How to import servers to the UK: VAT, EORI and delivery

Servers are duty-free into the UK, so the whole game is VAT and paperwork. Get a GB EORI and decide how you account for the 20% import VAT, and the rest is routine. Here is the picture and the route from Hangzhou to a UK data center.

Johnny Wang · ingénieur systèmes · Mis à jour 13 septembre 2026 · 6 min de lecture

VAT, EORI and duty

Servers enter the UK duty-free, but 20% import VAT applies at the border. VAT-registered businesses reclaim it, or use Postponed VAT Accounting to account for it on the return instead of paying at import.

Post-Brexit you need a GB EORI number to import. Customs declarations go through the Customs Declaration Service (CDS). We quote the equipment cost and your forwarder confirms the VAT at entry.

Duty: 0% on servers.
Import VAT: 20%, reclaimable or via Postponed VAT Accounting.
GB EORI number required; declarations via CDS.

Delivery and clearance

We ship every server by air. Your forwarder flies the shipment to the UK and delivers it to your site, and door-to-door delivery takes 1–2 weeks.

Clearance goes through CDS. Your forwarder files the declaration and settles VAT on DAP/DDP terms. The Slough / West London and East London Docklands corridors are the core data-center markets.

The import flow, step by step

We sell EXW Hangzhou. For first-time importers we help appoint a forwarder who books the air freight, exports from China, clears UK customs, and delivers to London, Slough or Manchester.

You see the landed cost, including VAT, before anything ships. Nothing is buried in the unit price.

Send your spec. We reply within 1 hour during business hours (Mon–Fri 09:00–19:00 Beijing time, UTC+8) with an EXW Hangzhou quote.
We assemble, burn-in 24–72 h, and issue export documents.
Forwarder flies the shipment to the UK, clears CDS, delivers DAP/DDP.
1-year warranty with advance-replacement RMA.

Questions fréquentes

Do I pay duty importing servers to the UK?

Servers are duty-free into the UK. You pay 20% import VAT at the border, which VAT-registered businesses reclaim or account for through Postponed VAT Accounting.

Do I need an EORI number?

Yes. Post-Brexit you need a GB EORI number to import into the UK. Customs declarations are filed through the Customs Declaration Service (CDS), which your forwarder handles.

How long does shipping from China to the UK take?

We ship every server by air, and the forwarder delivers door to door in 1–2 weeks. Your forwarder handles customs clearance.

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