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Import/Export

United Kingdom to Bahrain

Country or Territory Regulations Topics:

Import Documentation

For charges made for Export Shipments from United Kingdom to the destination country or territory, please refer to Brokerage Services and Charges-Export Shipments with United Kingdom as the destination.

Driving Licenses

Valid Driving Licenses can be shipped as documents. The description must clearly state 'driving license'. Shipping driving licenses require the approval of the UK customs authorities. A delay of minimum one day has to be calculated.

Please check the import related information if driving licenses are allowed for importation.

Mobile phones to all destinations from United Kingdom can be delayed on export due to security checks from government bodies.

Goods under IATA Special Provisions A67 require a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet).

It is not required for all, however shipments can be held by local authority in United Arab Emirates after screening due to lack of MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) or NON DG (Dangerous Goods) declaration letter from the shipper resulting to misconnections and impacting end-to-end service.

It would be advisable for all shipments originating, transiting and terminating for UAE to have MSDS or NON DG declaration from shipper enclosed in the shipment and copies to be uploaded in IDIS.

Export procedure ex United Kingdom

A formal electronic export declaration must be sent to customs authorities by the exporter or their representative. Customs authorities grant the release for export and issue an Export Accompanying Document (EAD) with a unique Movement Reference Number (MRN). UPS operated simplified procedures allowing export formalities to be completed upto 14 days after export.

Informal Declarations
An informal declaration is possible for shipments up to a national threshold. The informal declaration is based on the invoice value and is restricted to shipments not subject to prohibitions and restrictions (for example, embargo regulations) or special export procedures (for example, temporary export). The informal clearance will be done by UPS at the point of exit.

National Requirements
Shipments up to a value of 873.00 GBP can be declared informally on the basis of the invoice.

The EORI (European Union Registration and Identification) number needs to be included with the Invoice for any shipment with value exceeding 873.00 GBP. The EORI number can be obtained by the shipper using website link: www.gov.uk/EORI

UPS service
UPS offers the service to prepare export declarations on behalf of the exporter without additional fees.

Export Documentation

Valid passports can be shipped as documents. The description must clearly state 'passport'. Shipping passports require the approval of the UK customs authorities. A delay of minimum one day has to be calculated.

Please check the import related information if passports are allowed for importation.

Clearance Information

All Low value/ High Value personal shipments will need receivers to provide a copy of their national ID prior to the customs clearance of their packages.This might impact the service for clearance and might cause delay in the process.

Specifically Origins of India / Pakistan / Bangladesh / Afghanistan / Vietnam where shipments are coming from these origins containing  Food items / medicine -35 cases during April 2022 only prohibited drugs being shipped included in these items from the above countries are received in Bahrain. Bahrain customs wants to have restrictions and requests ID copy from any receiver having a shipment containing these items or originated from these countries.

Please note that not only the value(s) of the commodity/commodities have to be considered when calculating duty and tax, but also the freight charge and other fees.
Credit card payments are accepted upon delivery for freight and import charges by this destination. Contact UPS or the UPS service partner in the destination country or territory to determine which credit cards are accepted.

Restrictions may apply for freight collect shipments from the origin country or territory. Contact UPS or the UPS service partner in the origin country or territory prior to shipping.

Consignee's full name and a valid telephone number, company name (if applicable), building name and or number, and apartment number (if applicable), street name, area name, and city are required. A valid phone number (preferably mobile) is vital to recover any missing clearance documents and/or validate the delivery address if needed. Please note that missing address requirements will cause a delivery delay. A P.O. Box address is not valid as we do NOT deliver to a P.O. Box.

Important Note: Shipments addressed to a P.O. Box are excluded from the UPS International guarantee regardless of the payer. A delay in delivery may occur due to the need for the consignee's physical address in order to complete delivery.

