What You Can’t Ship When Moving Abroad from the UK (and What Happens If You Do)

You are halfway through packing when the questions start. The bottle of whisky someone gave you. The medication in the bathroom cabinet. The olive tree on the patio. Your grandfather’s shotgun in the loft. Most people find out what they cannot send abroad by accident, usually when a box is already taped up.

This guide gives you the logic first and the list second, so you can check before you pack rather than after. It covers what is banned almost everywhere, why the rules change from one country to the next, and what actually happens if customs finds something it does not like.

The quick answer

When you move abroad, everything you own falls into one of three groups:

• Prohibited: cannot be sent at all. Drugs, most weapons, counterfeit goods, and in many countries soil, seeds, fresh food and some animal products.
• Restricted: allowed only with a licence, permit or declaration. Firearms, prescription medication, alcohol above personal amounts, some plants, and items made from protected species.
• Dutiable: allowed, but tax may be due. Usually new or recently bought items, and anything above a personal-use quantity.

The exact contents of each group depend on your destination. The rule that works everywhere: if you are not sure, ask before you pack, and declare rather than hide.

What do prohibited, restricted and dutiable actually mean?

Prohibited means the destination country’s customs authority will not allow the item in under any circumstances. If it is found, it is taken away, and depending on what it is, there may be a fine or worse.

Restricted means the item can come in, but only with the right paperwork. A firearm needs an import permit. A prescription medicine may need a copy of the prescription and a quantity limit. Garden furniture going to Australia or New Zealand needs to be clean enough to pass a biosecurity inspection.

Dutiable means the item is allowed, but customs expects to be paid. Most countries let you bring used household goods in free of duty when you are moving your home there (often called Transfer of Residence relief, and usually conditional on how long you have owned and used the items). Brand-new goods, still boxed, are the most common thing that falls outside that relief.

What can’t you ship almost anywhere?

These are the items that cause problems on nearly every route we manage.

The last row matters as much as any of the others. Anything you could not replace (passports, deeds, a wedding ring, the hard drive with your family photographs) should travel with you, not in the container. Our guide to protecting irreplaceable items goes into this in more detail.

Why does the list change from country to country?

Because each country sets its own rules, and each one is worried about different things. A few examples from the destinations we move people to most often:

• Australia and New Zealand run some of the strictest biosecurity checks in the world. Anything that has touched soil (garden furniture, bikes, walking boots, the vacuum cleaner) can be held for inspection and cleaning, and inspection fees are charged separately. See our Australia and New Zealand guides.
• Egypt inspects audio-visual items, which covers far more than people expect: DVDs, books, old hard drives. If your belongings include any, allow at least three extra weeks for clearance. See our Egypt guide.
• The UAE prohibits some items that are perfectly ordinary in the UK, including certain medications and some statues and carvings, and expects duty on new goods. See our UAE guide.
• The USA allows a reasonable personal quantity of alcohol under federal rules, but individual states set their own limits and some allow none. See our USA guide.
• Taiwan bans soil outright, so plant pots and garden tools need to be cleaned completely. See our Taiwan guide.
• Argentina X-rays every containerised household move at the port. Anything that does not match your inventory is opened and checked. See our Argentina guide.

Every Gerson Moving Services country guide has a “What You Can and Can’t Ship” section for that destination. Start there, then check anything you are unsure of with your move manager, because rules change and a guide can only be as current as its last update.

Are there UK rules on what can leave the country?

Yes, although most people never need them. The main ones:

• Firearms and some military items need an export licence from the UK before they can leave, as well as an import permit at the other end. An exception exists for firearms being moved as personal effects to non-EU countries, but it is narrow and does not cover all weapon types. Check the current guidance at GOV.UK — Exporting firearms and confirm your destination country’s import rules before booking.
• Cultural objects such as older paintings, antiques and manuscripts can need an export licence if they meet the age and value thresholds set by Arts Council England: items need to be over 50 years old and above certain values (for example, £180,000 for oil paintings, £65,000 for most other objects; manuscripts need a licence regardless of value). If you are moving valuable antiques or art, check with Arts Council England before your removal date.
• Ivory is covered by the Ivory Act 2018, which restricts commercial dealing in ivory, including export for sale. Moving ivory items as part of a genuine household removal for personal use is not the same as commercial dealing, but items must qualify under one of the Act’s exemptions to be sold or transferred later. The main exemptions are: items where ivory is less than 10% of the total volume and was made before 1947 (register at GOV.UK, £20 per item); portrait miniatures made before 1918; and musical instruments made before 1975 containing less than 20% ivory. The Act was extended in January 2025 to cover hippo, narwhal, killer whale and sperm whale ivory in addition to elephant ivory.

If you own anything in these categories, mention it at your survey so there is time to sort the paperwork.