Do I need an agent to release my bike at Heathrow????
 

Basically I've just been told by the airline here in London that we need to employ an agent to do the work with customs here at Heathrow. I phoned some office for custom and been confirmed we need an agent as well!
Our bikes arrive tomorrow morning! Can we deal with all ourselves, or will custom be a pain in the bum without an agent and drag the process? Any experience on this please let us know! Thanks,

As your bike is UK registered (and taxes duties VAT etc were paid on first Registration) I would have thought it was just a matter of waving the V5 at them.

It surely is no different to bringing it on a passenger ferry or the tunnel where they rarely even ask to see documents.

But I know nothing !

Coming in by Air, Customs formalities do neccesitate a formal customs entry even if the bikes are UK registered. Yes, I think you will need an agent.

Hello Maria,

Welcome back! I'm very pleased to see you made it back in one piece.

Basically at Stanstead I did everything myself. I knew which flight the bike was coming in on and knew it had arrived. The ground company was Servisair who were the handlers for Martinair. I took along my V5 and the shipping documents. Unfortunately it was a Saturday and this meant that something or other about a release needed to be done manually. I guess they were quite helpful even if it never felt that way at the time. It was previously supposed to arrive the day before so perhaps this made them a little more helpful and perhaps the office was quieter on a Saturday.

I arrived at 9am and by 7pm was up at Ripley for the HU meeting 2005. Not a fun day but it was possible!

Hope this helps.

Matt

thanks guys. Customs insisted on an agent. I called the shipping agent I used to fly our bikes to bogota last year. They were very helpful once again. Bikes are being delt with by them and we just need to pick it up at their depot when all is sorted. I will put details on the shipping pages when all is sorted!

Matt yes I came back in one piece! LAst adventure, we are staying with friends near Heathrow. We checked in Transport for London website for a bus to get to our friends house, none was direct apparently (wrong! As we discovered later!) SO we took a cab. We give the cabby the address. The cab take us to the right street and number... but the wrong town!!!! As we had been in that house once only, by the time we realised the mistake... the cab was gone! We ended up ferrying all our stuff walking for 2 miles to the right address!!!! Obviously no cab on sight whn you need one!
Once again, I ask "why is all this happening to me?"