Areas Served

Service is provided to and from every address in the country or territory.
Consignee's full name and a valid telephone number, company name (if applicable), building name and or number, and apartment number (if applicable), street name, area name, and city are required. A valid phone number (preferably mobile) is vital to recover any missing clearance documents and/or validate the delivery address if needed. Please note that missing address requirements will cause a delivery delay. A P.O. Box address is not valid as we do NOT deliver to a P.O. Box.

Important Note: Shipments addressed to a P.O. Box are excluded from the UPS International guarantee regardless of the payer. A delay in delivery may occur due to the need for the consignee's physical address in order to complete delivery.

Friday, and official holidays.
In addition, all Government Ministries/Offices, Banks and majority of private companies are closed on Saturdays.
Spring +0300/ Fall +0300
Arabic
Bahraini Dinar(BHD)

Billing Options

  • Shipping charges can be billed to the shipper, receiver or a third party.
  • When billing the receiver, either the shipper or receiver's account number is required.
  • When billing to a third party, the third party's name, country or territory and account number are required.
  • Duties and taxes can be billed to the shipper, receiver or a third party.
  • When billing a third party, the third party's name, country or territory and account number are required.
  • If the duties and taxes are billed to an account outside of the destination country or territory, a "Duty and Tax Forwarding" surcharge will be applied.
  • Please note the following third party billing exceptions:
    • Shipments to and from the same country or territory (domestic shipments) cannot be billed to third party payors in other countries or territories. For example, shipments from Mexico to Mexico or Canada to Canada cannot be billed to a third party payor in the U.S. This rule does not apply to UPS domestic services in European Union countries or territories as well as to UPS domestic services in the United Kingdom.For example, shipments from Germany to Germany can be billed to a third party payor in the U.S. (as long as the payor is a business and has a VAT or Tax/EIN ID on file with UPS).
  • When paying by credit card, check, or cash, only the shipper can be billed the shipping charges

Commodity Specific Stipulations

There are special stipulations on the following commodities when shipping to Bahrain. If you plan to ship one of the commodities listed below, be sure to adhere to the following stipulations in order to avoid delays and holds at customs.

Bank Cards which are requested to be sent out of the United Kingdom should be declared for referral to HMRC and await their approval to send.
All books are passed to the Ministry of Information for inspection prior to release. A delay of up to 2 days is possible for Customs clearance. Duty tax on educational books is only 5%.
An invoice is required on all shipments containing a CD-Rom/Disk. Invoice should indicate the value of the Recording Media (eg. CDR/DVD) & the Intellectual/statistical value of the software/data separately
All shipments of discs are subject to censorship. They are sent to the Ministry of Information for inspection prior to release. A delay of up to 4 days is possible for Customs clearance.
Shipments of medicine require permission from the Ministry of Health. Customs procedures may delay clearance by 3 to 4 days.
All shipments of films are subject to censorship. They are sent to the Ministry of Information for inspection prior to release. A possible delay of up to 4 days is possible for Customs clearance.
Data shipments to Bahrain require an invoice with the value of the CD-ROM or disk only.
Shipments of medicine require permission from the Ministry of Health. A delay of 3-4 days is possible for Customs clearance.
The invoice must include a description of the part, the type of machine for which the part will be used, and a list of the part's components. Shipment of parts need to be accompanied by a Certificate of Origin.
Passports which are requested to be sent out of the United Kingdom should be declared for referral to HMRC and await their approval to send.
All shipments of tapes are subject to censorship. They are sent to the Ministry of Information for inspection prior to release. A possible delay of up to 4 days is possible for Customs clearance.
Shipment of vitamins require permission from the Ministry of Health.

Gift Exemptions

300.00 Bahraini Dinar BHD
individual-to-individual
per shipment

Shipments from private individual to private individual, duty is not applied if the number of items is reasonable. Duty is charged if many items go to one person or gift is business related.

The name of each gift recipient & the value of each gift must be on the invoice.

In addition to a detailed description of each item, write additional comments of "gift shipment" on the invoice & Special Instructions box of the UPS Waybill to insure proper assessment of duties & taxes.

