To import wine from Spain means can seem like a lengthy and complicated task. However, it can be simplified if you follow a few tips that we have for you. Then, you will be able to enjoy beautiful aromatic Spanish wine from the comfort of your own home.
1. Boxes or Pallet?
When you are planning to import with from Spain, it is important that you first organise the means by which you will send the wine. Whilst it might seem obvious to send the wine in boxes, this is not the best method that we recommend. Often boxes will be transported by courier service, which means they will be manhandled from the origin to the destination.
To make sure that your wine makes it safely and in one piece from Spain, it is important to minimise the amount it will be handled. We recommend that the best way to do this is to organise to put your wine on a pallet. A full pallet typically holds 600 bottles and a half pallet can hold approximately 200 bottles.
This is a great way to transport your wine as the wine will be securely packed on the pallet and then moved with a forklift rather than by hand. This is a more stable means of moving goods and it is far less likely that your wine will be damaged during the transportation.
2. Excise duty?
When you are importing from Spain into the UK, there are no taxes or duties. However, a certain duty, namely an Excise duty, applies for certain imports – alcohol being one of them. The Excise duty payable depends on the percentage of alcohol in the products you are importing, as well as the quantity you are bringing into the UK, among a number of other factors.
For example, there is a higher Excise duty payable on sparkling wine compared to a white wine. We recommend checking what the Excise duty will be on your import before purchasing the wine, as it may affect the cost-effectiveness of your import. You can check for information on the Excise duty when importing wine into the UK on the HMRC website.
You can read more about shipping documents here.
3. How much can I import for myself?
If you are importing wine for personal consumption, you can bring in a certain amount without needing to pay an Excise duty. It is important to note that the limit for different alcohol types varies. For still wine, the first 90 litres you import is tax and duty free.
The limit you can bring in without paying the Excise duty also depends on the percentage of alcohol in the winesend wine from spain and the type of wine. For example, you can only bring in 60 litres of sparkling wine Excise duty free. Make sure you check these limitations before you import your wine.
If you want to import wine from Spain for personal consumption, it is a good idea to share the transport costs with a friend or friends. This means that you can still transport the wine on a pallet and individually remain under the Excise duty limit. Just make sure that you have individual invoices for your own purchases so customs can differentiate who’s is who’s.
On Transporteca you can search for the shipment of your wine from Spain. On our portal you can compare prices and transit times and chose the option that best suits you.
Note: Due to the recent Brexit vote in the UK, the rules surround import taxes and duties may change in the near future. We will update our information to match any changes to policies. However, the information provided here is how the import system operates currently.