Importing Japanese Knives into the UK

Bringing a Japanese knife into the UK is straightforward, and cheaper than many people expect, because the UK-Japan trade agreement removes the customs duty on Japanese-made knives. What you do pay is VAT and a courier fee, and delivery has a couple of quirks around age verification and blade length. This guide covers the current position. Figures are as of late 2026 and this area changes, so confirm with GOV.UK before you order.

Is it legal?

Yes. A plain fixed-blade kitchen knife is not a restricted item, and importing one is not an offence. What UK law restricts is flick knives, gravity and automatic knives, disguised knives, push daggers, butterfly knives, and similar, none of which is a kitchen knife. A santoku, gyuto, nakiri, deba, or petty is always fine.

You do have to be 18 or over to buy a knife, and the delivery rules below enforce that. It is also an offence to sell a knife to someone under 18, which is why reputable retailers ask you to confirm your age at checkout.

Customs duty: normally zero

The UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has been in force since 1 January 2021. Under it, goods that qualify as Japanese in origin, including kitchen knives, generally enter the UK at zero per cent customs duty, at any value.

Without that agreement, the standard UK duty on knives would apply. With it, a Japanese-made knife pays nothing, provided the shipment is declared as Japanese origin and the retailer supplies a statement of origin, which any established Japanese knife shop does. If a courier applies the standard rate because origin was not declared, you can reclaim it from HMRC, though it is easier to get the paperwork right up front. When you order, ask the retailer to mark the parcel as Japanese origin.

Import VAT: 20%

VAT is the charge you will actually pay. It is 20 per cent, and how it is collected depends on the order value.

• £135 or less: the overseas seller, if registered for UK VAT, charges the 20 per cent at checkout and the parcel arrives with nothing further to pay.
• Over £135: import VAT of 20 per cent is charged on arrival, calculated on the price plus shipping, and collected by the courier along with their fee.
• Gifts under £39 sent between private individuals are exempt, but this does not apply to anything you have bought, only to genuine gifts.

For a knife costing £150 with £15 shipping, that is 20 per cent of £165, or £33 of VAT.

The carrier handling fee

When there is VAT to collect, the courier pays it to HMRC for you and charges a fee. As a rough guide, DHL Express charges around £11 plus VAT on that fee, about £13.20 in total, and UPS around £13.60. This fee applies whenever there is anything to collect, so budget for it on any order over £135.

Delivery: adult signature and blade length

Two things affect how a knife reaches you.

Adult signature. UK law requires an adult signature on delivery for any bladed item, and the person delivering it can be prosecuted for handing it over without checking age. Royal Mail and Parcelforce generally do not offer adult-signature delivery on inbound international parcels, so Japanese knives ship by DHL, UPS, or FedEx instead.

Blade length. Some carriers cap blade length as company policy. DHL in the UK will not carry a blade longer than 8 inches, about 20.3cm, which rules out a 240mm gyuto and some longer slicers. A santoku, a 210mm gyuto, a nakiri, and most home knives are well under that. Check the retailer’s carrier before ordering anything long.

Or buy from a UK-based retailer

If the import process sounds like more than you want to deal with, a UK or EU retailer that already stocks Japanese knives sidesteps all of it: no customs, no courier fee, faster delivery, and easy returns. You may pay a little more than ordering direct from Japan, but the total often works out close once VAT and the handling fee are added to a direct order, and the experience is simpler.

A worked example

A 210mm gyuto priced at £150 with £15 express shipping from a shop in Japan:

• Customs duty: £0 (UK-Japan CEPA, Japanese origin)
• Import VAT: 20 per cent of £165 = £33
• DHL handling fee: about £13
• Total landed cost: roughly £211

The same knife from a UK retailer might be £185 to £195 delivered, with no customs step. Which is better depends on the exact prices and how much you value the simpler process, easier returns, and next-day rather than week-long delivery.

If customs holds your parcel

When there is VAT to pay, the courier contacts you, usually by text or email with a payment link, before they will deliver. Pay it and the parcel is released, typically within a day. If you do not respond, the parcel is held and eventually returned to the sender, and you may lose the outbound shipping cost. Choosing a retailer that prepays the duties and taxes at checkout avoids the whole step.

Frequently asked questions

The short version

Importing a Japanese knife into the UK means no customs duty on a genuinely Japanese-made blade, thanks to the UK-Japan trade deal, but 20 per cent VAT on orders over £135 and a courier fee of around £13. Knives ship by courier because delivery needs an adult signature, and very long blades can hit carrier limits. Check the current rules on GOV.UK, and see our main guide to importing Japanese knives for how this compares to other countries.