Import Tax

Does anyone know if you have to pay the UK government any sort of tax if you import a dog? I'm thinking of importing a dog from the US and have agreed all the prices that end but don't want to end up with a surprise bill when the dog arrives!
Thanks

No, although I have only brought over from Europe, cant see why it would be different from US.

I didn't pay an tax and I would have thought that tax would only be payable if the dogs are a business and not just pets.
Becky

Yes I think you do have to pay customs duty on whatever your new pet is worth in value!

How do you get around the rabies and quarintine thing out of interest?

I couldn't cope with a 6 month quarantine on a pup

Hi Petrina,
I purchased mine from the Czech Republic, they waited in Germany where they could continue to be socialised and trained on the premises where they stayed, once their passports were completed they were driven over to the UK, hence no quarantine. They had rabies vaccination, 1 month later blood test for titre levels then 6mths after that they were allowed to travel

No, you don't have to pay tax - unless you are importing as part of a commercial business.

The US is part of the Pet Passport scheme, so there is no need for the pup to go into quarantine, although it will have to stay in the US until six months after a Rabies blood test.

Oh really? I thought all goods had to have duty paid, I have to pay duty on any stuff I get sent from the US, even when it was marked as a gift from my Stepmother!

If I wasn't in the country with the puppy waiting for the passport so we could fly together I couldn't import a dog.

Thankfully, this is one area where a puppy isn't regarded as 'goods'. If you have bought a puppy, he is legally yours, and as such can be brought into the country in the same way as your other belongings.

I suppose that technically, if you buy a dog and ask for it to be sent over to you without the ownership being changed into your name, you would be liable to pay import duty - but I have imported (and exported) many dogs and only once was the question of duty raised. That was at Newark (New York) and I had taken over three dogs belonging to one person. Customs seemed to think that they couldn't be 'pets' (ie exempt from duty) because no-one would have three 'pet dogs' but the situation was defused by the vet who told them not to be so ridiculous!

If you were to be importing dogs in bulk, then you might well be liable for duty because it would be seen as a commercial transaction.

I can't see the problem. Most puppies that are imported simply stay with their breeder.