Can I bring Nuts and Seeds to United Kingdom?
Nuts and Seeds→United Kingdom
⚠️ Allowed with Conditions
📋 Carrying Limits
- Quantity Limit:Great Britain, for your own use: nuts and seeds from the EU, Switzerland or Liechtenstein; from other countries, peeled and processed nuts or nut butters. No weight limit is stated for these. Other nuts and seeds from other countries are not on the list that may come in without a phytosanitary certificate. Counts towards the £390 allowance for other goods (£270 by private plane or boat) when arriving from outside the UK.
✅ Declaration Requirements
⚠️Permitted nuts for your own use (for example peeled and processed nuts, or nuts and seeds from the EU, Switzerland or Liechtenstein) do not need a separate food declaration, but when you arrive in Great Britain from outside the UK you must declare goods over the £390 allowance (£270 by private plane or boat) and any banned or restricted goods. If you are unsure whether a nut or seed is allowed, speak to a Border Force officer in the red channel.
Form needed: Online customs declaration from 5 days (120 hours) before arrival, or declare at the border, where a declaration is required.
📌 Quick Summary
🔗 Official Information Source:
Last Updated:November 3, 2026
Reliability:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📝 Important Notes
- •Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) - depends on where the nuts come from
- •From the EU, Switzerland or Liechtenstein: you can bring nuts and seeds for personal use.
- •From other countries: most fruit and vegetables need a phytosanitary (plant health) certificate. The list of items that may come in without one includes "peeled and processed nuts or nut butters" and processed and packaged plant products such as packaged salads or frozen plant material. Other nuts and seeds, such as raw nuts in the shell, are not on that list, so check before you pack.
- •Bring these nuts only for your own use; GOV.UK does not state a weight allowance for them, so confirm the quantity conditions with Border Force before you travel.
- •Customs allowance: when you arrive in Great Britain from outside the UK, goods you buy abroad count towards the allowance for other goods: £390 (or £270 if you arrive by private plane or boat). If you go over it, you must declare and pay tax and duty on the total value, not just the excess; goods may qualify for a zero rate of customs duty if they were grown or made in the EU using only EU ingredients or materials, you bought them in the EU, you are bringing them in from an EU country, and you can show the required evidence. Goods you bring to sell or use in a business have no personal allowance and must be declared.
- •If you break the rules: banned food that you declare is taken away and destroyed. If you do not declare banned food, you could be fined up to £5,000 (in England) or prosecuted. Border Force can also seize items it believes were brought in illegally or in too great a quantity. If unsure, speak to a Border Force officer in the red channel.
- •Northern Ireland: different rules apply to bringing food and animal products into Northern Ireland. Check them before you travel.
❓ More Questions
Can I bring nuts to the UK?
It depends on where they come from. Arriving in Great Britain, you can bring nuts and seeds for personal use from the EU, Switzerland or Liechtenstein. From other countries, GOV.UK lists "peeled and processed nuts or nut butters" among the items that can come in without a phytosanitary certificate. Other nuts and seeds from those countries are not on that list. Northern Ireland has different food rules.
Can I bring raw or in-shell nuts from countries other than the EU, Switzerland or Liechtenstein?
GOV.UK does not list them among the items that can come in without a phytosanitary certificate, and it says there are restrictions on bringing nuts and seeds into Great Britain from abroad. Do not assume they are allowed: check with a Border Force officer in the red channel, or choose peeled and processed nuts instead.
Do I need to declare nuts at UK customs?
Permitted nuts for your own use do not need a separate food declaration. When you arrive in Great Britain from outside the UK, you must declare goods over your allowance (£390 for other goods, or £270 if you arrive by private plane or boat) and any banned or restricted goods. If you declare banned food, Border Force takes it away and destroys it; if you do not declare it, you could be fined up to £5,000 (in England) or prosecuted.
🔗 Related Items
Nuts and Seeds in other countries
Complete United Kingdom Entry Guide
Entry process, prohibited items, duty-free allowances, and more
Share This Result
Help other travelers understand the rules