lisbeth09

Hello, I bought a birthday gift for my partner in Germany. It’s a wooden chessboard from a German artist, fully made in Germany with a custom design from the artist. I paid 3500€ for the chessboard (this includes German VAT). Now, I didn’t realise I would have to pay additional taxes when bringing it into the UK, but from what I read online and the HMRC website I see I will have to. I just want to make sure my understanding of what I have to pay is correct. The board is fully made in Germany, by hand, with original designs from this German artist, I don’t know where the wood comes from and I’m not sure it’s relevant, but my understanding is that because of this I would have to pay no duties. Additionally, because I believe this chessboard classifies as a work of art (because it is fully handmade, with an original design and it’s not mass produced) I think I should only pay 5% VAT, which would mean around 150£ of VAT to be paid. I’m bringing the chessboard in my suitcase when I come back to the UK via plane. Now, I can either pre-pay through the online declaration and go through the nothing to declare channel or I can make an oral declaration at the airport. Would you recommend one over the other? Is there any special type of documentation I should make sure to have? All I have is the invoice I paid to the artist when I commissioned the piece. And the artist has an online website where he describes his extensive experience with woodworking and showcases his portfolio of pieces. Thank you in advance for the help.