying are you importing a car, motorbike or anything with an
engine that you wish to register and title in the UK.
Are you importing any pets?
Please click No, even if you are importing a pet, its not through us and your pet
shipper will be asking you to complete a similar form.
Have you applied for tax relief for the same goods elsewhere?
I’m sure most people will answer this one as No
Date of Entry
Dates you expect the goods to arrive:
As we are asking you to complete this form in advance you will probably be checking
the goods have not arrived in the UK. In which case you will need to put an estimated
guess as to when they will arrive. Bear in mind it will take at least a week to get your
Tors number back and then at least 3-5 weeks for us to ship it to the UK. It wont
matter if the date is a few weeks different when it gets there.

13. Nearly done……
Click that you confirm the information is correct.
Add your full name.
Current place of residence, like Florida, or New York or Toronto works.
Number of enclosures are all the other pieces that you are going to scan
like your passport, packing list, proof of residency, letters explain anything.
Add the date you completed this form
Print the form and sign it.

14. The following documents need to be scanned and emailed with your
application form.
Copy of your Passport and others moving with you.
Visa paperwork if applicable.
National Insurance number if applicable/available
Packing list / survey list of the goods being imported. Complete our online
packing list creator with what you estimate you are taking if you haven't
packed yet. This will suffice at this stage and we understand that the final
packing list will probably be a little different.
Proof of ownership for vehicles – registration documents older than 6
months.
Proof that you have lived out of the EU for last 12 months – Utility Bill/Bank
statement with address on.
Employment contract if applicable and or employer’s statement Work permit
if applicable
Tenancy or purchase agreement for home in the UK if applicable. If living
with family state this.
We suggest you include as much information as possible to get your ToR number.

15. Now you need to email the ToR
application and all the other back up
paperwork requested to:
nch.tor@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
Your ToR number will be emailed back
to you. UK Customs might also email
you some further questions or ask for
further explanations if necessary. In
which case please answer that email
and make sure your name and any
reference number they give you is on
the reply email.

16. UK Customs can only handle a maximum
of 10MB per email so either send via a zip
file if you can, or we suggest you send
the main form through twice or 3 times
with different attachments each time so
that they get all your attachments.

17. Please let us know by email the ToR
number when you receive it, together
with any correspondence you have had
with UK customs and your ToR
application form. We will also need a copy
of the documents / attachments you sent
with your ToR application.

18. DUTIABLE AND RESTRICTED / PROHIBITED ITEMS
A separate written declaration of any prohibited, restricted items and or any goods that are excluded
from ToR relief should be provided directly to us. This will then be submitted in addition to the Customs
entry made under the Transfer of Residence Relief.
NOTE: Dutiable items include alcohol, tobacco products, items that are less than six
months old
The written declaration should detail:
• A list of the items
• Their individual value
• For any alcohol - the number of bottles, type, size of each bottle (if half full then adjust
accordingly), alcohol percentage and the value of each.
• For Tobacco - provide the weight and value
• For Cigars – provide the weight and number of cigars along with value
• For Cigarettes – provide the number of individual cigarettes with the value.
Any Customs duties and taxes levied as a result of this declaration will be advised to you and will
need to be paid in full before delivery.

19. We suggest you apply for this ToR number 2 weeks in advance of your
collection date. That way you should have the ToR ref number back by the time
we have collected your things and have it ready for shipping. If you do not have
time to do this in advance then we can collect your items and hold in our
warehouse pending you giving us the ToR number. We will have to charge a
storage fee of $25 per pallet per week until you receive the ToR number.
If we or you are loading a 20 or 40 foot shipping container then you need to
have the ToR number back before loading or at least applied for it.
Any shipment that arrives in the UK without a ToR number will face expensive
customs bonded storage and port charges as well as possible duties and taxes.
This is why we are asking everyone to get this done in advance.
Beware of anyone that tells you this can be done once you or the shipment
arrive in the UK. This might be technically correct but it could cost you a lot of
money which is why we ask you to get this done in advance.
If you need further advice or have any questions please email us and we will
forward to our UK office to check with UK Customs.

20. The information contained within this
presentation is intended to act as a guide only.
The exact process for ToR applications and
Customs clearance processes are subject to
change and interpretation, particularly at this
time as this is a new system.

21. I hope our presentation helped you.
Any further questions please email.
USA: move@upakweship.com
Canada: move@upakweship.ca
UK: move@upakweship.uk.com
EU: move@upakweship.eu.com
EuroUSA service@eurousa.us