Invoice Requirements

Non-document shipments to Bahrain must include 1 original and 2 copies of an invoice, and a copy of the waybill.

Shipments of documents do not require an invoice.

The consignee's telephone number, mobile number and e-mail address if available, should appear on the invoice, along with correct delivery address.

The following Import Documents are also required:

1-Packing list-if available

2-HS Code, full description of item, item value and total commercial value declared on the invoice.

UPS Paperless Invoice is available for small package exports from this country or territory.
UPS Paperless Invoice is accepted by Customs for small package imports into this country or territory.

Items Classified as Documents

The destination country or territory considers the following items document shipments. If criteria are listed, the shipment must meet those criteria to be considered a document shipment.

Cigarette advertising is banned.
Tickets for events like stage performances, football matches or concerts can be sent as documents.

Event tickets coming from a printing company and sent to the organizer of the event or ticket sales offices can not be sent as documents.

Document Limit-50 Kgs
Shipments of intercompany mail can be shipped as a document shipment if the following requirements are met:
  1. The intercompany mail must be for non-commercial purposes.
  2. The words "intercompany mail" and a description of the mail must be included in the description of goods field on the waybill.
  3. There can be no commercial value.

Any shipment not meeting these requirements will be classified as a non-document shipment and will require an invoice.


UPS can recommend which forms you need based on a few simple criteria. Forms can be completed online or printed. See which forms you need.

Prohibited or Restricted Commodities

In addition to the prohibited commodities listed here, it is prohibited to ship the following commodities to Bahrain.

Antique shipments are restricted from Europe, the Middle East and Africa and can only be shipped with an International Special Commodities (ISC) contract. Antiques are defined as a work of art, piece of furniture, decorative object, or silverware that is 100 years old or older.

In case an antique item is received in Bahrain, Ministry of Culture approval is required.

Artwork shipments are restricted from Europe, the Middle East and Africa and can only be shipped with an International Special Commodities (ISC) contract.

Paintings or other works of art can be accepted if the artist is still alive, the artwork is replaceable and an art dealer or gallery has appraised the artwork within the last year. If the declared value of the artwork is greater than $100.00 and there is a claim, the shipper must provide a copy of the original invoice, a bill of sale, or other proof certifying in writing the actual cost or replacement cost of the item.

Artwork includes the following: Original engravings, prints, lithographs, original sculptures, statuary.

The term "Artwork" does not apply to: architectural, engineering, industrial, topographical, commercial drawings, hand-painted or hand-decorated manufactured articles.

UPS Bahrain does not have the Dangerous Goods license to handle Dangerous Goods shipments.

As per Bahrain Civil Aviation and Security, UPS Bahrain cannot handle any type of Dangerous Goods including Lithium Batteries.

The importation of Electronic Cigarettes require a registration with the Ministry of Finance as well as an approval from the Ministry of Commerce and from the Ministry of Health. Customs inspections are mandatory and UPS needs an authorization document from consignee to clear the shipment on his behalf.

These requirements affect besides commercial shipments also small quantities that are intended for personal use only. The customs clearance process may take up to 90 days.

Hunting knives, switchblades, bayonets and all double edged blades are prohibited.
Only below LIBA (Batteries contained in equipment as per below packaging) are permitted, anything else cannot be moved.

Below are sections acceptable on Emirates:

UN3481- Lithium Ion batteries PI-966 & PI967 section II

UN3091-Lithium metal batteries PI-969 & PI970 section II.

Military equipment is strictly prohibited except in rare occasions. A letter of authority from the military department is required for Customs clearance.
Mobile phones to all destination countries from United Kingdom can be delayed on export due to security checks from government bodies.
Personal Effects cannot be shipped between these countries or territories
The Government of Bahrain has placed a prohibition on plastic bags effective July 1, 2019.

All plastic carrier bags, regardless of their thickness, will be prohibited from being imported, exported, manufactured, sold, stored, supplied, and used in Mainland Bahrain. The only exceptions to the plastic bag ban will be for plastic or plastic packaging for medical services, industrial products, the construction industry, the agricultural sector, foodstuffs, and sanitary and waste management.

UPS affected products:

EXPRESS PAK

PAK UNIVERSAL 01872618

PAK MEDIUM SIZE MULTILANGUAGE 01872718

AIRBAG - 170505

Saturday Delivery

Saturday Delivery Available: Yes

Not available in all areas. Always check the international time in transit system for details of service availability within a country or territory.

Service Options

Always check Calculate Time and Cost for details of service availability and guarantee information within a country or territory. All Service Levels may not be available to or from every address within a country or territory.

  • UPS Worldwide Expedited
  • UPS Worldwide Express
  • UPS Worldwide Express Plus
  • UPS Worldwide Express Saver
  • UPS WorldWide Express Freight
  • WorldWide Economy DDU

Special Clearance Requirements

Outward Processing Relief (goods exported from the UK for the purpose of repair)

The outward processing relief starts with the export from the UK and will be discharged with the re-importation of the repaired goods. Both steps need to be identified by UPS export or import operation. Repair Goods: Goods requiring Export from the UK for repair Invoice requirements:

  • Statement stating "Goods being sent for repair under Outward Processing Relief" should be clearly marked on the commercial invoice
  • Provide serial number of goods being sent for repair. If the goods are not serialized a statement to this effect must be made on the commercial invoice
  • Exporters authorized to export under OPR must include their authority number on all paperwork
  • Provide correct commercial value of goods as originally paid for not a nominal value for the goods.

Failure to provide any of the above information will result in shipments being delayed.

Repaired goods: Goods being re-exported returned after repair in the UK Invoice requirements:

  • Invoice should clearly state "Goods have been repaired under IPR"
  • Provide either IP authorization number or Import entry details
  • Provide full commercial value of goods plus cost of repair

Failure to provide any of the above information will result in shipments being delayed.

The invoice must include both the value of the commodity before repair and the cost of the repair.
The invoice must indicate the country or territory of origin and the reason for the return.
The invoice must include a description of the sample and indicate if it is marked or mutilated.
New requirements have been implemented for small package shipments and are based on the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) 15, which is entitled "Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade". ISPM 15 was adopted internationally in 2002, and is gradually being introduced by countries or territories worldwide. Wood or wood products covered by ISPM 15 include items such as packing cases, boxes, crates, drums or similar packing, pallets, box pallets and other load boards, pallet collars and skids, but exclude such processed woods as orientated strand board, particle board, plywood or veneer, created using glue, heat and pressure or a combinations thereof, and, raw wood which is 6mm or less thick. It is recommended that if a question arises on this issue, please check with the authority that issues the Phytosanitary certificates in your country or territory.

Value Limits


Private Shipments

  • 300.00 Bahraini Dinar (BHD)
    Below the threshold no Duty or VAT will be applied as well as no UPS fees.

Commercial Shipments

  • 100.00 Bahraini Dinar (BHD)
    Above 100.00 BHD, value of shipment is considered as High Value and a bill of entry will be processed for the shipment. Duty / Vat will be applied along with UPS clearance charges of 7.50 BHD plus 2.00 BHD VAT admin fees so total disbursement fee is 9.50 BHD.

    Commercial shipments with a value below 100.00 BHD will be treated as Low value-still duty and VAT will be applied with UPS fees of only 2.00 BHD.

Weight and Size Limits

70 kg (150 lbs.) per package
274.00 cm (107.9 in.)  per package
400.00 cm (157.5 in.)  per package
Length and girth combined


Convert metric quantity for weight, length, and area.

NOTE: Information provided by UPS is provided AS IS, may not be current, and does not constitute legal advice. In no event shall UPS be liable for any errors in the information, forms or features made available by UPS, or by any third party site linked to from UPS. Selection and completion of proper forms for any given shipment is the sole responsibility of the shipper. All shipments are subject to the UPS Terms and Conditions of Service in effect at the time of shipping for the country or territory of origin.
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